Why Public Administration Part II

I happen to be speaking to two different groups of students in two different academic programs I am affiliated with, both this week. The subjects are the same - local government as a career path. Local government is calling, and it’s exciting and it’s an excellent career path for students to consider! Why?

• You can make a real impact. You’re making a difference in serving the public.

• There are also diverse roles for every degree – from engineering and planning to communications, HR, IT, to the trades and more.

• Internships, grad programs, and entry-level roles are out there and obtainable. These are good quick-starts to the path ahead.

• The government check always cashes (well, 99.9% of the time). You can have career stability with purpose – that is a main benefit of public sector work

Why Public Administration

There are a lot of challenges these days to the work of those involved with public administration, mainly at the Federal level with DOGE but also creeping down into states and perhaps localities. This is not a post about the Federal government workforce, but the “why” of public administration. Take the local level, where I spent the majority of my career. Our collective why in our county workforce - “because we can make a meaningful impact on our community.” Other common answers - “to make a difference,” “to serve my neighbors and friends,” “to make a lasting impact for generations,” and so on. We could see every day the tangible impacts of our civic-minded, resident-focused work. Services rendered, care taken, safety maintained, order sustained, the rules of law upheld, and smiles produced (not always, of course). Infrastructure, parks, trails, yes - but also services for those kids needing special attentive care, and palliative/Hospice care for our most vulnerable, dying residents. Our why answers were diverse, but they were, and are today, centered on compassionate service.

Three Lenses

In my coaching engagements, I often find myself commenting to my clients about the three-lenses of public administration, when talking about a leader. The personal, the professional and the organizational. Personally, you have issues you deal with like everyone. Home life, family stress, the kid going away to college, the aging parent. Professionally, it’s the camaraderie with others, the networking, the profession of the job you hold. Organizationally, it’s the innards of wherever you are, the community and entity you serve, co-workers and culture. There is inherent difficulty in working in public administration with these lens conflicts. One of the very small actions I recommend, in the realm of habit stacking, is to recognize and acknowledge each area/lens (and provide an entry for each perhaps) in your daily journaling (e.g., gratitude journaling).  Expressing appreciation for something in each realm of life is a good way to both recognize that there are indeed these different areas that need distinct and individualized attention.

Embrace the Present

Embrace the present is a phrase we hear a lot.  Embrace to me signifies a hug.  Hold is another common definition when embrace is used this way.  The other definition is to accept or welcome.  Hugging and holding connotate affection, perhaps love.  Gripping tight with one’s might, and emotion, the present moment.  That works too. Accept leads me to think contentment.  Adequacy.  Perhaps, even championing or something stronger.  That works too.

Whatever your duality of definition path you choose for embracing the present, know that years of science, mental health work, and psychological study dictates that those of us who find the muscle and mettle to deal with life’s challenges as they come and to not dwell/ruminate and not forecast/fascinate, will be better off from an emotional resilience standpoint.

Lost Arts

Conversations.  Looking people in the eye.  Intentional commentary.  Purposeful thought.  Responses that display an active ear.  Listening.   Have we lost the art of being a conversationalist? 

I would argue many have.  I recently went to an event to welcome a new President to a large, public sector organization.  Fanfare.  Snacks and wine.  The President working the room.  Went well.  Meaningful conversations.  Listened.  Mutual interests shared.  Well-wishes expressed.  I went to another more recently.  Hello and a quick exit to something else.  No eye contact.  Odd comments.  No depth of conversation.  I also think people are not as well-versed in a variety of subjects.  Do Democrats only know what is in the New York Times?  GOP’ers and the WSJ?   Younger folks - do they know the classics (by that I mean the Stones).   What about movies, books, sports, culture, and not just the Netflix binge?  History?  Civics? Local affairs?

DOGE and Running Government Like a Business

This line invariably comes up.  At the coffee shop.  On Fox News and MSNBC.  In tweets and in local papers.  Usually, this is when some thing goes awry.  Taxes go up.  An infrastructure project extends it’s project timeline and thus costs.  A local government official conducts some nefarious activity.   Now, at the Federal level - we see it with DOGE and the (somewhat tired term, frankly), “waste, fraud and abuse.”

The cries then come up “If we ran government like a business….”   The politicians running for local, state or federal government office come out and decry the situation and lament that business-like principles of corporate America are not infused enough into the public sector.  I would then ask - like what company/business? Enron? Worldcom? KMart? Adelphia?

