Sandwich

I have written before about sandwiches. No, I am not hungry all the time. The last instance was a blog post on the art of the response in an interview. First piece, meat of the matter, and second piece/closure. I thought recently about the sandwich generation. Those with younger but getting older kids (think college age) and parents who are aging and in need of more services care, and attention. In a recent coaching call with a client, I paused to reflect on a third sandwich reference, related to this second one, and that is those in the workplace with ~20 years. They see the younger crop of next-gen folks entering in and their norms, tendencies, etc. They see the retiring-soon co-workers riding off into the sunset. They’re worried about the loss of institutional knowledge on the retirements and a little worried about culture changes and evolving work-habits of the new employees. They’re the middle of this work generational challenge sandwich and often they struggle.

Back from a Hiatus

I guess I took a few week “blog-cation” from this page. Let’s get back to it!

Sometimes, a simple thank you goes a long way. If there is even a hesitation to express gratitude, and you are teetering on whether to bother, err on the side of taking action. So many times we assume others will thank the person, we don’t know how it will be received, we think we do not have the time, we do not know how exactly we might articulate the thankful message, and so forth. To that I say - who cares! While I am Brooks fan, follow Nike’s advice this time - and just do it!

Politeness

There was an article in this weekend’s WSJ regarding a company with razor-thin approval/acceptance rates of job applicants. Well, maybe thinner than a razor. Less than a tenth of 1 %. One thing caught my eye though - their screening assessment / will they stay and succeed down the road “test” = Are they polite? When I preach and teach customer service excellence I always mention this impact on staffing and service. It doesn’t cost much to be polite but it can be very costly if you are impolite.

On Birthdays and Reflections

The US of A just celebrated our nation’s 250th birthday. There were many a reflection and commentary on how far we have come as a country, and what still challenges us and confounds us. A grand experiment, in occasional need of refinement is what the pundits mostly say. Is that not what we all are? As we celebrate our own birthdays, such occasions represent a time of pause, of contemplation, of resets, of memories, etc.

Professional Development

As many people in the profession of public administration make it a point to better themselves professionally, I ask - what is the best form?  In person?  Online?  Mix? Group?  1:1?  Self-paced? What about subject-matter - finance?  HR?  Leadership? Work-life stuff? Communication?  Amount - a little or a lot?   Blocked or periodically scheduled on the regular? The answer is -  it depends on the person as each individual tends to learn differently.

Time for a checkup?

In terms of 🚗 car care, we generally think of 3,000 or 5,000 miles (somewhere in that range) for an oil change. Perhaps 40,000 to 70,000 miles and we are contemplating brakes or tires or maybe at 50,000 we schedule for a multi-point inspection. (Note: When I had my 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer a while back (aka Woody, aka "large carbon footprint") perhaps the inspections and look-sees were a little more, ahem, frequent.)

We have pre-determined intervals for checking, scoping, and assessing an asset that is in our possession, so as to keep it in tip-top shape and, presumably, discover issues or problems early on and fix in a timely manner. 

Referring to the local government equivalent, as a 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤, this is an often overlooked assessment tool. Pick a department and do a top of bottom policy and compliance check for systems use and adherence. As an example: Outside of the audit, the financial department is a good candidate for a scope.  For finance, I would look at policies, updates, communication practices, "desk audits" of staff work roles/responsibilities, reporting timeframes, bond schedules, debt-refinancing opportunities, the CIP format, regulatory filings, GFOA best practice document comparisons, cash-flowing forecasting, investment strategies, and so forth. 

If you end up substantiating everything and not needing any updates or changes, that’s fine. It will still be a good exercise as a double-check and a verification process. 

Yes, You can Change

In my daily journaling, I write a daily affirmation. Along with three things I am grateful for and three things I am looking forward to that day, these entries set the tone for my day ahead. Looking back at one recently, I wrote (in handwriting only I can decipher) “You can change.” In this case, spoiler alert, I was attempting to eat a little better. :) But, that being said, I looked back at the entries some weeks before that, and what was on my mind, and what excited me, and what I was challenged by. Even in the that small look-back stretch, it was clear I had changed, and positively - proving, in retrospect, my future affirmation.

Coaching Insights: Career Capital

A theme from a recent executive coaching conversation: many professionals wait until they're ready for their next role before preparing for said role.

