Recently I sat in on a meeting between a group of IT developers (contractors) and Federal program managers. Just a routine project review. As I looked around, it struck me that we were really quite a diverse crowd. In the room were people from China, Viet Nam, India, Russia, Somalia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Iran,Read… Read more »
Do your meetings have a creative killer? Newsrooms call them “story killers,” the naysayers at meetings who repeatedly shoot down stories while unsuspecting victims are trying to generate new ideas. Creative killers assassinate ideas, breeding fear and limiting impact for hundreds, maybe even thousands. These idea deaths never get investigated and their potential never getsRead… Read more »
Originally published at cpsrenewal.ca I still remember when I got my first invitation to speak. It was a Scheming Virtuously double bill in Calgary then Edmonton. I took vacation from one department while another paid my travel because it was just easier than getting approvals. I’d never done any public speaking before so I volunteeredRead… Read more »
Citizen engagement operates with a lot of fancy titles like consumer education, consumer protection, client-centered services, outreach, or prevention and preparedness. In a prior life as an independent consultant, it was called community-based participatory research, and in my current role it is dubbed Community Engagement. (I must note, “citizen” explicitly denotes a legal status thatRead… Read more »
Several months ago, a coworker noticed I had a “throw down meeting” scheduled on my Outlook calendar. “Is everything OK?” she asked, eyebrows furled. I laughed, and realized I had some explaining to do! I told her “throw down” is slang for “fight” – those of us who work with troubled teens have heard aboutRead… Read more »
One of the most effective ways of getting your employees to think outside the box, innovate, improve processes and increase efficiencies is to start by asking questions, rather than providing answers. Your staff members have a wealth of ideas for how to do their jobs better, but many might feel hesitant to make suggestions. EvenRead… Read more »
“Scared Straight” versus “Relate” As Human Services Administrator for the City of Santa Clarita, California, I oversee programs that help young people find jobs, resist drugs, get healthy, learn new skills, and avoid gang membership. We invite ex-gang members to speak to “high-risk” teens and we show teens in our Community Court program videos thatRead… Read more »
Governments today face serious, seemingly intractable public management issues that go to the core of effective governance and leadership. Government leaders are presented with difficult choices, but also unprecedented opportunities. The right kind of leadership approach and style can drive change in government. From budget reductions to a struggling economy, disasters to pandemics, the seeminglyRead… Read more »
As an Organizational Development (OD) and Change Management practitioner, I often find myself having conversations with leaders regarding change management – what it is and what it isn’t. Last week I wrote about 10 change management myths. This week it’s time for some truths. So what are some hard truths about change management? Change isRead… Read more »
As an Organizational Development (OD) and Change Management practitioner, I often find myself having conversations with leaders where I need to address change management myths. Many leadership concerns regarding change management are common issues, though, many are perpetuated by myths. So what are some of the biggest myths about change management? Change is easy –Read… Read more »