The KUPMC Blog

From Terri Callahan, Director of Kansas Certified Public Manager ® Program

Dear Public Servants,
This is Public Service Recognition Week, and I want to thank you for your commitment to public service.

It is in the public service arena that we strive to make a difference and provide a better life for those we serve. We serve because service itself is at the heart of who we are, and we lead with hope and optimism because we believe in our mission and purpose regardless of the adversity that comes our way. We may never know the full impact of our service on lives and the communities we serve, but we continue to serve because we believe in public service. What would happen if the public did not have ___________ (fill in your career/position)?

There is a quote from Robert F. Kennedy (June 6, 1966) called Ripples of Hope. “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Thank you for your public service!
-Terri

by Kent R. Austin, CPFO
City of University Park, Texas

Intolerance

Good leadership and good management require intolerance. Not intolerance for the ethnicity, culture, or race of others, but rather intolerance for mediocrity, unproductive behavior, and suboptimal performance.

Pain with a Purpose

Profound theories aside, management ultimately means the infliction of pain for a purpose.  No manager wants to discipline, reprimand, or terminate a likable but underperforming employee.  But continued tolerance of subpar performance becomes an organizational cancer that lowers the standards and effectiveness of an entire work unit.

Inner confidence in the manager is essential for confronting and correcting poor performance.  Many times managers will be hesitant to correct employees because they know their own example is not what it should be.  How can a manager punish a chronically late employee if the manager himself is often tardy?  Punishment without credibility communicates hypocrisy and erodes trust.

Alternatively, the reduction of fear and self-doubt can unleash energy and a heightened sense of intolerance.  The manager constantly asks, “why do I put up with this?”  This unleashing of energy is captured artfully in the “Courage Wolf” Internet meme shown above.

Acceptance of Responsibility

The ability to manage takes another huge step forward when managers reject voluntary helplessness and resolve to take full ownership of everything within their domain.  Managers acknowledge their “responsibility for the quality of work at the radio station,” as Billy Crystal’s boss says in the movie “City Slickers.”  Confronting the Crystal character’s low performance, the boss steps in and temporarily takes over Crystal’s decision making authority.  It required the infliction of pain, but it was the right thing to do.

The Power of Pushback

Constructive intolerance can also begin with one simple word:  “pushback.”  While the term is an informal synonym for ‘resistance,’ it suggests a more active, assertive response—physically pushing back on statements or actions that conflict with one’s desires.

Amazing things can happen when people reach the point of pushback and beyond.  Much of history is the story of individuals deciding they will no longer tolerate oppressive conditions or behaviors, from the flight of the Israelites in Egypt to the American Revolution to the Civil Rights movement.

Punk Rock Primer

Even punk rock is instructive on this point.  Punk grew directly out of the economic malaise and social unrest of mid-1970’s Britain, coupled with a vehement rejection of the perceived pretentiousness and consumerist nature of contemporary rock music.  The punk spirit advocated a three chord, do-it-yourself approach that eschewed instrumental skill or elaborate production values in favor of full, free expression.

Leading the anarchic charge were the Sex Pistols, whose vulgar yet energetic pushback struck a nerve with a generation of young Britons similarly disaffected and despairing.  Even though the BBC refused to air the Sex Pistols’ music, in 1977 their single “God Save the Queen” shot to the top of the charts—at the same time as Queen Elizabeth’s 25^th anniversary jubilee celebration.

As jarring as the music was, the lyrics were even more shocking and despairing:

“God save the Queen/She ain’t no human being.

There’s no future/In England’s dreaming.

Don’t be told about what you want/Don’t be told about what you need.

There’s no future, no future, no future for you.”

Although the Sex Pistols imploded in 1978, they changed rock music and popular culture in ways still felt today. Their explosive pushback was horrifying and inspiring, depressing and liberating. While the nature of their expression has little in common with the life of a government finance officer, the energy released by the Sex Pistols’ pushback and their ability to initiate change are worth remembering.

Cultural reinforcers:  Intolerance, Pushback and Willingness to Impose Change

• Books:  That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory, by John Eisenberg (2009); The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work, by Peter Block (1991).
• Movies:  City Slickers (1992); A Bug’s Life (1998); Rocky (1976); Erin Brockovich (2000); District 9 (2009).
• Music:  “God Save the Queen,” the Sex Pistols (1977); “Fight the Power,” Public Enemy (1989); “Get Up, Stand Up,” Bob Marley and the Wailers (1973); “A Little Less Conversation,” Elvis Presley (1968).
• Historical figures:  Spartacus; St. Thomas More; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Rosa Parks

This is part 2 of Kent Austin’s article “How Indifference, Intolerance and Selfishness Make a Better Finance Officer” which will appear in GFOA’s Government Finance Review in February 2013. Find part 1 here and look for part 3 in the coming weeks. Kent is a 1988 graduate of the KU MPA program. He serves as the director of finance for the City of University Park, Texas and is the 2012-13 president of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas.

