2 min read
Public sector
3 min read
The public opinion trap
2 min read
The paradox of public leadership (or: just give them the damn picnic table)
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” “I must be cruel to be kind” “The child is the father of the man” Literature is full of...
2 min read
In defence of the bureaucrat
3 min read
You'd never run a business like this! taking the boot out of the public sector volume 2
This week, I continue my 'Taking the boot out of the public sector' series. It's too common to dunk on government, and when even the politicians get...
1 min read
Public services are complex
One of the most popular and least imaginative criticisms of the public sector is that it is less efficient than the private sector. Since the late...
1 min read
Fear breeds complexity: simplify the public sector
The Global Simplicity Index tells us that, in the private sector, simplicity pays. The majority of consumers will spend more, for an easy customer...
2 min read
Stave off mediocrity with perspective and purpose
I read this little anecdote by Donald Miller a few years ago, and it’s always stayed with me:
2 min read
Push out your payoff
How much time do you spend thinking about the future? How far out are you thinking? An interesting study on mental time travel1, discovered that, on...
2 min read
Internal functions are the strategy engine room
Have you ever heard that cliché about the janitor at NASA? You know, the guy who knew his job was putting astronauts on the moon? Like most...
1 min read
Delegate, or rip off the taxpayer
What do you do for work?” Gulp. When you work for the government, sometimes it’s tempting not to tell people. Primarily if you work in local...
2 min read
The public service has citizens, not customers
I started a new programme with the senior leadership team at Christchurch City Council last week. One thing I noticed about how GMs communicated was...
2 min read
Strategic leadership: 3 ways to be less operational
Fire fighters have a demanding job. On the one hand, they do all the stuff that we expect in a crisis – like turning up and fighting a roaring blaze...
1 min read
Get strategy off the shelf
What’s the name of your last Shelf Strategy? You know the one – where you did all those workshops and argued over semantics. The one where you wrote...
2 min read
Time to tell: when to be a more directive leader
How we understand strong leadership has undergone a fundamental transformation over the last decade or two. Traditional ideas about a military-like...
2 min read
The paradox of public leadership
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” “I must be cruel to be kind” “The child is the father of the man” Literature is full of...
2 min read
The paradox of public leadership
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” “I must be cruel to be kind” “The child is the father of the man” Literature is full of...
1 min read
The grey area
I often discuss the importance of brave public service—community-focused, impact-led policy and strategy decisions that change our world.
1 min read
The grey area
I often discuss the importance of brave public service—community-focused, impact-led policy and strategy decisions that change our world.
1 min read
Take the handbrake off: systems change
Eating well sucks. I’m currently in training season for a marathon and doing my best to put the right fuel in for long Sunday Rundays. I’m also on a...
1 min read
Take the handbrake off: systems change
Eating well sucks. I’m currently in training season for a marathon and doing my best to put the right fuel in for long Sunday Rundays. I’m also on a...
2 min read
Public sector leadership: navigating the layer of crazy
I worked with a team late last year who were struggling to reconcile what they saw as the right way forward for their agency, with the fickle demands...
2 min read
Internal functions are the strategy engine room
Have you ever heard that cliché about the janitor at NASA? You know, the guy who knew his job was putting astronauts on the moon? Like most...