Working Together – FiscalShare

Category: Working Together

When Special Education Doesn’t Cost Everything plus the Kitchen Sink

At fiscal year end we sometimes see that actual costs are significantly below budget and one of the causes can be “savings” in Special Education. I put “savings” in quotes because this does not usually reflect a reduction in costs. It often reflects improper budgeting, which can lead to a number of unfortunate consequences. Other priorities may have been

August 11, 2015 Short URLBudget, Government, Procedures and Practices, Public Schools, Uncategorized, Working Together

Responsibility 101

My sister-in-law speaks loudly. I am annoyed. I had an epiphany yesterday. I said to myself “That is happening. I am doing this.” She was speaking. The words were loud (but, is loudness just relative?) My stomach tightened, and I thought unkind thoughts about her. By removing any words having to do with causality, I not

March 18, 2015 Short URLkindness, responsibilityProductivity, Working Together

A Candidate’s Interview Questions

At the end of any job interview a candidate is often asked “Do you have any questions for us?” When the candidate answers “No, not really” the impression is created that they aren’t interested, insightful, or engaged. Here are some typical candidate questions from Business Insider. Check them out and consider asking a couple of these at the

January 18, 2015 Short URLcandidate questions, interview questions, interview skills, typical candidate questionsCareer Development, Human Resources, Management, Working Together

Book Review: Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work

I wish I could have read “Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work…and What Does” by Susan Fowler at the start of my career. It would have been helpful to not only learn the concepts but also to be coached in their practice. I have gleaned some of this information from mentors and coaches, such as: “money is only a de-motivator”. and “when you

December 26, 2014 Short URLemployee engagement, Motivating People, motivationBook Reviews, Human Resources, Management, Productivity, School District Jobs, Working Together

Three Monkeys and the Question of Evil

When we were in Bali in February we purchased a set of “Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil” figurines. When we got home we realized we had been given two “Speak’s” and no “See’s”. This led me to ponder – should we really endeavor to see no evil? I suppose in the Buddhist tradition one would

July 19, 2014 Short URLAction, business, Evil, see no evilDaily Work, Government, Management, Public Schools, Working Together

You are Worth my Time

Much has been written about disengaged employees. Right now they could even make up the majority of your company’s workforce and they are impacting your productivity and your bottom line. Some employers simply blame the employee. They approach this problem by hiring slowly and firing fast. All well and good, and I support it. But

May 11, 2014 Short URLattention, employee, employee engagement, employeesCareer Development, Human Resources, Management, Public Schools, Working Together

The Mystery of the Black Box

The black box is usually associated with tragedy. However, this post is not about airplane accidents. It is about wasted opportunities and undefined steps. There is a cartoon that shows a blackboard full of calculations. The calculations on the left hand side are, presumably, Step One and those on the right hand side must be Step Three. Between

March 19, 2014 Short URLblack box, business, Management, mission, planning, strategyHuman Resources, Procedures and Practices, Uncategorized, Working Together

An Interview Question on a Mission

If you are going for a leadership role in the Business Services section of a school district, you are probably going to be asked something like the following in an interview. If we hire you into this role, how will you advance the mission of the school district? Not Recommended: You created this position so I don’t have to tell

February 7, 2014 Short URLcareer development, communication, education, employment, hiring, interview, interview question, job, job interview, mission, question, school finance, strategic plan, strategy, workCareer Development, Finance, Government, Human Resources, Management, Public Schools, School District Jobs, Working Together

The Handshake of Death

A handshake should be neither limp nor bone-crushing. This is common knowledge. But how should you handle a death-grip handshake that is clearly designed to intimidate? I inadvertently stumbled across the answer when meeting with a customer who had used our bus services and was now not paying the bill. The transportation manager had arranged the meeting. I

February 4, 2014 Short URLauthority, business, death grip, handshake, Management, meetingCareer Development, