30 Rules of Professional Survival*

Transcription

1 30 Rules of Professional Survival* Massachusetts Collectors & Treasurers Association April 8, 2014 *Adapted from the Thirty Rules for MPA 3100 Issues and Cases in Public Administration whose origin began about fifteen years ago as twelve rules used as teaching points to drive home specific concepts and have since evolved to thirty with the number continuing to expand each year. Former students and colleagues have suggested some of the rules as noted. The origin of the thirty rules are quite varied. Where there is a specific source it has been duly noted, otherwise the source is an accumulation of thirty-six years of experience in the field combined with over twenty years teaching at Clark University making extensive use of the case study method.

2 Rule #1 - Professional managers bring to the table: Technical competency Informed long range vision Political neutrality A principled commitment to serve the public interest Adapted from James Banovetz s The nature of local government from the book entitled Managing Local Government: Cases in Decision Making - ICMA

3 Rule #2 - Know the structure. Never think outside the box but to the edges of the box and outside your and your organization s comfort zone. Observation from Richard D. Carney, former Town Manager Town of Shrewsbury

4 Rule #3 - Determine the value system and model in play that influence the organizational environment being presented. Political Values (PV) Accountability Transparency Participation Responsiveness Representation Access Administrative Values (AV) Economy Efficiency Effectiveness Adapted from Michael Milakovich & George Gordon s, Public Administration in America - Wadsworth

5 Rule #4 - Be aware of the 3 B s Banana Peels Barbells Booby Traps General observation

6 Rule #5 Go to the Fire!!! Observation by John Lebeaux Town Administrator Town of Princeton

7 Rule #6 Forget POSDCORB just remember RUCR Reduction of Uncertainty Contingency Response Adapted from Leonard Sayles, Leadership McGraw-Hill as presented in book entitled The Effective Local Government Manager - ICMA

8 Rule #7 - Seek out the Trained Incapacity of your organization and develop appropriate management strategies. Adapted from Robert Merton s, Bureaucratic Structure and Personality Simon and Shuster

9 Rule #8 - Control the boundary lines of the playing field and where no field exists create those lines. General observation

10 Rule #9 - In a relationship there is no better self -interest than shared self-interest. Remember goal congruence is Job #1A. Adapted from Michael Milakovich & George Gordon s, Public Administration in America - Wadsworth

11 Rule #10 - Never tell someone what to do tell them what you will do. General observation

12 Rule #11 - When in doubt communicate and coordinate knowing when to go informal and when to go formal. Think circular not linear and never send the memo Adapted from Mary Parker Follett s, The Giving of Orders Scientific Foundation of Business Administration; (1926) Michael Milakovich & George Gordon s, Public Administration in America Wadsworth (in reference to Chester Barnard)

13 Rule #12 - Never create a you v. them situation. General observation

14 Rule #13 - When seeking compromise, understand where the other party needs to be. General observation

15 Rule #14 - Assume that consultants only know what you know. General observation

16 Rule #15 - Nothing happens without infrastructure. Remember implementation is Job #1B. 09/local/ _1_library-board-meetinglibrary-director-librarians Adapted from Jeffrey Pressman & Aaron Wildavsky s, Implementation University of California Press

17 Rule #16 - Never act on private assurance. General observation

18 Rule #17 - Know thy uncertainty and act accordingly. Variation Foreseen uncertainties Unforeseen uncertainties Chaos management Adapted from Christine Gibbs-Springer s, Managing Uncertainty ASPA On Line Column (2002)

19 Rule #18 - Groupthink can happen to anyone. Source: Irving Janis, Groupthink, Psychology Today (1971)

20 Rule #19 - Leaders exhibit technical, managerial and institutional competencies via (among other skills) decision making that is substantive, organizational and political. Adapted from Michael Milakovich & George Gordon, Public Administration in America Wadsworth (in reference to Talcott Parsons)

21 Rule #20 - Sometimes the goal of satisfice (incrementalism) is A-OK. Source: Michael Milakovich & George Gordon, Public Administration in America Wadsworth (in reference to Herbert Simon)

22 Rule #21 - Move the organization (and your Board) to its administrative values every time conditions allow. General observation

23 Rule #22 - Remember all of your obligations knowing that there are tradeoffs. Source: Dwight Waldo, Public Administration and Ethics The Enterprise of Public Administration: A Summary View Chandler & Sharp

24 Rule #23 - Know the limits of your job. Capacity Value Authority Taken from remarks made by Marty Linsky John F Kennedy School of Government

25 Rule #24 - Compromise through weakness not vagueness. Source: Theodore Lowi, Two Roads to Serfdom: Liberalism, Conservatism and Administrate Power American University Law Review (1987)

26 Rule #25 Always go to the circle and not the corner.leave yourself an out. Adapted from Michael Smith Clark University Student (2009)

27 Rule #26 - Judge yourself on outcomes and not effort and remember you are never as good as they say you are or as bad as you think you are. Adapted from Yoda The Empire Strikes Back Francis Noel former Selectmen Town of Grafton General Observation

28 Rule #27 Understand the motivations of your volunteers and manage accordingly. Adapted from Celina Grisi Clark University Student (2010)

29 Rule #28 Make no implementation before its time, it just encourages the Minimum Effective Compliance. General observation. Quote attributed to Humorist P. J. O Rourke.

30 Rule #29 Avoid the Katrina/Deepwater Horizon/ACA affect set timetables and if not met take control. General observation

31 Rule #29A TVA Trust but Verify and if necessary Act Adapted from Ronald Regan; added to the list from a suggestion by MPA graduate Emily Ring (2011)

32 Rule #30 Say YES whenever you can. Observation from Thomas Josie, former SELCO General Manager

33 Questions & Comments