Look, there are certainly elements to emulate — efficiency, compensation strategies and technological use come to mind — of the private sector. However, their bottom line is materially different. It relates to shareholder value and profit-margins. The public sector is servicing the community with essential and vital public services. A recommended strategy: A balanced, rifle-vs-shotgun approach, understanding the nuances of government work and borrowing translatable and transferable best practices from our private sector counterparts to, yes, gain efficiencies, and yes, weed out WF&A.

Years and Days

This is a reprise of a LinkedIn post I wrote some time ago, but it has more meaning these days. The Progressive Commercials are great at ripping “parents” with really funny tropes and montages about goofy habits of ”your parents.” One of those is the Live Laugh Love type wooden signs many people have. There are other popular sayings like “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere” and “Family…” something or other. Someone on social media was listing these and included The Days are Long But The Years are short and instead of a belly laugh it stopped me dead in my tracks.

How powerful is this statement, especially for, drum roll, parents? And parents of high school seniors? Those days that you sometimes dread and maybe there is some fighting or adolescent angst or school issues or long rides of games or social nights curbed by parental duties. And in the blink of an eye, the kids are growing up or have grown up and the years seem to go by too fast. The moral of the story is - you can’t run away from any of this. Embrace the present. Live for today. Don’t blink.

Pracademically Speaking

My personal feeling is that every MPA program, in the country, in order to get NASPPAA accreditation should minimally have the following: a full-time Professor of Practice or Executive-in-Residence position and a requisite amount of adjunct hours/adjunct-delivered classes by a working professional in public administration. Not one or the other - but both.

As a long-time pracademic (hence the name), I have experienced the phenomenon of instruction of local government management classes by individuals who have never been a city or county manager. While I get it - I remain perplexed by this - there’s only so much theory without application. Guest speakers are great (I am guest lecturing in a Public Administration class tomorrow, in fact) but the full flavor of experience is not appropriately conveyed and messaged as a full-course instruction is with a professional adjunct.

I realize this might come across as selfish or built on self-aggrandizement but it is not. I do hold this profession up very high and I remain committed to building the next generation in the talent pool pipeline. Practitioners must have greater, enhanced and more nuanced presence in MPA curriculum development, instruction, full-time positions and other teaching and administrative supports for MPA programs to truly have a holistic, overarching and penetrating experience for students interested in the field of local government management. My 1.5 cents!

Henny Penny

There’s a lot of chatter in certain forums and circles these days about how bad things are for local government managers. You would think this is the worst profession to enter into. We need greater protections! There are unruly councils! We might not get reappointed! Sigh. We used to be a tough profession. A professional profession. We got through the tough stuff and weathered storms. We stayed out of the political fray and we let our good work speak for itself. I actually worked 20 years, gasp, without severance in my employment agreement. Pro-tip - it’s not that bad.

No, Henny Penny, the sky is not falling. Stop listening to the noise. Keep your nose to the grindstone, do good work, share praise, take blame, be competent, develop regularly, pay it forward, give back, get involved, take the calls, take the heat, get over yourself, hire good people and get back to public service.

The Billionaires’ Club

Being a billionaire (something I am not, I am sure has its perks.   First class travel accommodations.   Fine dining on a regular basis.   Car choices galore.  Homes in multiple locations.  Front row seats to the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl season (next year).  The list goes on and on. 

In one key, seemingly all-important measure though, the poor guy and the “regular Joe” is on the same level as the rich guy and that’s…..drum roll….time. You can’t buy more time.  You can’t go back to purchase past credits.  No frequent flier type member benefits with time passages. 

Time management therefore is critical.   But more so time appreciation.  One needs to recognize and appreciate time while in that moment, while in the present.  Such appreciation is uber-critical for a holistic mindset.  Don’t dwell and don’t ruminate. And don’t forecast too much. Just chill.  Embrace this valuable time, that set of seconds, those minutes, for what they represent to you.  And realize that they have an equitable nature in that they cost the same to you to maximize (or waste) as Jeff Bezos.

Small Business

A family friend, when contemplating to stop into a small business, said something to the effect “I am not giving them my money.” It was a coffee shop and they were going to home-brew at their house. Fair enough, I said - but you can’t have good, healthy, and vibrant downtowns without patronage, turnstiles and purchases. For those that live in small places with small, quintessential, quaint downtowns, remember that “shop small” and “buy local” themes are not necessarily personified and carried out by all residents. Promote when you can, leave a review, think about where you can buy local for something, etc. The spillover effects are tremendous. We had a local entrepreneur legend pass recently, Ralph Parker, former proprietor of the Livonia Inn for ~40 years. He donated to countless charities and fundraisers over the years. Amazon and Wal Mart and McDonalds didn’t contribute a dime. That’s why I gave him, and others like him taking the chance on small business enterprise downtown in our small community, my business and why you should too!

