http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/ 15 Talking leadership with Tom Fox of the Partnership for Public Service en Copyright 2011 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:33:38 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=4.2-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Washington Post blogs have moved. If you are subscribing to the RSS feed for this blog, you may need to re-subscribe with the new feed URL. If you stop receiving updates from this feed, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/rss where you can see all of our feeds and re-subscribe to this feed or sign up for new ones. http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/the-rss-feed-for-this-blog-has-moved.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/the-rss-feed-for-this-blog-has-moved.html Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:33:38 -0500 With the possibility of a government shutdown a week away, I continue to receive questions from federal employees about how it may affect them. As a result, I consulted my colleague and federal workforce expert, John Palguta, to come up with the answers to the questions that I hear most frequently. What is a furlough and who is affected? A furlough places an employee in a temporary non-duty and non-pay status. In the current situation, without funds appropriated by Congress, some federal agencies will be required to shut down and furlough their employees. Will all federal agencies be affected by a shutdown? No, the law provides exceptions for some (or parts of some) federal agencies and their employees for a variety of reasons, such as the need to safeguard public health and safety and to protect life and property. Additionally, an agency that has a continuing source of funding may http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/federal-worker-guide-government-shutdown.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/federal-worker-guide-government-shutdown.html Ask the Federal Coach Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:04:54 -0500 Since 2005, Dr. Judith Rodin has been the president of the Rockefeller Foundation, a philanthropic organization that works to promote the well-being of mankind worldwide. She was previously president of the University of Pennsylvania, the first woman to lead an Ivy League university, and provost of Yale University. What do you consider to be a critical event that helped you become the leader you are today? When I arrived at the University of Pennsylvania, I was extremely discouraged to see the plight of the neighborhood around the university. I grew up in that neighborhood and attended public school near the university, so seeing most businesses closed, houses boarded up, one in five children failing was awful and I wanted to do something. I was advised that that wasn't my role--I had come to run an Ivy League institution and I should pay attention to doing that. Two months later, a http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/public-private-innovation-rockefeller-foundation-judith-rodin.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/public-private-innovation-rockefeller-foundation-judith-rodin.html View from the Top Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:22:12 -0500 While the White House and Congress work on a compromise to fund the government for the rest of the year, many federal programs will continue to be kicked around like political footballs, leaving your employees uncertain about the road ahead. The result? Stress. The anxiety among federal workers will likely increase over the next couple of weeks as the talks continue, yet again. As federal managers, you first need to care for and champion the people you lead at all levels--from those who have served more than 30 years to those who are newer to government service. It's also more important than ever to consider the example that you're setting for your team in the face of adversity. Your actions are likely to affect your team's stress levels and, ultimately, their performance and health. http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/managing-stress-in-times-of-uncertainty.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/managing-stress-in-times-of-uncertainty.html Getting Ahead Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:41:23 -0500 This week's questions come from federal managers at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Please continue sharing your ideas and questions by leaving a comment or emailing me at fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org. What are some of the best knowledge-management practices from across the field? With so many federal employees eligible to retire now--or in the near future--what are the sure ways to capture their written and unwritten knowledge? The knowledge gap could be vast. -Federal manager (GS-15), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Even though knowledge management may sound like jargon or "consultant speak," it is an essential tool successful organizations use to transfer formal and informal knowledge from experienced to newer employees. Effective knowledge management requires an agency-wide commitment to identifying, collecting, organizing and sharing experienced employees' knowledge and skills. The trick is identifying the formal and informal knowledge the people in your http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/sales-pitch-working-in-government.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/sales-pitch-working-in-government.html Ask the Federal Coach Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:27:20 -0500 Fred Dust is a partner at IDEO, a global design and innovation consulting firm that takes a human-centered approach to helping organizations innovate and grow. At IDEO, Dust and his team assist clients in solving large, systemic challenges. He has recently worked with the U.S. Social Security Administration, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Personnel Management and University of Phoenix. What are barriers to innovation and how can federal agencies overcome them? The barriers to innovation are the same in the private sector as in the public sector, such as the fear of failure. The notion that government has more fear of failure than the private sector isn't true--everybody hates to fail. There are built-in structures within government that make things, in some cases, more difficult to innovate than in the private sector. One example is the two-year fear. Everyone keeps saying, "We http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/how-government-can-innovate-fred-dust-ideo.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/03/how-government-can-innovate-fred-dust-ideo.html View from the Top Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:35:52 -0500 Fox's "American Idol" recently kicked off its 10th season with new judges and a new batch of hopeful contestants. Although I know many people don't like to admit that they watch "America Idol," I am not one of them. I not only like the amazing singers and the ones who make me cringe, but I take in a number of leadership lessons hidden within the show. That's right--leadership lessons from "American Idol." http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/leadership-lessons-from-american-idol.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/leadership-lessons-from-american-idol.html Getting Ahead Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:55 -0500 This week's questions come from federal managers at the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Please continue sharing your ideas and questions by leaving a comment or emailing me at fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org. What are some effective ways to develop credibility as a leader?