Comments Delivered by Terri Callahan, Program Director, Kansas Certified Public Manager(R) Program
At Graduation, On November 16, 2012

Congratulations, Class of 2012! You deserve this celebration and recognition for the time commitment and hard work you have put forth over the past year.

The Kansas CPM program started in 1993. As graduates of the CPM class of 2012, you have the honor of closing out the decade by being the 19th CPM class. So it seems fitting that as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Kansas CPM program next year, we take time to reflect on the history of the CPM program and the last two decades.

I would like to share the story of a public manager from the State of Georgia named Ken Henning. No, you will not see Ken Henning’s name in the history books, but Ken had an idea, a vision. He did not let boundaries or obstacles stop him from moving forward with his vision. He knew how to inspire others to join on his journey.

I love this definition of a leader by John Quincy Adams, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Ken Henning was this kind of leader. As a leader he saw a need and moved forward with enlisting others to join his vision. He wanted to see a national professional certification designation for public managers similar to a CPA designation with training and education that would foster and encourage the highest possible levels of competence and ethical practice by managers in all levels of government.

He is now jokingly called the “Father of CPM.” In 1976, The Governor of Georgia, George Busbee appointed the Georgia CPM Board and the Georgia CPM program was born. In 1979, the National Certified Public Manager Consortium was established to preserve the standards for the Certified Public Manager designation with six charter states.

I share this story, because it is a story of one public manager with a vision, a vision to make a difference, and he took action and persevered through many challenges to make CPM a reality. It is amazing to me that today the CPM concept has grown to 41 CPM programs with thousands of CPM graduates across the US.

As I listened to your Capstones, it struck me that all of you as public managers, like Ken Henning and other leaders, have a vision, a new idea, a new way of doing business, and a new approach to providing services. I enjoyed hearing each of your Capstone presentations, because they reflected the purpose, passion, and perseverance each of you bring to public service and the people we serve. Thank you!

I want to close with a quote and challenge to all public managers and CPM graduates from Ken Henning (from 2003):
“That the Certified Public Manager Organization, from its inception to the present, has not only survived but has grown for three decades, is a remarkable achievement. Substantial opportunities, but also some significant challenges, lie ahead of us. If all Certified Public Managers will approach the future with determination to play an increasingly important professional role in our society and internationally, the future will be marked by a 50th anniversary of the CPM concept.”

I would like to add a twist to Ken’s challenge: What more can we accomplish together if we as public managers take on the challenges of our future with determination and dedication?

Once again, please join me in congratulating the Class of 2012!

Comments Delivered By Barney Hubert, Superintendent, Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI)
On November 16, 2012

Congratulations on your success in completing the CPM program!

I was pleased to see such a diverse group of public servants in this year’s class:

• 13 from several different county governments
• 26 from several different city governments
• 24 from several different state agencies
• 2 from state universities
• 3 from federal agencies
• 2 from private industry

There is also a great deal of diversity in the types of work you do within your organizations!

As Charles mentioned in my introduction, I participated in the CPM program in 1999. At that time a much larger percentage of the group came from State agencies. It’s wonderful to see the increasing diversity in the composition of the class.

I trust participation in the CPM program has been a great learning and networking experience for you. During the past week I asked a number of people who have graduated from the CPM program over the past 15 years to share their memories of the program. Many people mentioned the networking opportunities associated with the program, the chance to get a glimpse into the work of other governmental agencies, and specific instructors, class topics and classmates who made a positive and lasting impression on them. Others mentioned the hard work they did, their Capstone Projects and the fact that participation in the CPM program provided a start for them in their desire to work toward a Master’s of Public Administration degree. Still others talked about the fact that participation in the CPM program gave them an opportunity to share their love of the work they do with others, to gain a greater appreciation for the important purpose of their work as public servants, and to help others understand the importance of the mission of their organization.

In the 13 years since I graduated from the program it has been interesting for me watch the contributions a number of my classmates have made as they’ve continued their careers as public servants, or moved on to positions in the private sector. In years to come I’m sure you will see great things from many of your classmates too! I continue to use the core of my capstone project in my work today, and I hope many of you, and your employers, will see lasting value in the work you’ve put into your capstone projects into the next decade.