Customer Service

I was chatting with a group of MPA students in a course on Public Management and the topic of customer service in government came up. One of the students, who was an Assistant to the City Manager at a medium-sized municipality -  asked - “if you could make one recommendation to my city related to customer service what would that be?” Not one to always color within the lines, I said I would have two, and I also said we would crowdsource everyone’s top item for a healthy, robust list. My (somewhat tongue in check) primary - please do not have a phone tree in your city. Give me a live, non robotic, city employee when I take the time to call City Hall. Once we discussed the pros and cons of unnecessarily ticking off residents who might be calling on a complaint and, thus, already a little on edge - I moved on to my real #1. Assess your internal customer service, first. Yes, counterintuitive a little - I am often the contrarian viewpoint on matters in this realm. Appraise the performance, methods, styles, communication practices, interactions, and the like - of the offices and departments/divisions that serve other city departments. Payroll, IT, the manager’s office, the Clerk, the legal department, etc., How are we serving our own fellow employees? Sort of being able to take care of the baby’s mask on the plane before we help others.

The Difficulty in having Difficult Conversations

We all have to address personnel matters.  Or an unruly resident with fire in their eyes related to some action taken by the County.  Or a budget discussion where a cut is made for the betterment of the organization.  In these situations, and many like them for the local government manager, we must delicately navigate the often choppy waters of a difficult situation and conversation. While I have not been perfect, and have made my share of mistakes, here are some helpful hints to get through these:

• Prepare

• Review the purpose

• Review planned-for outcomes

• Speak with authority, conviction and be forthright 

• Close any loops at the end

• Follow up as appropriate

The CAO Role in Recruitment and Retention

Talent acquisition and the “keeping in the fold” of these same individuals remains a pesky challenge for local government. The solutions one considers run the gamut among options such as higher pay, recruiting assistance, employee development programs and new looks and strategies at current practices. If you’re a CAO (City/County Manager or Administrator) I ask you to look inward and think critically and constructively about the role you play in this issue in your community? To riff off of the great private sector CEO coach Jerry Colona ask yourself “have you been complicit in creating the conditions you say you don’t like?” Yes, this is a tough question, but you’re in the local government management profession so I am assuming you have both broad shoulders and thick skin. Here are just a handful of opportunities to assess what role you are playing and what role you can play:

• Are you speaking to schools at the high school, community college and 4 year college level about careers in your local government?

• Are you spreading the word about the great work of your government to the masses, via press releases, social media, and other outlets as appropriate? Highlight success stories, local talent, career progressions, etc.

• Has your local government invested in the essential expenses of training, coaching, professional development and continuing education for all staff?

• Are you checking in with key staff and asking them about their wishes, dreams, aspirations and career path preferences

• Have you led a recent evaluation of your compensation schedules?

• Are you an employee culture champion or just along for the ride, or, worse, has the ride even started?

• Does work-life balance exist in your local government and are you a leading example of it?

Use the calendar rollover of 2025 to comprehensively assess inward your role in assuring success in this critically important human resource concerns of recruitment and retention

Preparation

As part of my work in county administration and serving as an executive search consultant to other entities in their hiring of CAOs and department leaders, I have interviewed hundreds of candidates. I am often asked, what is one thing - just one thing - interviewees can do to separate themselves. Well, I can’t do just one thing, but I will offer two. One is pre and one is post.

Research the you-know-what about of the organization. Minutes, news releases, strategic plans, leadership bios, comprehensive plans, population, demographics, regional data - you name it. Show your commitment to the process by displaying your research. It shows intellect in terms of information finding, yes, but it more importantly conveys a sense of passionate, specific and genuine interest in the community.

And after the interview, take the time to do a courtesy follow up. Amazes me that some people - seasoned leaders - do not do this. It’s not quite a red line strike but it’s damn close for me if someone doesn’t take the time to send a quick email or note to the interview committee / search panel and express thanks for the opportunity and maybe a few other comments on their interest.

Volunteerism

I had a discussion last year with Board members about volunteerism. In this case it was the fire ranks and in rural counties how they are depleted. In no way shape or form is this an indictment on those that serve in this capacity. I cherish and sincerely value their volunteer work. But the numbers are the numbers.

