A Practical Guide to Government Management

By (author) Vince Meconi

Not available to order

Publication date:

15 March 2015

Length of book:

320 pages

Publisher

Bernan Press

ISBN-13: 9781598887532

A Practical Guide to Government Management provides a comprehensive yet one-volume work on high-level government management and can be described as a mangement book, reference book, and textbook all in one. It is geared towards any upper level government manager, public administration student, or anyone interested in public sector management.

Government managers receive limited or no management training, and at higher levels, focus more on policy than management, with negative consequences for the agencies they manage. This book seeks to address that dearth, written from the point of view of someone who successfully led government organizations, for an extended period, and faced a wide variety of managerial problems and issues. It covers a number of topics seldom discussed (and certainly not all in one volume), such as handling problem employees, cutback management, prioritization, making decisions, gaining control of an organization, and telling one’s boss —
the elected official—no.

Leo Strine, Chief Justice of Delaware’s Supreme Court and a former colleague, says that “In a time when many Americans are jaded about public service, it’s refreshing to be reminded that there are talented people who devote their careers to making our government work for the governed. Vince Meconi always put the public first in his decades of service in all three branches of government, and anyone interested in making government more effective will benefit from his insights and experience.”

Former Delaware Medicaid Director Harry Hill says, “I have led government agencies, managed for multiple Fortune 500 Companies, and run my own business. Vince Meconi is the best manager I have ever encountered. As a student of management myself, I collected over 800 books on the subject. Most offered little new, just a new way of saying the same thing. This book has what the others lacked — written instructions, practical examples, and advice for public sector managers from someone who has actually faced all the challenges for a prolonged period. It is a management book, reference book, and textbook all in one.”

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.