I was honored when Terri asked me to speak to you at this year’s graduation ceremony. I also found the request to be a bit daunting. Keynote speakers are supposed to inspire and motivate. As Charles mentioned when he introduced me, I’ve spent nearly my entire career in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. I’ve never felt I was the smartest person in the room, or the most visionary person in my field, or the best clinician, or the most inspirational person. When I reflected on what I have to offer a group like this, I realized that some of the most important things I’ve learned during my career in the disabilities field have a great deal of application to the work of all public servants:

In the field I work in, a respected researcher named Connie Lyle O’Brien found that “the most important factor influencing peoples’ satisfaction with the services they receive is the relationship they have with the people who provide direct support to them”—the people they come into contact with on a daily basis. I’ve learned how true this is in the field of disabilities. In our work at KNI, this makes it important for those of us who are managers, instructors, professionals and support staff to keep in mind that our role is to equip our frontline workers—those who have sustained daily contact with our customers (for us, the people who live at KNI)—to have the skills, resources, and understanding of our mission they need to provide high-quality services to the people we support.

In reflecting on Connie’s research findings, I realize the principle included in this quote is true for all public servants. Whether we work in law enforcement, accounting, public works, economic development, or social services, it’s important that we understand the mission our agencies are working to fulfill and our role in providing high-quality services to the end users—the primary customers–of the services provided by our organizations. A key responsibility of all of us who provide leadership within our organizations or who supervise, mentor and provide direction to other staff members is to be sure we equip those who have direct contact with our customers with the resources they need to be responsive to our customers and to provide excellent service to them.

Years ago, a coworker I admired greatly convinced me that in absolutely the most basic terms, “QUALITY IS RESPONSIVENESS.” She sold me on the idea that the more we are attentive to our customers and strive to be responsive to them, the more they will appreciate us and value and support us and the services we provide. If they see us doing our best to be responsive, and know this is our goal, they will also be more willing to forgive us when we make mistakes.

Several years ago, I met a gentleman who talked about his experience preparing to teach a college class for students who were learning to support people with disabilities. Before the class began, this person met with a friend who has a disability and asked him, “What are the most important things I need to teach people who will go into this field?” His friend told him, “Teach them to respect me for who I am, as I am, and teach them to listen to me.”

Again, I think this lesson extends beyond the context of services for people with disabilities and has tremendous application for all of us who are public servants. Whoever we come into contact with in our work, we need to “Respect people for who they are, as they are. We need to listen to people.” Given the different fields in which we work, this will be different for each one of us, but the core lesson is critically important for all of us.

A final lesson I want to share comes from an educator and author named Haim Ginott who wrote extensively about the relationships between teachers and students and between parents and children. One of his most famous quotes is titled, “I Am the Decisive Element,” and I’ve adapted it slightly for this audience:

I AM THE DECISIVE ELEMENT

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess a tremendous power to make the lives of others miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that determines whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, whether those around me will be humanized or de-humanized, whether a person’s life will be interesting or boring, comfortable or miserable, productive or pointless. I am the decisive element.

All of you in the jobs you do, as well as in your personal lives, have tremendous influence over the lives of others. As you take the lessons you’ve learned in the CPM program and apply them in your work and personal lives, I hope you will look for opportunities to humor, humanize and heal those you serve, those you work alongside, those you interact with in your personal lives and those you love. I urge you to honor and support those within your organizations—those you supervise, those you work alongside, and those you serve. I urge you to accept others for who they are, as they are. I urge you to listen to those around you and to learn from them.

Thank you for giving me the honor of speaking to you today, congratulations, and best of luck in all your future endeavors!

---

Speaker’s Bio: Barney Hubert began work for the State of Kansas in 1976 after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies at the University of Kansas. After spending a year as a Correctional Officer he accepted his first position supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Over the past 34 years Barney has held a variety of positions in the disability field, starting with direct service positions and progressing into a variety of leadership roles.

He completed a Master’s degree in the School of Education at the University of Kansas in 1988 and is a 1999 graduate of the Kansas Certified Public Manager program. He has been Superintendent of the Kansas Neurological Institute, one of the two state-operated facilities in Kansas that provide support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, for six years.

