- What is the problem? What are the bad outcomes?
- Is this a problem that needs my attention right now?
- Have I properly analyzed the problem?
- What are the issues and questions relating to this problem?
- What type of problem is this?
- Type A - problem is clear and answer clear: Then the Leader does the work.
- Type B - problem is clear but answer is unclear: Then the Leader and the Group work out the answer together.
- Type C - problem is unclear and answer unknown: Then the Group has to do the work, and the Leader only facilitates.
- Who are the protagonists and stakeholders?
- What are their stakes?
- What are their objectives? (Try to get some verification so you aren't "making it up")
- What is my role in this situation?
- What are my stakes in this situation?
- What is my most important objective?
- Have I identified all the stakeholders, including the customers ?
- Try to find the Third Win (a solution in which the most affected stakeholders win--not necessarily or only me or my "opponents".)
- What are my responsibilities to those "up the line" ?
- What are the products of my work?
- What tools are available?
- How can I improve quality for free?
- What are all the alternative strategies?
- What could be the unintended consequencies of following each of these strategies?
- How will each strategy lower or raise the stakes--for me, the other protagonists, and the stakeholders?
- Can I draw a decision tree showing decision points, with chance events or competitors moves, and the probabilities of each?
- Is this the last clear chance to change directions?
- What are the key assupmtions?
- What are the unstated assumptions?
- Can the unstated assumptions be discarded?
- How are my biases affecting the way I analyze this situation?
- What are my criteria for evaluating options?
- Are they really relevant?
- Have I done all my homework?
- How good is my data?
- What values are at stake?
- Is the symbolism in this situation more important than the facts?
- What is the source of the values applying in this situation?
- Individualistic: the driving force is free choice; decisions are made by the market; and the role of the state is to serve individuals
- Social contract: the driving force is agreement; the decisions are made through politics; and the roles of the state is to attain agreement.
- Technical or organic: the driving force is efficiency; decisions are made by experts; and individuals should serve the state (public).
- What is more important in this situation: attitude, knowledge, or skill?
- What's in it for them? and for me?
- Am I trying to focus on more than one thing at a time?
- Have I set my priorities properly?
- How do I best leverage my time?
- What else? The best information often comes at the end of a discussion--ask "what else" and then wait.
- Am I hearing what people are saying--and what they mean?
- Is our focus on what went wrong (problem oriented) or on what we want to do now (solution oriented)?
|
- Managers need to balance getting today's job done against "am I doing the right job"?
- Managers fail when they fail to devote their attention in the right direction.
- What you choose to focus on determines how well you do.
- A manager's essential resource for managing is the trust others have in him/her.
- For difficult problems, there are no right answers.
- Everything we do has consequences. Think about them!
- Understand your authorizing environment--those people or groups whose support you need to get your job done: subordinates, bosses, legislators, clients, customers, vendors, press, citizens, other agencies and organizations both public and private.
- Remember to deal with all parts of your authorizing environment.
- Political support is only good for the day. You need to keep taking it's temperature.
- Experts are always advocates--treat them skeptically and question their assumptions.
- Remember to evaluate your work, project or program: before, during, and after implementation. Learn from each stage.
- If there already numerous studies, rather than doing another one, study the studies (meta-analysis).
- Before you do a study know your sample size and identify how large an effect will be needed for it to be statistically significant.
- The way the policy analysis question is framed is a determinant of the answer.
- The more I can generate ideas about how to look at a problem, the more options I will have.
- If you don't like the answer, get a new question.
- Identify and challenge every assumption, especially your own.
- Notice how you are characterizing an issue. What you see as it's "face" is a powerful factor in how you will deal with it.
- What are your metaphors for thinking about an issue? Could you use different ones?
- A group needs an optimal level of stress (tension) to solve its problems. Too much tension and the group disintegrates. Not enough tension, and it ignores the problems.
- Leadership is managing a group's learning process.
- Leaders help the group and keep it together while it inches its way from A to B, figuring out where B is as it goes.
- Leaders do not have the answers.
- There is a difference between leadership and authority, and the roles have different functions, use different tactics and get different results
- The leader's job is to keep the group focused on solving the problem--and to keep the stress at the optimal level.
- You can't be a leader if you keep worrying about your leadership status.
- When leaders have warm fuzzies about their group, they are probvably avoiding forcing the group to do its adaptive work.
- Good rapport with the press is essential but don't mistake it for friendship.
- Reporting calls are like casting calls. When a reporter calls you, he/she is working on a story and either (a) needs more information or (b) has a role in mind for you to play. Figure out which it is before you get too far into the conversation.
- On TV it's how you look, on radio it's what you say.
- Lay the foundation for a story, and manage its conveyance to the press. Don't wait until the press picks it up, or you'll be the victim.
- Establish your credibility with the press outside of "story" time. Do briefings or educational meetings - help them learn.
- Develop a communications strategy about what information is to be conveyed and by whom.
- Understand the three circles of management:
- Values: social, personal, and organizational
- Internal capacity: product, procedures, and performance
- External pressures: authority, politics, and accountability
- Remember that progress only comes in bites--you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time.
- It's much easier to change your attitude than acquire a skill.
- Learn to ask good questions--and listen to the answers.
|
