Understanding the follower/leader relationship in a congressional office

This week while working in Congressman Doggets office, I had a meeting with my superiors superior. It was really just a check-in to see if there were any issues or areas of growth. As I have learned there is a very unique hierarchy. My supervisor reports the chief of staff in D.C, and I report to the chief of operations in Austin.

The chief of operations oversees all of the interns. although there is a group text with the interns and e are invited to weekly staff meetings, I feel that there is significant room for growth between interns and our supervisors. I think work could be better distributed if we had regular contact with each other rather then working predominantly independently.

The office had o day quickly to a cultural environment so I know things are very different.  The work feels vert decentralized and the interns work largely independently. Decisions are made by the congressman himself however we help to accomplish the decisions. Our input is honestly not considered and not important. As an intern, it is expected that we have similar political views as who we work for.

My supervisor works in a very casual way. His leadership style is very much based on the honor system. He sends me work and expects that I complete it during my scheduled hours. This is very helpful for me because it also means I have more flexibility when I work. In the event that something comes up, they are very understanding of me adjusting my hours.

The interns all call our supervisor by their first name, however, when on calls with Congressman, he referred to as “congressman Doggett or just “the congressman”.

The staff is not divided into teams or groups. Rather, each employee oversees different areas of an issue or area of work. Those employees prepare briefs and update the congressman of the status of those issues. for example, there are people who oversee marketing and social media and also someone who oversees education, environment, and science for their position.

Overall, it has been really educational for me to better understand the moving parts that go into helping a singular individual succeed.