-Federal manager, U.S. Department of Defense The most important thing you can do to have credibility as a leader is to genuinely care for and champion the people you lead. That authentic desire to help members of your team succeed and grow is the primary ingredient of successful leadership. http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/avoiding-federal-manager-burnout.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/avoiding-federal-manager-burnout.html Ask the Federal Coach Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:24:47 -0500 Harold Holzer, an expert on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era, is the senior vice president for external affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has authored, co-authored and edited 36 books and published hundreds of articles. Holzer also serves as chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. What advice would Lincoln offer President Obama about engaging his federal workforce? The one piece of advice that he might give the president is to get out often and see them. Lincoln had a big impact on people when he went out among them. He would visit the Army periodically during the Civil War. He would ride a horse, and even though the soldiers wrote home that he looked terrible on horseback, because he was all bent over or his pant leg kept grazing up and you could see his long johns underneath, these kinds of http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/federal-can-learn-from-lincoln-holzer.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/federal-can-learn-from-lincoln-holzer.html View from the Top Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:12:37 -0500 Last week, President Obama released his proposed budget for 2012 as Congress struggles to reach consensus on funding government operations for the current fiscal year. While the size of the budget for next year and the level of appropriations for the remainder of this year remain unknown, as federal managers you already know the trend for the foreseeable future--big cuts are coming. Yet even with these very sizable cutbacks, you will be expected to do at least as much or more work performing at a high level and producing results for the American public. Now what? http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/leadership-in-a-budget-cutting-environment.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/leadership-in-a-budget-cutting-environment.html Getting Ahead Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:48:46 -0500 I'm frequently asked to share examples of innovative leaders in government--managers who have overcome obstacles unique to government, broken through the bureaucracy and found innovative ways to deliver results to the American public. After all, good government starts with good people. This week I'd like to shine a spotlight on Frazer Lockhart, a Department of Energy employee who led the largest and most successful cleanup of a former nuclear weapons facility 60 years ahead of schedule and $30 billion under budget. The recipe for his success, according to Lockhart, is that he built a solid, collaborative team of government managers, contractors, community organizations and residents who worked together to develop joint goals and transparent measures of their progress. The trust they established allowed them to tackle the tough issues together rather than point fingers of blame at one another. The result: a site once considered so contaminated it could never http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/im-frequently-asked-to-share.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/im-frequently-asked-to-share.html Ask the Federal Coach Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:35:56 -0500 David C. Williams is the inspector general for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the largest civilian federal agency, which has $67.1 billion in annual revenue. In this role, Williams manages a staff of more than 1,100 employees nationwide who conduct independent audits and investigations for the USPS. He began his career as a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service and later served as inspector general for five different federal agencies. What lessons have you taken away from your experiences as an inspector general for five different federal agencies? I've really developed a respect for performance metrics and goals. It helps you understand what a good investment you are for the government, or it tells you that you need to increase the value that you have. But what we've discovered, oddly enough, is that when there are reliable performance metrics and goals, it also provides employees with a great deal http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/interview-with-postal-service-inspector-general.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/interview-with-postal-service-inspector-general.html View from the Top Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:39:24 -0500 "How do I manage up more effectively?" That's a question I'm often asked by federal employees, and my first reaction is empathy for the person asking the question and for the supervisor. Clearly there's a disconnect. Both the employee and the leader are failing to appreciate that they each have responsibilities to help one another succeed. Just as you have expectations that your boss will help you balance your workload, achieve results, grow professionally and advance in your agency, you also have an obligation to help make your leader's job easier as well. After all, your boss has to manage up too and likely around a greater range of issues. http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/managing-up-in-your-agency.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/managing-up-in-your-agency.html Getting Ahead Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:49:16 -0500 Thanks for your comments this week about how federal managers and political appointees can best form a productive working relationship. Please continue sharing your ideas and questions by leaving a comment or emailing me at fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org. Fed Coach reader and former political appointee Dan Mintz emailed with additional advice, based on his own experience as the Department of Transportation's CIO during the Bush administration: http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/fedcoach-agency-game-of-telephone.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/fedcoach-agency-game-of-telephone.html Ask the Federal Coach Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:35:58 -0500 With more than forty years of experience in higher education, leadership expert Nannerl O. Keohane is a leading scholar in political philosophy, feminism and education. Keohane served as president of Wellesley College and later as the first female president of Duke University. Today, she teaches at Princeton University as a Rockefeller distinguished visiting professor of public affairs and has authored several books, including her latest, Thinking About Leadership. What are the challenges and rewards to being a woman and a leader? Many of the women leaders that have been most successful have managed to direct people firmly but in a gracious and humorous way. It's the combination of being warm but tough. You have to make decisions, and women have to do it as well as men, so you can't shy away from it. But on the other hand, and maybe even more for a woman than a man, it http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/warm-but-tough-nannerl-keohane-good-leader.html?wprss=leadershipfedcoach http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/2011/02/warm-but-tough-nannerl-keohane-good-leader.html View from the Top Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:01:40 -0500