My father, William Finley, and I recently compared views of the world of work. When Dad was the President of SCF of AZ, the workers’ compensation agency of the State of Arizona (he retired in 1987) there were certain “rules” that everyone in the workplace lived by. They were the “laws” you followed if you wanted to get […]
The nature of public employment is changing rapidly. With threats to public sector pensions and reduced benefit packages, recruiting and retaining top talent is more difficult than ever. Long-term employees are expected to do more with less, in an increasingly uncertain environment. The question we all seem to be grappling with is, “How do we […]
According to the New York Times, the public sector has shrunk by 706,000 jobs, since the post-recession peak in April 2009. Agencies are seeking ways to provide needed services with a smaller workforce that may be less engaged than ever before. Nearly all state and local government leaders who responded to the survey conducted by IPMA-HR […]
When you talk about an employee’s pay during a performance evaluation discussion, you are no longer talking about performance. Pay adjustments should follow from your assessment of the employee’s performance. However, when you discuss pay in the evaluation meeting, it distracts from your message about performance. If you have a choice, separate the two conversations so […]
The need to develop leaders in the public sector is ongoing, yet many agencies put leader development plans on hold when budgets were cut. Now that many agencies are beginning to see the light at the end of the budget tunnel, it’s time to revisit plans to develop future leaders. Many of the best practice […]
Employee engagement studies have magnified the challenge of engaging public sector employees. Threatened benefits, public scrutiny, and an improving job market make public sector employment seem less appealing than ever before. Yet, when managers build strong connections with employees, regardless of the larger environmental pressures, engagement happens. Many managers struggle with creating these integral connections […]
The typical performance evaluation discussion is one-sided. You talk and the employee listens. As a result, everyone walks away from the encounter feeling disengaged and unempowered. The annual performance evaluation conversation CAN be a very productive and positive experience if both parties fully engage in the conversation. In fact, Painless Performance Evaluations are based on this important principle: […]
I am not sure from where my innate need to be right originated, but I assume that I am not the only one in the workplace that has this compulsion. Often individual action or inaction gives preference to dooming the program for failure rather than risk not being right. Surely successful leaders do not pursue […]
In his talk with EML students, Mark Kroeker quoted former Dallas Cowboys football coach as saying, “Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.” Imagine the energy that could be released as leaders encourage the development of everyone’s potential! Kroeker’s remarks are similar to […]
Featured Locations
