How To Fix Everything From the Town Hall to Congress

Last semester I resumed teaching  Public Management at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. Teaching the course reminds me on a daily basis that simply by improving the management of administration of our cities, school districts, states, county governments, not to mention the federal government, we could improve the lives of millions of Americans and bring efficiency and equality to all of us.

The problem is that we do not elect chief executives or legislators on their qualifications as managers.

A call to shake up the bureaucracy or to 'change the way they do things in Washington' does not cut it either as a proven management technique or as a campaign slogan.

Like the few politicians concerned about this matter as well as the academicians and the newspaper editors, I long held the belief that the answer lay in running educational seminars and programs for newly elected officials.

Nice idea but it reaches about two percent of the elected.

Sunday I was watching the Cub-Brewer game when the light bulb went on. Young players are not brought up to the major league club until they understand the game.

Waiting until the mayor or governor is elected is too late.

There are two points of entry for rising politicians. The first is community organizations. The second is the training classes sponsored by the political parties for new candidates.

That is where we start to change America. In twenty years we will have significant improvement in government. Maybe in ten.

OK that is it. This is my contribution. This is my most important post on this blog.

Is anyone out there?

Comments

[Tim M.]

We're out here, Paul. We're listening. You make an excellent point about (most) ballplayers not making it to "the big show" until they understand the game. Your analogy doesn't do so well in many other pro sports, though, like basketball, where children with phenomenal skill (Kobe, LeBron, et.al.) can dominate. But baseball, unlike politics, is not a "personality" game. It's a game of skill. Ballplayers who have marginal skill never make the big show. Politicians who have marginal skillsets often not only make the big show, but dominate the big show. You and I both know the names. It's about some intangibles like "electability" and the ability to attract financial support. Any major-league baseball player (save NL pitchers) can hit a fastball. If you make the big show and can't learn to hit a major league slider or curve, you're gone....or, you have to be so phenomenally good at middle infield or some other specific and in-demand skill that it offsets your lack of skill at-bat.

Politics, specifically political leadership, as you have aptly pointed out, is often not about skill.

[Alex]

Paul, you're on the money. In my own little world consulting with small and medium sized businesses leadership is the single defining factor in creating high performing organizations that achieve outstanding performance results over the long term. Collins empirically proved this in his research which he shared in his book Good To Great. From my experience working in the social and non-profit sectors as a volunteer and board member the same holds true. I would add to your strategies the press helping build awareness of what good leadership is and its role in the public sector.

[Hieronymous]

Where's Pericles when you need him?

[mandrake]

2-cents: management capabilities are the fundamental problem. Managers almost as a rule are there by the peter principle. When they make an error, it is the workers who must pay the price, from unnecessary overtime to unsafe work environments, and on and on unlimited.

But we can train them sometimes. If they learn, the areas they exercize their authority in become efficient and workers will go far beyond the contractual requirement.

Training begins early and organizations must plan for it. They must have a well recognized system of development in the organization. Resources are not devoted to these things by the companies I have worked in. Many of them are going down now.