How Combining Disciplines Can Help Your Career
The idea of a career as a pre-determined and linear path is being challenged in many areas of working life. An increasingly common experience is a changing set of mini-careers, like riding a carousel rather than climbing a ladder, where you get on and off at various...
Veterans Are Taking Off Their Boots To Put On a Suit
The biggest problem with Taking Off the Boots To Put On A Suit is the transition from service member to civilian. Every service member knows that the mission to protect America comes first. This means your time while in service is consumed with tactical and strategic...
Strategy and Costing: The Core of Public Sector Labor Negotiations
Among the many facets of public administration one can be immersed into, perhaps the most interesting (and at times nerve-racking) is that of public sector labor negotiations. There are many great books, essays, and papers that discuss the broad field of negotiations...
How to Stick with Your New Year’s Resolutions at Work
Oh, January. The month always starts out with so much promise—it’s a chance to set goals for the upcoming year and wipe the slate clean of past bad habits. We start out strong, buying fresh ingredients at the grocery store or starting a gym membership, but midway...
The Appeal of Local Government
Despite serving on the Advisory Board of an organization dedicated to local government professionals, I came into my MPA program at UNC-Chapel Hill interested in federal government. But over the last five months, while maintaining an interest in the federal...
The Manager’s Role in Retaining Talent
Surveys measuring overall employee satisfaction attest to the fact that government workers are more disengaged on the job than their private-sector peers. Turnover can be directed to either the more positively perceived private-sector, or more forward thinking...
5 Skills You Need to Pursue a Career in Political Communications
Political communications is a challenging field that demands a unique set of skills. On one hand, the work allows you to focus on a cause or candidate you believe in, but politics also requires a thick skin and a quick wit. To succeed, it’s important to be a strong...
Public Service Career Spotlight: Emergency Manager
Typically when we think about emergency management, we think about the professionals who are on the ground when an emergency happens—such as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders. However, there are also a number of...
Trash Worthy Technology
I recently attended a conference on waste to energy in southern California. I was amazed at the amount of municipal employees who could see the writing on the wall with regard to the next generation of technology coming online. The ability to manage the last 10 to...
The Future of Government Work
Walk the halls of government today and you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported back in time. You’ll observe hierarchical, siloed organizational structures that date back to the era of black and white television, antiquated IT systems, and service delivery models...
Revisiting JFK’s Call to Public Service 50 Years Later
“Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” President John F. Kennedy With those words and the creation of programs such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corp, President Kennedy challenged a generation to enter public service. That...
Beyond Gridlock in Local Government
The facts on the ground Government will continue to be in the vortex of a perfect storm. It must Do far more, with far less Forge ahead in unchartered waters yet maintain stability and constant service Find new ways to seek efficiency, yet maintain a competent...
Give the Gift of Employee Recognition
The holidays are gift-giving time. In the workplace gift-giving doesn’t mean you have to spend money to acknowledge the good works of employees. With reduced budgets and stretched resources, this is the perfect time to give what employees crave most. According to...
How to Pursue a Career in State Law Enforcement
Law enforcement can be an exciting career choice for anyone interested in public safety. State law enforcement officers are tasked with the challenge of enforcing the law, providing patrol, and investigating crimes. This field includes a wide range of career paths...
The Three States of Momentum
There is an intriguing co-existence of frequencies in all organizations that leaders are quite familiar with: That individuals typically are driven by motivation, while organizations (or substantial groups within them) predominantly run on morale. Leaders--and...
What Makes a “Good” Government Leader?
In its 2012 Best Places to Work survey, the Partnership for Public Service found that US federal civil servants are less happy with their jobs than at any time since 2003 (when the organization first started compiling its rankings of the best places to work in the...
Tips for Giving Gifts to That Government Employee On Your List
With the holidays coming up, we’re faced with that age-old question: What gifts should I get for my co-workers, and is it even appropriate to give out gifts at work? And if you work in a government position, you’ve also got to take into account the regulations laid...
Colin Powell and His Perpetual Optimism
A couple of years ago, I had the privilege to attend a significant gathering of regional leaders from across Southern California. The guests included members of Congress, the State legislature, regional and locally-elected officials, and scores of leaders of...