Highlights from the Winter 2011 Issue

Editorial Perspective

Ilyse Veron

 

Welcome to our winter issue of The Public Manager. Inside you’ll see how federal managers are making a difference in lives of people around the world, even in an age of austerity. “Families sitting around the kitchen table…aren’t interested in abstract theories about whether government should be big or small, says Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan in this issue. “They simply want to know whether it can be smart and whether their tax dollars are producing results that impact their lives and communities in a positive way.” To achieve this requires constant grooming throughout government of public management skills. With its forum on homelessness, reflection on the Peace Corps and other stories, this issue provides myriad ideas for serving the public well.

Gale S. Pollock, a former acting Army Surgeon General and chief of the Nurse Corps, offers poignant workplace stories about how she opened her door to staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and improved morale by using the psychology of worker personalities.

“Mentors, role models, champions, and sponsors in our organizations are so incredibly important,” Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour says in the Exchange as they represent possibilities, “We are all leaders,” Armour asserts, “It has nothing to do with a title.” Young Government Leaders’ Tyler Robinson and Lynnie Martin also urge us to board the “mentor ship,” and author Lois Zachary gives us tips for making the (soon to be required) journey valuable.

As barriers spring up, readers can also turn to Patrick S. Malone’s framework for ethical challenges, Jitinder Kohli’s ideas on innovation, and many others’ guidance for strategically planning ahead.

Views expressed online in The Public Manager by government employees (besides Secretary Donovan) do not represent any official views.

 

Ilyse Veron joined The Public Manager as its Editor after more than a decade producing events, programs, and reports with MacNeil-Lehrer Production and others. She can be reached at iveron@astd.org.

 

 

Opening Doors: Making a Difference

 

People

Armed With Psychology: Six Worker Personalities

Gale S. Pollock

 

For years, my colleagues and I have said, “I will never do that to someone,” or “I will never behave in that manner. Those words define the core of the Process Communication Model TM , which allowed me – and I hope will enable you – to improve as a manager and a leader of military and civilian public servants.

 

Taibi Kahler, a clinical psychologist, began focusing on the process in 1971. As he entered clinical practice, Kahler observed that how he talked with clients (process) determined how receptive each client was to what was said (content). He discovered that human behavior could be objectively identified second-by-second.

 

Major General Gale S. Pollock (Ret.) is a former chief of the Army Nurse Corps and former acting surgeon general. She is a fellow with Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative and is establishing a company to assist people with vision loss. Contact her at galespollock@gmail.com.

 

Human Capital Management

 

Why You Should Get on Board the Mentor Ship

Lynnie Martin and Tyler Robinson, with sidebar by Lois Zachary

 

There are many ways in which a person can learn and develop throughout his or her career. Having or being a mentor provides an interactive and custom-designed education. Mentoring offers invaluable benefits to both individuals, as well as to the organization that employs them.

 

As Jack Welch has said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

 

Tyler Robinson is a presidential management fellow in the HHS human resources office. He uses data analytics to analyze human capital issues. He is also the research director for YGL. Contact him at Tylerrobinson22@gmail.com.

 

Lynnie Martin is a contract specialist for General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service and the YGL national public relations manager. She entered government on an internship. Contact her at lynniemartinps@gmail.com.

 

Lois J. Zachary, EdD, is author of The Mentors’ Guide and other mentoring books. She has worked with the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Navy, and Education Leadership Canada. Contact her at lzachary@leadservs.com.

 

Budgets

 

How the Congressional Budget Office Earned its Clout

Jason Juffras

 

In tracing CBO’s history over more than three decades in his new book, Phillip G. Joyce highlights key points when CBO directors could have bowed to pressure from political masters – but none did.

 

Joyce posits that the CBO serves not only as a check on presidential authority, but it also subjects legislative initiatives to tough scrutiny, as evidenced in this year’s battle over the debt ceiling. He is well positioned to give us a definitive, comprehensive review of CBO and its impact on federal policymaking.

 

Jason Juffras is a PhD candidate at George Washington University, where he is concentrating in public budgeting and finance. He also serves as a fiscal analyst for the chief financial officer of the District of Columbia government. Contact him at jjuffras@gwmail.gwu.edu.

 

Forum

 

Federal Leaders Open Doors to Tackle Homelessness

Jeanne Van Vlandren and Myra Howze Shiplett

 

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1796

 

We often hear this saying in connection with national security issues, particularly external threats. Within the last decade, the United States has experienced the attacks of September 11, 2001; a variety of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods; a major recession; and a crisis of confidence in government. These events challenge each of us as individuals and as a nation.

 

These events also have taught us that “eternal vigilance” applies not just to the “traditional” notions of national security as physical defense of our country; we also must consider related issues such as economic security, and the education, health, and well-being of all of our citizens – including the homeless.

 

Myra Howze Shiplett, president of Randolph Morgan Consulting, does strategic planning and human capital consulting for federal agencies and others. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former Senior Executive Service member. Contact her at mshiplett@randolphmorganconsulting.com.

 

Jeanne VanVlandren is a consultant and advisor with several Washington-based non-profit organizations providing management and strategic consulting including the National Community Action Foundation, and she is a former member of the Senior Executive Service. Contact her at JeanneVanV@gmail.com.