How did we get here? A few reasons - 1) people are generally busier with more attachments. 2) Dual income, working parents and child care and time management challenges. 3) Some general apathy/disinterest in that type of service. 4) Regulations around responsibilities, requirements, and training of the volunteers. 5) Perhaps a decrease in a sense of community across generations (see Bowling Alone).

What can we do? Capitalize on the spirit you see in the next generation. The zeal of activism, the interest in politics, the motivation for public service, etc. Consider small incentive programs, like those in existence now, and consider expanding. Be opening, inclusive and welcoming to new generations, to different lifestyles and to non-traditional candidates. Add some pizazz and fun to the rigors of the training. Incorporate family.

Coaching in the Public Sector

As someone who serves as a leadership/ executive coach to public sector professionals, I would like to highlight the importance of leadership coaching in addressing challenges specific to public-sector executives.

For some reason, coaching is still an often overlooked growth strategy in public administration, but that perception is changing​​. In the private sector - examples abound. CEOs have coaches, actors have coaches, professional athletes, dancers, etc - the list goes on. In some cases, the public sector may be challenged with tightness of budgetary allowances. In other cases, coaching is seen as a nicety versus a necessity. 

There are, however, a multitude of real-world examples and success stories of how coaching has transformed leadership outcomes. I, myself, have been coached and now serve as a coach and I can say from first-hand experience, the benefits are there. Coaching, though, remains a vastly underutilized professional development pathway for many in government and one of my goals is to change mindsets around this topic. 

Watch this blog for future entries on the implementation of practical steps for public-sector leaders to integrate coaching into their professional development strategies.

Trust

There is a lot written about trust in government.  Local government, in my most studies, runs around 60+% and is far above both state (lower) and the federal government (much lower).  That trust was attained, and then maintained, through a series of actions, activities, responses and respect. The closeness to the resident and the everyday-apparent services (public safety, highway, EMS, etc) certainly help with the trust factor. We must uphold that trust in local government and here are a few simple ways to do it, in my opinion. 

-answer the phone.  Do not have a phone tree. Have real, live people answer. 

-conduct customer service training. 

-find and then emulate the best practices of the the best-of-the-best in the private sector in terms of service, culture, etc.  Someone once commented - the reflection of your company's culture is “how do people feel on Sunday night?”  Is there dread for what’s to come - or excitement on what is ahead?

-engage with your residents.  In person, with regularity, and with a willingness to listen and also take criticism. 

-show responsibility and also responsiveness. They trust you because you will do something about some thing.  Do it. 

-take accountability. Buck passing and finger pointing are artisanal level activities in the state and federal government, many confined to the elected/politicals, but lots of administrative folks in this mix as well. Own your issues and deal with challenges.

Reflections on the value of practitioner-led teaching in Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs.

I’m biased.

I am a practitioner who has spent 20+ years in local government management.

I have also spent ~17 years in the classroom, mostly the virtual classroom, teaching students the intricacies of public administration.

To me, the integration of real-world experience enhances academic learning, bridges the gap between theory and practice, and equips future public-sector leaders with actionable insights. MPA programs nationwide should consider the unique benefits practitioners bring to the classroom, such as firsthand knowledge of public administration challenges, mentorship opportunities, and fostering connections to professional networks.

Managers in the classroom are not just about “war stories - this practitioner approach prepares students to meet the evolving demands of public service.

That’s why I often call myself a pracademic, and why I trademarked the name pracademic™ for my company. This aligns with Pracademic Partners' messaging about blending academic expertise and real-world leadership experience​​.

Building resilience through routines

This blog posted is lifted from/inspired by a presentation I provide called Reset, Reboot and Renew: Your New Year Ahead as a Local Government Leader. (I provided this via Zoom on 01/16). Leaders thrive when their routines support their ambitions. The second step in the 3 Rs framework is Reboot, which focuses on revisiting habits and practices that drive performance gains. Consider adopting the 50/30/20 approach: balancing professional responsibilities, personal time, and essential recovery. Whether it's setting aside time for mindfulness or taking mini-breaks, integrating deliberate pauses into your schedule can fuel sustained energy. If you are going to go on vacation or take time off - be intentional about your activities in those breaks and maximize the time away from work.

Recovery also extends to professional strategies. Rebooting might involve gratitude practices, engaging in challenging professional development experiences, or shadowing a department or work division to rediscover forgotten techniques. The key is to prioritize activities that strengthen resilience and recharge your mental focus. A well-executed reboot isn’t about drastic change, it’s about consistency and growth through intentional steps. When a computer reboots, it powers down to power up. It gains updates, patches, fixes and starts afresh with a renewed system, per se. Do the same thing.