The strongest leaders are continuously building 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 by:

✔️ Taking on stretch assignments

✔️ Expanding their professional network

✔️ Closing skill / resume gaps mindfully

✔️ Developing a clear and compelling professional narrative and portfolio

✔️ Participating intentionally with professional associations

Your next career opportunity is often shaped by the experiences, relationships, networks, engagement work and reputation you're building today, not when you 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 to start looking.

What's one thing you're doing right now to invest in your future self?

Just Roll With It

Yes, it would be ok and appropriate for you to start singing now in your best Steve Winwood voice. Just roll with it, baby! A fun song, yes. A solid statement of advice as well - yes! Resiliency and going with the flow and embracing negativity and bad days/circumstances as just situational “stuff” that happens. That’s rolling with it.

Coaching Insights: Good Days and Bad Days

I was working recently with a municipal manager coaching client. They were struggling with, and challenged by, the seemingly never-ending prioritization shifting, causing chaos in scheduling. The days were a grind lately. To help manage stress and improve focus, I suggested a simple two-week exercise: at the end of each day, I instructed them to identify and score experiences as a +1, 0, or -1. A +1 represents activities, interactions, or accomplishments that generated energy, momentum, or a sense of progress. A -1 reflects frustrations, recurring obstacles, unfinished loops, or tasks that drained energy and attention. A 0 captures neutral activities that were necessary but neither particularly positive nor negative.

Over the course of two weeks, patterns often emerge. By tracking and ranking these experiences, I noted that you can better understand what is creating value, what is consuming disproportionate time and energy, and where small adjustments could have an outsized impact. The objective is not to eliminate every challenge, but to become more intentional about where your attention goes, build resilience around inevitable disruptions, and create a clearer path toward a more sustainable workload and leadership approach. HT to Jim Collins for the system.

Sandwich

In responding to interview questions, common occurrences by applicants are not acknowledging the question, not providing a sufficient response/clarity in addressing the question, and not closing it sufficiently (running on, losing the audience, and so forth). So, we offer the simple sandwich concept:

• First piece (of bread): simply start off acknowledging the question.

• The meat/toppings/inside: literally answer the question, and be specific and concise and thread the needle of being "in between" too much and too little.

• Second piece (of bread): "close 'er down" by coming to a soft landing on the answer with closure and a clean finish.

What can you do…

Listening to a podcast recently, the host posed the question “what can I do most beautifully?” This question has a lot of applicability.

Today. In life. As a career. For a loved one. For a friend. For an enemy.

Mother Teresa

Whenever someone was a jerk or a blowhard, and they were married, my father would always say about that person’s spouse - “they have moved up past Mother Teresa on my list.” Alas, this story is not about my father’s Mother Teresa sayings. Mother Teresa is attributed with the quote: "Wash the plate not because it is dirty nor because you are told to wash it, but because you love the person who will use it next." Focus on these small, meaningful acts of service and you will naturally pay-it-forward for the next generation.

Planning

I am a big fan of planning. Comprehensive, strategic, action, legislative, capital - you name it! But if plans just ended there, nothing would happen. A great phrase to remember in local government planning is “be patient with results, and impatient with action.” Be planful, intentional and methodical in forecasting and thinking ahead. Develop a roadmap, of course. Be cognizant that stuff takes time, especially weighty endeavors. (BHAGS). But be partial to action. Have a bias for taking the lead and commencing an effort. Start. Do. Act.

5WT

Hat tip to Commissioner Joe Kantz from Snyder County, PA for today’s blog inspiration. No, this blog title is not a New Balance Sneaker size. It stands for a phrase Joe used at a recent conference I attended. We win when we work together. 5 Ws and a T. This particular saying applies perfectly to professional associations. Leaders from across a state/commonwealth come together to address issues of mutual interest. At times, they are Red/Blue/Purple politically but they can align, and succeed when aligned, on matters of legislative or governmental importance when they work in unison on a common goal.

Failing

I have written previously about failing forward and organizations showing grace and an “allowance” to fail for leaders as they grow. I recently read of the corporate trend of failing parties. Get-togethers where attendees openly share recent failures in a group-setting, where others can learn. To me, the positives outweigh any negatives and include: vulnerability-acceptance, empathy, crowdsourcing help, culture-building and so forth.

Yes and No

At a conference this week, and heard some great sayings around “no” (and yes) that are worth sharing in paraphrased fashion here.

