Arizona’s Deputy Auditor General Counsels Grads

PROVO, Utah – May 29, 2009 – Bill Thomson, recipient of the Administrator of the Year Award, received a standing ovation at the annual MPA graduation dinner when he shared thoughts on the lessons learned from decades of public service.

Thomson, who has served more than thirty years in the public sector, is deputy auditor general of Arizona, a nationally recognized office that has won awards for implementing plans that have led to significant improvements for Arizona residents. David Hart, director of the Romney Institute of Public Management, says Thompson's effectiveness prompted the office to urge him to come back less than a year after he announced his retirement.

From his vantage point, both in leadership and staff positions, Thomson recognized four attributes he wanted to instill in the students attending the banquet: pursuing excellence, building relationships, maintaining a positive attitude and expressing gratitude.

"If you want to be the best, you need to first decide just what it is you are going to be the best at," he said. "All of us want to be a part of something great; no one joins an office saying, ‘I really hope this will be a mediocre organization.'"

That greatness, he said, is achieved through lifelong learning, keeping an open mind and embracing change. Change, although necessary, was also the impetus behind Thomson's speech as he stressed the importance of great students serving in a community fraught with economic, political and global turmoil.

Thomson looked out into the audience of roughly one hundred and said he firmly expects the students to be in public service leadership roles — with baby boomers retiring, the responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the next generation to make a positive impact on society.

In the quest for excellence, though, Thomson says to think less about success and more about the people.

"Leadership is really about relationships," he said. "The further you go in your career, the more your success will depend on other people. As I have grown to understand that fact, I have become an effective leader and happier in my career."

Those relationships, he said, are solidified through integrity, respect and feedback. Also inherent in these relationships, is the principle of gratitude. Thomson shared with students the importance of establishing good will with employers through gratitude.

"I would also encourage you to do something harder — be grateful for other peoples' successes," he said. "If someone who has been with your organization the same time you have is promoted and you are not, be glad for their success despite your own disappointment. Learning to be glad for other peoples' successes is very important."

Thomson joins the rank of other prestigious individuals who have received the Administrator of the Year award. It has been presented since 1972; recipients include former Utah Governors Olene Walker and Scott Matheson, former Commissioner of Church Education Neal A. Maxwell, former CFO of the Environmental Protection Agency Charlie E. Johnson and former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker.

The Romney Institute of Public Management was named in 1998 for three-term Michigan Governor George W. Romney. Part of Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management, the Romney Institute offers a master's degree in public administration through both pre-service and executive programs. The Romney Institute has a long tradition of preparing young people for careers in public service and is dedicated to educating men and women of faith, character and professional ability who will become outstanding managers and leaders in public and nonprofit institutions worldwide.