Texas Health and Human Services

0:01

Texas Health and Human Services

0:03

Hello, I’m Executive Commissioner Charles Smith.

0:07

As the Health and Human Services system continues to evolve, it’s important for all of us

0:11

to take a step back and really assess ourselves, the role we have and the job we’re doing.

0:17

There are 59,000 jobs in the Health and Human Services system.

0:21

Every one of them is important and every one of them is worth doing well.

0:26

I know some of you are concerned about the recent changes that put more employees into an at-will status.

0:33

If you are meeting performance expectations, you don’t have to worry about your job.

0:37

Tom Brady, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, doesn’t worry about annual reviews.

0:43

He listens to his coaches, provides feedback on how things can be better, studies film

0:48

and plays hard on Sundays.

0:51

He knows if he pushes himself every day and works constantly to improve, the annual performance

0:57

reviews will take care of themselves.

1:00

We should take that same approach.

1:02

Ask yourself every day what you’ve done well and what you can do better.

1:07

Talk to your supervisor regularly to get his or her thoughts.

1:11

Find new and better ways to measure your work, set goals and work to achieve them.

1:17

Hold yourself accountable.

1:19

Set a stricter standard for yourself, higher than any supervisor.

1:24

The changes I’ve made are designed to help us.

1:28

They usher in a new era of accountability for management and staff.

1:33

They will require managers to be accountable for providing the support, training and resources

1:38

you need to do your job.

1:40

Staff will be expected to meet performance expectations.

1:44

At its root, the transformation our system is undergoing is about

1:48

looking for ways to be better.

1:49

We’ve consolidated agencies and functions as part of that process, but ultimately, this

1:55

system’s performance is the sum total of all of our actions.

2:01

I promise you I will come to work every day determined to serve the people of Texas the

2:07

best I can, and come back the next day determined to do it better.

2:11

I need each of you to pledge to do the same.

2:15

I want superstars.

2:17

Superstars don’t have to worry about the changes in policy.

2:21

Each of you can be a superstar.

2:24

Think about all of the hard work that you're doing, each and every day.

2:29

And I thank you for it, for all of your efforts. Have a great day.

2:35

Texas Health and Human Services hhs.texas.gov