Productivity – Page 6

Category: Productivity

Stepping into a Pile of Management

My boss told me that the only difference between management and non-management is that managers get to hire and fire (so you’d better get good at it). Truth be told, she said this during a somewhat negative performance review. That’s a blunt way of saying non-managers are responsible for tasks while managers are responsible for people.

October 5, 2013 Short URLbusiness, discipline, employee engagement, firing, health issues at work, hiring, job description, Management, performance review, problem solving, progressive discipline, reprimand, verbal warning, written warningDaily Work, School District Jobs, Working Together

Fun Civics Facts

When my non-American family members ask what I do for a living, I first have to explain what a school district is. I have discovered that many Americans don’t really know what a school district is either. And a few of those actually work at school districts. The most common surprise seems to be that

October 1, 2013 Short URLgovernment, problem solving, protest, public education, school board, school districtWorking Together

Creativity versus Rules

As I was preparing to leave a former position I spent most of my time writing instruction booklets. I knew that the new incumbent might be newly promoted or new to the business of education. This person might need a few guidelines. I have never regarded these instructions as rules. At best they are helpful

September 30, 2013 Short URLaccounting, boxes, business, creativity, customer service, Education Code, GASB, Management, outside the box, problem solving, productivity, rules, school districtAccounting, Working Together

Learning Through Stories (Cocktails Optional)

A lot has been written recently about storytelling as a teaching tool. We don’t remember facts well, but we do remember stories. In this blog I relate stories of my experiences working at a school district. I do this because I hope that they are instructive. The danger is that I may inadvertently embarrass a particular

September 29, 2013 Short URLbanking, business, cocktails, employee engagement, institutional knowledge, learning, Management, problem solving, sharing, stories, workDaily Work, Working Together

When to Say No

I recently overheard two employees chatting with their supervisor. “We want to learn Excel” they said. “Can you teach us?” They do not need to know Excel for the work they do currently. Much of the time they are doing data entry. However the next position up the pay scale uses Excel extensively. The supervisor

September 29, 2013 Short URLaccounting, data, employee engagement, Excel, initiative, interview questions, job, job description, learning by osmosis, Management, MBA, problem solving, responsibility, school districtAccounting, Excel, School District Jobs, Working Together

Year End Closing Powerpoint

I have posted a Powerpoint presentation on the Year End Close. Yes it is one of those presentations with lots of text and no interesting pictures. However, not all presentations are of the Steve Jobs variety. This presentation is designed for school business professionals new to the year end close process, and it is designed

September 28, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, business, CBO, checklist, daily work, data, death by powerpoint, Management, new year, powerpoint, powerpoint presentation, problem solving, public education, school business professionals, year end, year end closeAccounting, Daily Work, Data, Working Together

Shock Points: Hiring an Analyst Part II

I find that among the ranks of young and eager accounting graduates who enter school district business offices there is a certain percentage who go into shock soon after they first arrive. Despite our efforts to select someone who is both enthusiastic and capable, these “shock points” are generally in the following areas: Lack of knowledge

September 28, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, analyst, budget, business, employee engagement, employment, expectations, getting fired, government, graduate, job requirements, jobs, Management, problem solving, public education, stepping upAccounting, School District Jobs, Working Together

Stealing from Children, Part III

How do they do it? Sometimes the details of crimes are left vague. Probably the thinking is that if we provide an explanation of exactly how something was done it will be a blue print to thieves for future bad behavior. I take the opposite view. People who are bent on stealing already know how to do it.

September 26, 2013 Short URLASB, fcmat, fraud, school district, segregation of duties, stealing, student body, theftRisk Management, Working Together

Stealing from Children, Part II

Why do People Steal Think of an excuse, any excuse, that people might give as to why they stole. It has probably been used. The reasons that thieves use to justify their behavior are really not instructive. In the movie The Big Chill Jeff Goldblum’s character says: rationalizations are more important than sex. We can go for weeks

September 26, 2013 Short URLexcuses, internal control, rationalization, school theft, stealingRisk Management, Working Together

Stealing from Children, Part I

Who Steals? When it comes to stealing, I can share some awful details and they won’t actually reveal where the crime occurred. Why? Because the details are depressingly similar. But the similarities are not what you think they are. We are not talking personality types. There are two pretty consistent themes in school theft: Opportunity (which YOU provide)

September 26, 2013 Short URLASB, associated student body, internal controls, procedures, public funds, rules, stealing, theftRisk Management, Working Together

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