Bernan Press
Pages: 320
•
Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-1-59888-752-5 • Hardback • March 2015 • $74.00 • (£57.00)
978-1-59888-753-2 • eBook • March 2015 • $70.00 • (£54.00)
Vince Meconi’s 35+ year government career has included all 3 branches of government and federal, state, and local service. His 16-year tenure as a cabinet secretary is one of the longest in Delaware history. He is a former President of the National Assoc. of State Chief Administrators.
Introduction
Part I: You: Managing Yourself
1 Self-Management
Introduction
Your Time
Keeping Lists
Meetings
Using Your Immediate Staff
Miscellaneous
Notes
2 Leadership
Introduction
Setting the Tone
Your Leadership Style
Coaching Your Team
Dealing With Adversity
Notes
3 Ethics
Notes
Part II: Your Organization: Managing Internally
4 People
Introduction
Whom to Hire
How to Manage Your Employees
Your Leadership Team
Problem Employees
Making Your Organization’s Culture Managerial
Managing Change in a Bureaucracy
Notes
5 Prioritization
Notes
6 Money
Introduction
The Budget Game
Cutback Management
Notes
7 Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Introduction
Making Decisions
Solving Problems
Negotiations
Crisis Management
Notes
8 Gaining Control of Your Organization
Introduction
Control—What it is and Who Needs to Know
Assessing Your Organization
Gaining Control of Your Personnel
Gaining Control of Your Agenda
Notes
Part III: Your Environment: Managing Externally
9 Working for Elected Officials
Introduction
Taking and Leaving the Position
Understanding the Boss
Elected Officials and Management
Helping Them Do Their Jobs
The Executive Office Staff
Telling Them No
Notes
10 The Legislative Branch of Government
Introduction
Legislative Culture
Legislative Relations
What Legislators Want From You
Legislative Hearings
Legislative Strategy
Notes
11 The Media
Introduction
A Different Value System
Understanding the Media
Media Strategy
Notes
12 . . . And More
Interest Groups
Agencies That Should Always Help You—And Sometimes Do
Privatization, Vendors, and Contracts 2
Lawsuits
A Few Last Random Thoughts
Notes
Acknowledgments
Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
References
Managing Government Agencies
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Biographies and Autobiographies of Managers and Leaders
American Government
Index
One of the interesting things about government is that the elected face of an organization is rarely the person responsible for the day-to-day operations. Government employees in nonelected positions are often appointed or move into the job from an unrelated field of study—often without any management background. This volume aims to offer advice and training for those holding (or who are interested in) positions in the public sector. Meconi, who has held top-level positions in Delaware government since 1993, brings the requisite knowledge and experience to this book. The volume contains three sections: 'You: Managing Yourself,' 'Your Organization: Managing Internally,' and 'Your Environment: Managing Externally.' Each section is further divided into chapters (such as 'Self-Management,' 'Making Decisions and Solving Problems,' and 'The Media'). The information covered includes a broad discussion of budgeting, a look at various personnel issues, advice on assembling a leadership team, and tips on working for elected officials. This resource is recommended for academic and public libraries, where it will be a welcome reference for citizens interested in running for public office as well as those already in such roles.
— Booklist
The cumulative result is a roadmap which can provide governmental employees and policy-makers with a framework for dealing with the challenges, opportunities, and crises they may face during their governmental service. It will be useful for any prospective governmental employee regardless of their partisan background and what branch of government they will be working in. Recommended for libraries desirous of building and maintaining strong public administration collections.
— American Reference Books Annual
A Practical Guide To Government Management...[is] a thoroughly comprehensive, superbly organized, and effectively presented instruction guide and manual that will prove to be an invaluable reference for anyone charged with a managerial responsibility for any level of governmental service. Impressively 'user friendly', A Practical Guide To Government Management should be a part of every community, academic, and governmental library Political Science reference collection.
— Midwest Book Review