For the past 18 years he has also been an occasional Quality Enhancement Specialist for The Council on Quality and Leadership in Supports for People with Disabilities, an international quality enhancement and accrediting organization based in Towson, Maryland. Barney serves as a volunteer guardian through the Kansas Guardianship Program and is a long-time member of the board of directors for The Arc of Douglas County, an advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

by Kent R. Austin, CPFO
City of University Park, Texas

A famous management handbook, first published in 1946 and reprinted continuously since then, opens with this memorable sentence: “You know more than you think you do.”

The same concept holds true for finance officers, and for public managers more generally: they know more than they think they do. Why? Because experience and learning are continuous processes, resulting in an enormous aggregation of memories, thoughts, feelings, likes, and dislikes in each one of us.

First and foremost, individuals are hired to be problem solvers, whether in government finance or any other line of work. Consequently, what an individual brings to a job is far more than simply specific technical knowledge in a given field. Individuals bring a lifetime of learning that originates from an untold number of sources. Consider:

• Every book, magazine, comic book, and newspaper you have ever read
• Every family member, friend, co-worker, or acquaintance you have ever met
• Every movie, TV show, and Internet video you have ever watched
• Every vacation, business trip, or daily commute you have ever taken
• Every meeting, public hearing, conference, and celebration you have ever attended
• Every class, seminar, training session, and workshop you have ever taken.

Each one of us has massive amounts of information that we carry around every day. Why limit on-the-job problem solving abilities to the technical skills required by the job description? Each one of us knows so much more than we think we do.

To help harness this huge knowledge base, think how it relates to three traits traditionally considered undesirable—indifference, intolerance, and selfishness. Turning these negative traits inside out leads to an understanding of how to renew one’s approach to life and work—a personal “reboot.”
Indifference
Traditionally, “indifference” refers to a lack of caring or a deliberate decision to ignore or avoid certain ideas, places, or people. Around 1543, Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Roman Catholic order of priests known as the Jesuits, developed a radically different definition.

To him, the purpose of man’s existence should be to love and serve God. Everything else should not matter.

Thus, by centering one’s being on the single goal of loving and serving God, a Jesuit would seek to be indifferent to all other things—being rich or poor, fat or thin, intelligent or slow-witted, and so on. All else paled besides pursuit of the central mission. This Ignatian indifference gave a tremendous clarity and focus to the Jesuits, which drove them to accomplish incredible things in the service of their goal.

Mission Focus
While theological concepts from the 16th century seem far removed from local government challenges of the 21st century, the Jesuit emphasis on mission is instructive for today’s finance officers. So often it is easy to become consumed with an increasing number of tasks, which seem to accumulate with each year. We become busier and busier, never feeling caught up or never spending the time on planning that we claim we want.

Barnacle Theory
This phenomenon is similar to the accumulation of barnacles on the hull of a ship below the water line.

Over time, the barnacles increasingly act as a drag on the ship’s ability to move through the water; although everything looks fine above the water line, more effort and engine power are required to make the same rate of progress. Periodically, then, the ship must be taken to dry dock so that the barnacles can be removed and the ship’s performance restored.

Lyrics from the song “Reboot the Mission” by Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers (2012) sum up the solution succinctly:

“Eyes on the prize/Reboot the mission.
I lost my sight/But not the vision.”

Periodically one must stop and remember, or formulate for the first time, what the essential mission of their unit is. This does not require lofty vision or mission statements, elaborate goals and objectives, or detailed action plans.

Instead, it simply requires some reflection on what it is that an organizational unit brings to the services delivered by the organization. Is the department helping or hindering this delivery? Is the department an overprotective watchdog or a helpful resource for departments trying to provide front line services?

Popular culture reinforces: Indifference –> Focus on the Mission
• Books: The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (2004).
• Movies: Moneyball (2011); Twelve O’clock High (1949); The Untouchables (1987)
• Music: “Reboot the Mission,” Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers (2012)
• Historical figures: Abraham Lincoln; Ulysses S. Grant; Vince Lombardi

This is part 1 of Kent Austin’s article “How Indifference, Intolerance and Selfishness Make a Better Finance Officer” which will appear in GFOA’s Government Finance Review in February 2013. We’ll publish parts 2 & 3 here on the blog in the coming weeks. Kent is a 1988 graduate of the KU MPA program. He serves as the director of finance for the City of University Park, Texas and is the 2012-13 president of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas.

Reprinted from the Kansas Government Journal October 2012 issue

Kansans enjoy autumn for many reasons. For farmers, the last harvest of the year is a time to get paid for months of hard work. For others, it’s a brief respite from our often-brutal summers and winters. But for me, autumn’s always been about football.

