Governor Bill AnoatubbyThe future of the Chickasaw people is very bright. We have many choices before us that will, over time, help fulfill our tribal mission, “To enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw People.”
It’s exciting to be part of the tremendous growth of the Chickasaw Nation. We have been blessed with a number of opportunities that have greatly assisted in our tribal growth. That growth has led to expansion of essential programs, services and initiatives that serve our people.
We understand that the opportunities before us take time to mature and that proper execution by those of us who serve you is exceptionally important. Creating a workable plan is crucial. It is equally important to make the commitment to “stick with it” all the way to completion.
At the Chickasaw Nation, we operate with a strategic plan. This plan contains strategic objectives – the big things we want to achieve over time to make our tribe stronger. Objectives typically speak to the way we do things, rather than some specific project. For example, “Build the Chickasaw Cultural Center” is obviously a very important project, but would not fit as a strategic objective.
One of our tribal strategic objectives is “Optimize the Use of Resources.” The objective speaks to an overarching theme that will impact the entire tribal organization. It is obviously a good idea to make the best use of resources provided. Next, we must break down the objective so it can be translated into action by the tribal divisions and departments.
The first part of this objective states “Chickasaw Nation employees will practice good stewardship by ensuring resources are being used in a manner that ensures maximum benefit. The Chickasaw Nation will work towards financial independence, developing new funding sources and needed services while evaluating the benefit of existing services.”
That is a tall order, but if we are serving the Chickasaw people properly, wise use of our tribal resources is imperative. We encourage our division administrators, department heads and all employees to analyze how resources are applied, and we seek their input. Citizen needs must be met, and we don’t want to be wasteful as we complete those tasks. We have been entrusted to manage your resources properly and to do so means avoiding the “auto pilot” response. We don’t do things simply because that’s how they have always been done. We do things for the benefit of our citizens.
We are continually seeking new sources of funding, whether federal, private, commercial or other. There is never a stopping point regarding growth. As in any business, the environment can change, and it can change rapidly. Sales can go up and down, and income which may have come from one source last year may have to be replaced with a new source this year.
It is critical that all our tribal workers remember the Chickasaw Nation is continually working toward financial independence. We are a long way down that road, but we must not take our success for granted. That means we must not only be good stewards of what we have, we must be always searching for new financial opportunities. New businesses, new partnerships, new initiatives are constantly under review. Our drive for financial independence means we make our own decisions as a tribal government, and we continually seek to fulfill our tribal mission by focusing on improving the lives of the Chickasaw people.
Our other points under “Optimize Use of Resources” include improving financial planning, improving funding efficiency and increasing funding for support programs. These elements all dovetail with the initial idea – we are going to be good stewards of resources and we are going to put into action the operations that will ensure good stewardship and tribal growth.
These objectives take time, but they are the right things to do. A five- to 10-year time horizon is not unusual. I am committed to seeing each of our objectives in place, and our tribe always “on the grow.”
We will continue this series on our tribal direction with more discussion of Chickasaw Nation priorities and objectives for the future.
