Stop Doing "More with Less" 

WORKING WITH FEWER RESOURCES

For years public sector leaders have been talking about doing more with less.

As budgets have shrunk, employees have been encouraged to meet the same demands with diminished resources. Many agencies are still supporting this thinking. And it cannot continue.

As we begin 2012, accept that we can no longer do "more with less." In fact, the notion is obsolete in today's world.

Instead public sector leaders must begin approaching work with the question, "What can we do with less?" In most cases public budgets are not going to be restored to previous levels any time soon. To expect service levels to remain the same with fewer and fewer resources is unrealistic and unsustainable.

In the future, instead of "doing more with less," successful public agencies will answer the question, "what can we do with the resources we have?"

The challenge before you as a manager is to help employees consider this same question. If your employees have been with your organization for over five years, they remember the way things "used to be." In fact, some may be waiting anxiously for the world to return to "normal." As a manager you must lead a new conversation about what your organization is like now and what it will be like in the future. At your next staff meeting, lead a discussion using the following key questions:  

• What were we doing five years ago that we are not doing now?  
• What are we doing now that we weren't doing five years ago?  
• What do we need to give up doing so that we can focus on our new priorities?  
• How has the change in our environment (budget, political environment, organizational structure, staffing levels) impacted our primary customers?   
• Now that things have shifted, what do our customers expect of us that is different from before?  
• What can we realistically provide that will meet customer needs? 
• How can we positively influence our customer's perception of us given the resources we have? 

You may think of other questions that will stoke a dialogue about change.

You are in the driver's seat in terms of moving your organization from the way it used to be to the way it's going to be. Your employees can either move the change along or slow it down. How you lead the conversation will make the difference and the New Year is a good time to start. I'd love to hear about your experiences.

Plan Review Perform Repeat  

A SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY

Pet Peeve or Performance Issue?

IT BUGS ME WHEN...

Many of you have sent me your pet peeves related to employee performance. This month we're taking a look at one of those gripes and analyzing it with a Painless Performance Management spin. 

Here's a gripe I received from a supervisor who works for a medium-sized city:

"My gripe is people who are just too chatty. I encourage a positive work environment, but telling an employee that we have heard enough about her child's accomplishments is difficult."

The employee who just goes on and on has cornered us all. When the conversation is non-work related, it can suck valuable time away from the day. To decide how to respond, let's apply the Pet Peeve formula.

1. Is the concern an observable behavior?
2. If so, how does the behavior impact the work environment?
3. What behavior would you prefer?

Using those questions as a template, the conversation with the employee might sound like this:

Employee: Blah, blah, Johnny, blah, so smart, blah, blah, Johnny, blah, blah, genius, blah, blah...

You (jumping in when the employee takes a breath): I can tell you are really proud of Johnny. Let's spend a little time talking about next week's City Council report. We could both talk all day about our kids. We both know we need to focus on getting this report finished. Right?

Here's what just happened:

You acknowledged the employee's pride for their offspring, by reflecting their feelings. Quickly, you redirected the conversation to a work-related topic. Finally, you emphasized your expectation that the work gets finished.

It's not always easy to redirect a conversation, especially when the other person is passionate about the topic. However, as a leader, it is appropriate to change the course of the discussion when the focus drifts away from work. The key is to acknowledge the employee's perspective first to show respect and compassion.

It's a balancing act, but one I know you can juggle.

Final Footnotes 
NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE

The New Year brings so much opportunity! 

I'm focusing on developing stronger relationships with my public sector clients, while creating new products and services that will make the job of public management easier.  Throughout the year you'll see me at industry conferences and online events. Follow my progress via my calendar.  

I'll be looking for you and I hope you'll be looking for me! 
Happy New Year!  

Sincerely,

Marnie Green, IPMA-CP
Principal Consultant