My dad got me hooked at a young age, but once I started playing the sport I had no chance of ever kicking that addiction. I know it’s cliché for a grown man to think back to the “old playing days,” but one part of those Friday night battles has stayed with me–how much teamwork was required for success. You’ll never gain one yard on a football field unless you work together with your teammates, and that requires a commitment to an important value—trust.

Unfortunately, beyond the gridiron, America is experiencing a trust-deficit. Public trust in institutions has been decreasing since the 1960s, and it’s now at record lows. Only 44% of Americans trust organized religion, 29% trust the criminal justice system, 25% trust the media, and 21% trust banks and big businesses. The federal government is possibly the least trusted, at only 13%. And although institutions closely connected to people like small businesses and local governments are still trusted (65% and 61% respectively), they too are garnering record-low levels.1

This diminished trust should matter to local governments. Studies have shown that as trust in government diminishes, so the does the rate of compliance with the law. Additionally, trust is necessary for a community to work together to fix problems, and without it there can be paralyzing inaction. Trust is also a fundamental component of a healthy democracy, as it encourages citizen engagement in politics and enhances support for democratic ideals.2

Why is contemporary trust so low? That debate is best left to the thousands of academic papers on the topic, but there are a few key factors worth mentioning, many of which are beyond the control of city officials. There is a strong relationship between economic growth and institutional trust, and sometimes trust just depends on the individual (citizens who are younger, have lower life satisfaction, and have more education, all tend to have lower levels of trust). Residents of bigger cities are also less trusting of local governments than those of smaller cities.3

But luckily, there are trust factors that local officials can influence. For example, residents that participate in community improvement activities tend to manifest higher degrees of trust in their municipalities.4 One organization in our state that’s been instrumental in coordinating these trust-building activities is Kansas PRIDE. The Kansas PRIDE Program is a partnership of Kansas State University, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and Kansas PRIDE, Inc., that assists local governments and volunteers in making their communities better places to live and work. PRIDE has facilitated the restoration of a mini-park in Smith Center, maintained historic structures in Greeley, started the farmers’ market in Elk City, and initiated hundreds of other projects in cities across Kansas.

Fighting the perception of corruption is another way to build trust. Even if corruption is non-existent, citizens are skeptical of entities managing large amounts of public funds, so municipalities should be as open as possible. Although transparency on its own is ineffective, educating the public about the local governments’ structure and decision-making processes is a proven way to build trust.

Overland Park, which was one of three Kansas municipalities to receive a 2012 Sunny Award from the Sunshine Review, a non-profit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency, has taken some great steps to build trust with public information. The City’s website, www.opkansas.org, gives the function and contact information of all governing body members, City departments, and City boards. The City also posts their own governing body manual online, which describes how specific decisions are made. These small steps demystify local government and increase citizens’ trust in their city officials.5

As many city leaders would probably guess, the most powerful explanation of public trust is the degree of satisfaction with municipal services. Recognizing the importance of high-quality city services, the City of Wichita has set up “Neighborhood City Halls.” These halls are in several convenient neighborhood locations, and allow residents to meet with city council members, talk to representatives of the city police, inspection, and health departments, enroll in parks and recreation programs, and get assistance with issues like trash, loose dogs, and dangerous structures.6

The City of Gardner has also taken action to improve municipal services. Each year, the City conducts a citizen survey to see which services its residents are satisfied with and which it needs to improve. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of the quality of municipal services, and is an important tool in its resource-allocation decisions. By providing tools that respond to citizens’ service demands, Gardner and Wichita have increased their residents’ trust in their local governments.

Any municipality trying to gain the trust of its residents needs to remember that trust can only be built up over time, and that any initiative requires the involvement of both parties. Whether that means creating volunteer opportunities, educating residents about how local governments work, staffing centers to respond to service requests, or simply asking residents how they feel about their community, trust can only be established by creating tools for residents to interact with the local government. Once that happens, the city and its residents can work together as a team to build great a community.

Michael Koss a student in the KU MPA program and serves as the Membership Services Manager for the League of Kansas Municipalities. He can be reached at mkoss@lkm.org or (785) 354-9565.

1 http://www.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx
2 Sofie Marien and Marc Hooghe, Does political trust matter?, European Journal of Political Research, Volume 50, Issue 2 (March 2011).
3 http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/insights/I0835en.pdf
4 http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/insights/I0835en.pdf
5 http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/USBO/2010-0127-200123/Grimmelikhuijsen.pdf
6 http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/insights/I0835en.pdf

Rebecca Nesbit, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of nonprofit management in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas. She researches volunteer management in public and nonprofit organizations. Feel free to contact her at beckynesbit@ku.edu with any questions about volunteer use.

