Mississippi Society of Certified Public Managers®

By Melissa McGee-Collier, CPM
2009 President, Mississippi Society of Certified Public Managers®
Melissa_Collier@deq.state.ms.us

With the recent election of President Barak Obama, there is a jolt of revival being felt among Americans. What changes will actually be made? Many questions run through your mind; such as, “Will they work?” or “Are they the right thing to do?”  It’s funny how on one hand we talk about change and see the need for change. We imagine how much better things would be if they were done differently or done away with totally. Yet, change is frightening and we tend to resist it. When we find ourselves in these types of situations, we undergo what I call the “We’ve Never Done It That Way Before” syndrome. It’s an illness that many people have, but the syndrome is curable. The prescription -- do it anyway!

The refocusing process or the “revival” is a vital part of the Mississippi Society’s success. Our plan is to refocus on two of the reasons the Society exists: 1) to encourage the recognition of public management and 2) to promote membership and cooperation in public service. Recently, more state agencies have begun providing their employees in-house training with an increased concentration on managers. With this new trend, the Society is hard pressed to provide management training which competes or doesn’t repeat what agencies are already providing. That is why the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Managers® (MSCPM) is in the process of refocusing the services we offer to the employees of MS state government.

I believe our focus for 2009 is summed up by the North Carolina State Government recognition philosophy:

"Genuine recognition of performance is something people really appreciate. People really don't work for money. They go to work for it, but once the salary has been established, their concern is appreciation. Recognize their contribution publicly and noisily, but don't demean them by applying a price tag to everything."   [Phillip B. Crosby, Quality is Free]

The Society’s efforts this year include: 1) offering free “Lunch and Learn” seminars that maximize learning while minimizing the time commitment and 2) starting a tradition of recognizing exceptional government employees and their service in our state by having an annual MSCPM Public Servant Recognition Luncheon. The state of Mississippi is noted for having loyal, efficient, and dedicated employees who provide valuable services to every state citizen. The Society is proud of this tradition of public service and wants to work with our state agencies to recognize contributions of these employees.

© Copyright 2009, American Association of Certified Public Managers®