The first is the one I always use - if it’s not a “hell yes” it has to be a no. For career and life decisions. H/T to Derek Sivers for introducing me to this one.

The second is “No is a complete sentence.” Really like this one!

Finally, “No resentful Yesses.” Make it a yes with authority, conviction, heart and “oomph.”

Next Gen

A few comments of instruction and guidance to the next generation of public administration leaders, in no order of importance. The first of what likely will be a series:

• Use your tech-oriented upbringing and smartphone know-how to your competitive advantage, but avoid the pitfalls of device, technology, and text “over-reliance” that is often a negative stereotype attribute of your generation.

• Take the time to know the community elements that are outside government. The parks, the 3rd places, the spots where the n’erdowells hang out, the bodegas and the fancy grocery store, the golf course, and the churches/places of worship. Social clubs, too.

• Avoid the urge to frame local decision-making in the context of some national, politically polarized context. Usually it is not.

Graduation Season

Inspired by the stories of viral commencement speeches, I offer a short commentary to those obtaining their BA/MPA degrees and contemplating life in local government. And, no, I am not expecting this to go viral.  Having taught hundreds of MPA students and coached many individual public administration leaders, here are some words of wisdom and advice:

-disregard a lot of the noise on social media lately, especially here on our beloved LinkedIn, and how bad the profession is these days. Local government management life often sits in a complex and often conflicting environment, full of contradictions.  In any given moment or week or set of circumstances, it is both challenging and rewarding;  heartbreaking and excitingly heart pounding; defeating and uplifting;  frustrating and amazing; political and apolitical; static and innovative.  However, it is indeed an incredible profession where the product of your work can leave indelible impressions, make life better for your communities and neighbors, and save and change lives. That’s weighty stuff. Weighty stuff is challenging. Know that going in, and deal with it. 

-go in eyes wide open and with a thirst for additional knowledge. Find and seek answers via objective research. Be worldly, think global and act local, and read “right” and “left” political opinions on civic and governmental matters. Find and seek mentors.  Stay curious.  Question “best” practices and see, if indeed, you can make them better. Soak up information from professional associations and contacts. Find your brethren and your work-friend peers who you can call anytime, anywhere, and talk and walk through a difficult professional situation. Those contacts are worth their weight in gold. And reciprocate. Grow to be someone’s “phone-a-friend” first-call. 

-treat the profession as a craft, as a craftsperson would in the sense of a carpenter, gaffer or potter. Be proud of your work. Hone your craft. Excel and be the best you can be in the elements (budgeting, communications, personnel relations, project management, and so forth) of your daily job responsibilities. Continue to develop yourself professionally and personally.

-lead with humility. People can spot a humblebrag and attention-seeker from a mile away. Deflect praise and take the arrows. Listen with intent. This listening part is a lost art, as I have written about in this medium previously. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Talk to your staff and co-workers. Ask for - meaning purposely solicit - feedback on your performance and expectation-meeting. 

-strike the ubiquitously referenced, yet rarely successfully employed, balance of your professional obligations and life outside of work. Many a manager will perpetuate the stereotype of the woe-is-me CAO by and through their own actions, versus being more intentional and mindful of organizational, boundary, time, and calendar best practices. You have heard me ask this before - are you contributing to the very issues you’re complaining about? The best antidote I have found for this ailment is the development of hobbies, passions, interests and volunteer activities that are not-affiliated with the profession of local government management.

-and finally, and full-circle back to the profession’s challenges, stay grounded and mindful in your efforts to combat stressful situations via what I refer to as distress tolerance. If you are not a resilient person, it may not be the profession for you. Learn how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations and actually embrace these circumstances as growth-developing, armor-building, strength-forming, and “powerbank” -charging experiences.

Get Over It

I was speaking with a longtime local government manager. He was lamenting the state of affairs of some of these social media minded managers and podcasters, who regularly discuss the trials and tribulations of the profession, in his words, like it’s “in the foxhole everyday.” I agreed, in part, noting that there are a lot of keyboard commentators referencing how bad things are in the profession of public administration and in local government management in particular. I have said this before - it’s a tough job. It’s a 24/7 job. It’s life in the public fish bowl. But there is more to life than work and there are difficult jobs, and tasks, across a multitude of professions. Get over yourselves!