One of the questions that I get most often from volunteer managers (or those who have been given the responsibility for coordinating volunteer efforts) is how they can get their supervisor or executive director to support their efforts at involving volunteers in the organization.

Many executive directors think that once they hire a volunteer manager they will no longer have to worry about the volunteer program. This is not true. Volunteer managers need specific, supportive actions from their supervisors or the head of their organization in order to make the organization’s volunteer program more effective.

Do you provide adequate resources for the volunteer program? Volunteers are not free. Beyond hiring a volunteer manager, the volunteer program will need a budget for supplies, communication, and recognition activities. At the very least, the action of giving a budget to the volunteer program indicates its importance in your organization.

Do you hold staff accountable for good working relationships with volunteers? Many executive directors believe that relationships between volunteers and staff at their organization are good, but the volunteer manager often knows differently. In many instances, especially when introducing a new volunteer program, staff might be reluctant or resistant to working with volunteers. (Look for a future blog article about employee reluctance to working with volunteers.) If the organization is truly committed to using volunteers, then working productively with volunteers should be part of employee job descriptions and performance evaluations.

Do you orient and train staff in ways to work effectively with volunteers? Executive directors often assume that volunteers can fit seamlessly into their organization, but working with volunteers requires a range of skill sets—interpersonal skills, communication skills, the ability to give feedback, managerial skills and time management skills. In addition, most employees do not understand what volunteers want and need in order to help them to be effective contributors to the organization. Staff members need training and orientation in these areas before being asked to work with volunteers.

What are the most frequent issues brought to you by the manager of volunteers at your organization?

By Katherine Carttar (KU MPA 2012) & Margaret Mahoney (KU MPA 2012)

The 36 year hiatus after the first women’s conference has almost been forgiven as the second “Inspiring Women in Public Administration Conference” in two years displayed real potential for the conference to become a nationally-recognized and attended annual event. Over 150 women and a handful of men attended the one day event hosted by the KU School of Public Affairs and Administration and KU Public Management Center on the K-State Olathe campus. Dynamic speakers, such as Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios, inspired us to take every opportunity to empower the women around us. International attendees from Middle Eastern countries, at KU for a month taking classes with the KU Women’s Leadership Institute, helped us view our environment through a new lens. Their awestruck reaction to seeing a woman in a police uniform [Ellen Hanson, Chief of Police for the City of Lenexa, KS] illustrates how far we have come, but the fact that there was only one woman in uniform in attendance also shows how far we still have to go. As we participated in thought-provoking roundtable discussions and good conversation, common themes began to emerge as issues important to women in public administration.

Civility
One of the recurring themes throughout the day was the need for civility as professionals in public service. The topic was addressed in the morning panel and in both the morning and afternoon breakout groups. Julia Novak, President of The Novak Consulting Group, gave some great advice on the topic of how to handle incivility. She pointed out the need for more deliberation and less debate. Deliberation is a skill that we can all learn and practice, and it includes using negotiation and compromise. As a leader, you set the tone—so don’t allow incivility, don’t do it, and practice respect. This advice was echoed by Beth Linn, City Administrator with the City of Edgerton, who stated that we should lead by example and treat others with respect. Karen Davis, Senior Management Advisor with Management Partners Inc. and conference Chair, also noted the importance of diffusing incivility up front—do not assume it will get better as time goes by. Incivility is an unpleasant reality faced by many public service professionals, but with this advice it can be dealt with proactively and professionally.

Communication
The importance of honing the skill of good communication was referenced repeatedly throughout the day. In a morning breakout session, Sheryl Sculley, City Manager of Antonio, TX, described communication as a necessary skill to acquire in order to make the leap to the top. Women especially need a confident presence and the ability to speak assertively, while remaining willing to learn and be coached. Women have a tendency to wait for projects and promotions to be offered but we must become more comfortable with asking for what we want professionally. Mary Birch, Government Relations Coordinator at Lathrop & Gage LLP, took the necessity of good communication skills a step further. Collaboration and leadership are both achieved through communication. The best way to solve a complex issue is by taking the time to discuss it face-to-face but be sure to arm yourself with the objective facts, research, and data to achieve the best solution. In addition, the ability to convey a clear, concise, and compelling plan results in leadership that inspires and instills hope.

