What is Your Challenge?

By Michael A. Waters, CVM, CPM
Administrator, Arkansas Public Administration Consortium
CPM Consortium Executive Council Member at Large
mawaters@ualr.edu

What is your challenge? Or should I say, what is your challenge this week? As public managers, it seems we encounter so many challenges these days that it sometimes feels as though we are being overwhelmed. Some of those challenges we face include the never-ending budget issues that are, in part, due to unforeseen market changes, such as increased fuel and medical costs, and the personnel challenges that consume such a large amount of our day.

A couple of years ago, I posed a question to a group of 31 mangers from a varied background of city and state agencies asking them what they expected to be their greatest challenge in the coming year. While answers varied, as would be expected, they focused on a couple of major themes. In fact, these themes have been recurring over the years, as is evidenced by the proliferation of books and reading materials on the subjects. Some of the major themes included retaining good employees, providing the necessary service with limited staff, personnel problems, and all types of change.

 I recently posed the same question to roughly 40 managers from the same types of backgrounds. While most of the answers were the same or similar to those of two years ago, some new issues appeared, including communication and project priorities.

As trained managers and leaders, we are better equipped to handle these and other issues than many others. Many of us will be asked to work on teams or as individuals to assist in developing the solutions. While we may be looking at this as a drain on our already taxed time, it is also an opportunity to be part of the solution. CPM graduates can be more confident they are ready for the future. We have been familiarized with the capabilities of looking at the whole picture, while maintaining the ability to focus on the current challenges.

One particular challenge that I left out until this point was: “Having to replace a long-standing supervisor…no personnel to exemplify the leadership.”

One of the major challenges we now face is the retirement of experienced personnel, followed by the lack of experienced managers to fill their vacancies. This has been determined by many national experts to be one of the greatest challenges facing corporate, governmental, and non-profit agencies during the next several years. Why is it that important? The “institutional” knowledge of what has been tried before, what works, what does not work, the agency goals and how those goals fit with the current strategies, and who are the critical contacts to assist in saving time, energy and resources, among other reasons, are all lost, if there are no experienced and trained people to take over. Additionally, the knowledge of what we stand for and how we work as a culture in presenting ourselves may be lost. Preparing for the retirement of these managers and leaders is called “succession planning.” Think about yourself when you first started in a new position, especially within a new department or division. Even if you had managerial experience, most likely it took at least a few months to become acclimated to the agency’s policies and procedures, the position’s past history and demands, and even who within your own area had what capabilities. For some, one or two years may be necessary before they have the complete handle on the entire operation. Through proper preparation, directors, managers, and leaders can groom others to fill vacancies that are expected to arise in the future. Careful planning can assist in solving a few of the challenges we are faced with by allowing for a smoother transition.

By providing us the opportunity to receive the CPM certification, along with other training, our supervisors and directors are working toward reducing the drain the retiring, experienced personnel might create. They are indeed working on the challenge of succession planning. We commend you. It is now our turn to do the same. Many of us now control budgets that include training. When funds fall short, training is often the first thing to be cut in a number of organizations. We know first hand how important it really is, and should not let our agencies and organizations suffer from the loss that occurs when they do not provide or receive the training necessary to keep them competitive.

As we move upward in our agencies, we take with us the knowledge we received from our training. It is now our responsibility to our agencies, our personnel, and the taxpayers to ensure they are getting the best they can for the money.

I challenge you in three ways. First, if you have some budget control or input, remember the quality training you received in your CPM classes and how important it is to you. Second, if you see a need in professional training and development, or an improvement to the existing CPM program in your state, contact your CPM program provider and discuss it. Third, continue to promote the CPM program and the quality preparation for the future it provides. The CPM program is designed to provide public managers with relevant training that professionalizes the position of public manager. The CPM Consortium works to ensure we are providing up-to-date guidelines for all of the CPM programs.

As both a CPM and a member of the CPM Consortium, it is easy to see how we need each other more than ever to ensure we are developing the very best professional public sector managers to serve the American public.

© Copyright 2008, American Association of Certified Public Managers®