University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Insider's Guide to Supervising Government Employees
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The Insider's Guide to Supervising Government Employees

Kathryn M. Johnson (editor)
Management Concepts, 2011
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Whether government works is a hotly debated topic, but perhaps not for the reasons you’d think. Government veteran and management expert Kathryn M. Johnson makes a compelling argument that when public systems perform inefficiently, poor supervision is the problem. Leading people, she says, is one of the public administrator’s most crucial roles. Yet many newly promoted government managers come to their jobs feeling ill equipped. Johnson and 32 other seasoned contributors provide practical guidance and helpful real-world examples for new supervisors – inside and outside of government. If anything, new public sector managers may wish for more specifically government-related guidance (in fact, the word “politics” appears only once), and new private sector supervisors may be surprised how useful this manual is. Still, if you’re a novice municipal, state or federal agency boss and want to lead your people well, getAbstract believes you’ll gain knowledge and reassurance from this straightforward, applicable book.

Summary

A Chance to Make Your Mark

When top elected officials in the White House and on Capitol Hill formulate policy, who gets to put it into action? If you’re a government supervisor, you do. And the same holds true from Congress to city hall. But you don’t put government’s service to the public into action all by yourself – you must lead your team and work with others, often across multiple departments. The popular stereotype may view government as a vast, creaking, inefficient bureaucracy, but in reality, you have many opportunities as a public administrator to make government run smoothly by inspiring your staff members to perform well.

First, you must decide if you’re prepared to take on the job. Ask yourself if you enjoy inspiring your colleagues, are comfortable providing feedback, and know how to “build trust” and show appreciation to co-workers. If you answer yes, you’ll probably make a good supervisor. Once you’re promoted to public sector management, your initial actions will have visible consequences. Although you won’t accomplish everything overnight, consider these “first steps”:

  • Avoid declaring, “Here’s how it’s going to be around here from now on...

About the Author

Editor Kathryn M. Johnson worked in government for more than 20 years. She is a management consultant specializing in the public sector. The contributors to this anthology include a wide variety of experienced public sector managers.

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