"Take a look around your workplace and try to find the following items:

A statement of business objectives. I think it's in that pile by the copy machine.

A schedule of divisional goals. Everyone got that e-mail last year.

Clear performance standards. They're in the employee handbook.

Team workflow documents. On the bulletin board, sticking out from under the first aid sign.

Regular communication and motivation from management to employees. We have the quarterly meeting, and we send out memos.

Stop. Is the information your employees need every day truly accessible?...

Managing government employees presents unique challenges. Government managers may feel that stringent and convoluted regulations mean they "can't do that" Some others may use that perception as a crutch. But the truth for all of them is, yes, they can "do that" -- and they'd better. "That" means managing employees as proactively and decisively as their corporate counterparts, and holding their staffs, teams, and departments accountable for productivity and results. "Managing Government Employees" offers dozens of techniques for meeting the challenges and stressful situations supervisers...