Professional Development
It is a good reminder to all of us to continue our professional development and education. For many of us, we have the great resources available through KU for continuing education and lifelong learning, but wherever you work, don’t be afraid to ask your employer to attend conferences and take classes. Moreover, encouraging education for your employees is critical. As Susan Stanton, Principal at SMS Consulting, points out, the public sector needs to act more like the private sector in recognizing that human capital is the most valuable asset. Sheryl Sculley also suggests doing a lot of different types of work early in your career to get a variety of experience and learn new skills. Jewell Scott, Executive Director of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, also suggests “going into orbit” every day—pick up a magazine, newspaper, watch the news, learn about something new—rather than “ossify” in our own narrow part of the world. Opening up to new experiences and paying attention to the world around us not only allows continual growth both personally and professionally, but it allows us to be more creative and innovative.

Innovation
Every business in every sector must find a way to innovate or eventually perish. Much of the success in the private sector is a result of fearless innovation. These businesses plan ahead for every scenario so that an unsuccessful innovative gamble will rarely bankrupt them but rather provide information to ensure the following variation is a success. The act of receiving tax payer money has turned the public sector into followers and late adopters of efficiency increasing trends. In the afternoon keynote, Susan Stanton challenged public sector administrators to get out of the comfort zone of following and start taking risks by becoming true innovators. Public administrators are notorious for automating the same old process and calling it innovation. The real innovation needed in government is a total shake-up of organizational design to function across jurisdictions and allow the government to act proactively instead of always reactively. Unfortunately, with true innovation comes failure, which is not accepted in the public sector. As citizens and in our professional capacity, we must be willing to accept some amount of failure as it is an important aspect of success and progress.

Importance of Mentors
It is impossible to attend a conference today where the importance of mentors is not touted. While “mentor” may be a current conference buzzword, there is no disputing the validity of this advice. Karen Davis described mentors as a foundation for support and a person to approach for honest feedback. Mary Birch reminded mentors that they can get as much or more out of the relationship since it is only a matter of time before the mentor becomes the mentee. Treasurer Rios viewed the mentor relationship more broadly. She encouraged the women in the conference to establish informal foundation that supports women because it is our job is to inspire the next generation and create the conditions where women can succeed. It is important to view past and current challenges as women in public administration as an investment for future generations rather than a sacrifice. All forms of mentorship can result in profound and unexpected benefits for those on either side of the relationship.

Life Balance
As professionals, wives, mothers, friends, daughters, and the countless other roles that woman play, how do we stay balanced and live up to our own expectations and the expectations of others? Treasurer Rios suggests using a “pie of life” to describe what “having it all” means to a woman. Quite simply, you define what kind of pie you have and what goes in it. She advises us to let go of guilt and individually define what “having it all” means and also to remember that the pie will change. Susan Stanton suggested a similar approach—finding balance in your life by aiming for a balance in the totality of life. It may not be perfectly balanced at this moment, but it will be balanced overall.

Conclusion
Throughout the day of the conference a variety of topics were discussed, but one common theme to all of them is the importance and impact of women in public service today and into the future. The conference allowed us to take a moment in our busy lives to come to together to realize how far we, as women, have come, and how much further we have to go. Relationships with mentors and forming our own networks are critical to empowering each other, as well as utilizing effective communication and creativity. This conference is a great first step toward enacting these themes in our daily lives to improve our professional performance and personal wellness, and we encourage everyone to attend in the future.

An email was sent out on December 9, 2011 to Fire Department staff by Carol Gonzales, the City Manager of City of Shawnee, with wonderful news about John Mattox, one of our Certified Public Manager graduates:

As you know when Chief Hudson retired I appointed Chief Mattox as interim chief and allowed myself time to think about the appointment of the next chief. Department head positions play a critical role in leading departments, this organization, and, they provide leadership in the community. Selecting the right people to fill those positions is one of the most, if not the most, important decisions that I make in my position as City Manager.

During the past few months, I have worked closely with Chief Mattox and have seen clearly his commitment to the fire profession, the department and the City. As I have gotten to know him better, I have come to greatly appreciate his common sense approach, direct communication style and positive outlook. He is a person of great compassion and integrity, and has already demonstrated the willingness to make the hard decisions that are necessary for strong leadership. I believe he is innovative and will set high standards and expectations, encourage forward thinking, and be open to ideas and suggestions from all staff.

For those reasons, and because John’s extensive experience in the fire service, the roles he has played regionally and nationally in professional associations, and his formal and continuing education have prepared him well, I am appointing him as the Fire Chief for the City of Shawnee, effective today. The fire service is a changing industry, and I believe John Mattox is the best person to lead our outstanding department into the future.

