Leadership in Government

The Insider's Guide to Supervising Government Employees

Edited by Kathryn M. Johnson

Drawing on the stories of more than 30 contributors, The Insider's Guide to Supervising Government Employees shines a light on many of the challenges and intrinsic rewards of being a supervior in government. Recognizing that not everyone is interested in leading, the authors provide a set of questions to help you assess whether you are suited for a supervisory role--and whether you are ready to take that step up the career ladder. Includes stories and advice about delegation, giving and receiving feedback, managing conflict, and the many different roles supervisors can/should play (e.g. mentor, coach, energizer, leader, and talent scout). Highly recommended. Read More...

Managing Government Employees: How to Motivate Your People, Deal with Difficult Issues and Achieve Tangible Results

By Stewart Liff

Stewart Liff provides many great tactics, case studies and stories that debunk common perceptions that government managers have about the government's personnel system. Drawing on his 30 years of real world experience as an HR professional and Senior Executive in the Federal Government, Liff argues that government managers can make the system work effectively, provided they know the rules, set high expectations, and approach problems with integrity and courage. Includes chapters on dealing with difficult people, recognizing excellent performance, working effectively with unions, and handling attendance problems. This book should be required reading for all supervisors in government.  Read More...

The Trusted Leader: Building the Relationships that Make Government Work

Edited by Tery Newell, Grant Reeher, and Peter Ronayne

The Trusted Leader starts with the premise that building trust and relationships at every level (i.e. between career public managers and political appointees, front-line employees, personnel from other agencies, members of Congress, private citizens) is a necessary pre-condition for effective government. The authors assert that high-level efforts to dictate or legislate reform usually fall short because of inattention to these trust and relationship issues (see excerpt). Includes chapters on values-based leadership, self-awareness, team building, collaboration, working with Congress and much more. Many of the chapters were written by leadership experts with decades of experience teaching at the Federal Executive Institute, so they have a deep understanding of the challenges we face leading in the public service. This is an invaluable resource for practitioners of public sector leadership. Read More...

The Jossey-Bass Reader on Nonprofit and Public Leadership

Edited by James L. Perry

This book is an incredible resource for public managers. It includes a collection of more than 30 classic articles, essays, and book chapters by leadership experts such as John Gardner ("The Task of Leadership"), Larry Spears ("Practicing Servant Leadership"), Ray Blunt ("How Leaders are Grown"), Edgar Schein ("The Learning Leader as Culture Manager"), and Kouzes & Posner ("Enlist Others: Attracting People to Common Purposes"). Also includes essays by authors such as Max DePree, Bob Behn, Bill George, Warren Bennis, Joseph Nye, and Barbara Kellerman. Read More...

Leading Across Boundaries: Creating Collaborative Agencies in a Networked World

By Russell M. Linden

Leading Across Boundaries is an indispensable handbook for government managers who need to work across organizational lines to get things done. (Yes, that covers most of us.) In this practical and very readable book, Russ Linden provides a self-assessment to determine where to focus your skill development effort and then outlines a practical framework for collaboration. He also discusses the many factors that can motivate others to collaborate--or not. Includes a worksheet for developing a game plan for collaborative projects. Read Chapter 1 of this book. Read More...

Transforming Public Leadership for the 21st Century

Edited by Ricardo S. Morse, Terry F. Bass and C. Morgan Kinghorn

Transforming Public Leadership for the 21st Century is a welcome addition to the literature on public administration thanks to its relevance to the real work done by public managers--which, first and foremost, involves getting the government’s work done through people. Includes chapters on being a change agent, dealing with complexity, effectively managing presidential transitions, leading large IT projects, leading through networks and many others topics. The articles are interesting, refreshing, and sometimes provocative. If we are fortunate, this volume will be followed by many more scholarly works that focus on the foundational issue of how public managers actually lead their people.  Read More...

How to Manage in the Public Sector

By Gordon Chase and Elizabeth Reveal

This classic book was published in 1983 but it is still relevant today. Gordon Chase was a highly effective public manager who inspired many through both his example as a manager and his teaching at the Kennedy School of Government. Published posthumously, How to Manage in the Public Sector is drawn from a manuscript and other notes Chase left behind. Includes practical advice about how to deal with elected officials (and their staffers), community groups, and the media.   Read More...

 

Territorial Games: Understanding & Ending Turf Wars at Work

By Annette Simmons

This book is not specifically about the public sector, but it might as well be. Annette Simmons identifies 10 games that people play at work in order to protect their turf. Although territoriality is instinctive--and even necessary at times--territorial games can be counterproductive when they are played out of habit, as is too often the case in bureaucracies. Includes questionnaires you can use to help you identify the games you tend to play and suggests ways to diminish the use of territorial games. Click here to read Chapter 1. Read More...

The Bureaucratic Entrepreneur: How to Be Effective in an Unruly Organization

By Richard N. Haass

The Bureaucratic Entrepreneur is a well-written and superbly organized guide on how to be effective in government. It's packed with practical advice on how to manage up, down and laterally within an organization, as well as how to work effectively with external actors like Congress, the media, and interest groups. Although some sections seem to talk more to political appointees, most of Haass's advice is relevant for any government employee who wants to get things done. Read more...