I am proud to serve as the City Manager of a City with such an excellent fire department. I thank you for your support of Chief Mattox, and I thank you for your outstanding public service.

Carol
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We couldn’t have said it better ourselves and congratulate John on this wonderful promotion and opportunity! This is a very deserving honor for him – his leadership, dedication, and commitment to public service shine through in so many ways. We know that great things will happen under his leadership. – The Public Management Staff
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Click here to read the announcement that was on the City of Shawnee’s website.

Comments Delivered By Craig Weinaug, Douglas County Administrator
On November 18, 2011

As we approach another election cycle, I feel a mixture of excitement and dread as our attention is drawn again toward discussion of public issues. It certainly seems to me that at the state and national levels, some candidates base their entire campaigns on a baseless claim. They tell voters that government is responsible for virtually everything bad going on in the world today. Candidates for elected offices at every level compete to be perceived as the candidate who would eliminate the biggest chunks of this thing we call government.

Even in TV sitcoms and in almost all popular culture, any character part of a mayor, state legislator, or any other public job is almost always portrayed as incompetent, lazy, and/or just plain comically stupid.

Government is rarely presented in public debates or in popular culture as a positive force.

I once had a conversation with a young lady who was working toward her M.P.A. degree. She had interviewed the governor of the state where she went to undergraduate school. When he found out that she was pursuing a career in public service, he could not understand why a topflight student would seek a career in the public sector as her first choice when she could make so much more money in the private sector.

I am here to make an important point that seems to have been lost in public discourse: Government is the means that we have to collectively pay for and provide those services that we collectively need.

Government is not a boogeyman. Government is roads and bridges. Government is schools and libraries. Government is the military keeping us safe around the world, and government is public servants keeping our water and air safe at home.

The vast majority of government workers are public servants who have chosen a career in public service because they want to make better life for all of us.

Government includes our teachers who spend every day of their professional lives giving our children the opportunity to be all that they can be, regardless of the level of success of their parents.

It includes occupational rehab specialists that work with our neighbors with disabilities so they can live with dignity and be productive citizens regardless of the disabilities that they may have.

It includes law enforcement officers and fire fighters that are prepared on a moment’s notice to risk their lives so the rest of us can be safe.

It includes road engineers that devote an entire career in the continuing effort to make our roads as safe as possible and minimize the loss of life.

It includes public health officials who work to protect us all from the outbreak of diseases that would regularly threaten our communities, if it were not for their perseverance.

It includes the social workers at SRS who work to ensure that there is a safety net for the children of our citizens who have lost their jobs.

It includes the psychologists at our community mental health centers who work to meet the critical needs of our neighbors with mental health disorders. In many cases, the services of our mental health centers make the difference between a productive life and a life spent in and out of jail or worse.

It includes building inspectors who try to assure that our businesses and homes are safe and secure for us to live and work in. Government includes the emergency communication specialists that can quickly direct virtually any type of emergency personnel to meet a citizen’s need, and when needed, they can even give instructions to someone on the scene to clear the air path of a suffocating citizen.

It includes the garbage collector who picks up your trash and safely disposes of it in a sanitary landfill, and the public works employee that makes sure that when you flush your toilet that your human waste flows away from your house safely and does not flow back into our lakes and rivers until that sewage is clean and harmless.

It includes court officials who spend their entire careers balancing our constitutional safeguards against the need to incarcerate those who are a threat to our safety.

Government includes economic development specialists who work hard to make sure that our state retains and attracts jobs for all of us, including our children.

It includes the army enlistee who risks her life on the other side of the globe to keep us safe.

Government includes every member of this graduating class.

We are engaged in a great debate in this country and in this state about how much government we can “afford,” and it is an important debate. There are no easy answers.

There are always going to be people who want to distort the debate by characterizing what we do as somehow inferior or unnecessary or inefficient. Don’t let those charges go unanswered. Do your job well, do it with pride, and stand up for yourself and your colleagues.

We strive to find the balance between the services that we provide as public servants, the investments our communities need to make for the future, and the taxes it takes to support that vision without passing the bill on to the next generation.

And at every level of government, in every department or division or agency there are dedicated and determined public employees who are working every day to help our elected officials to strike the best and most appropriate balance.

Government is what we do. It is the work that you have dedicated your careers to and by earning this degree I know you are committed to doing it well.

Public service is a high calling. It is essential to who we are as Kansans and as Americans. Let’s perform that service with pride.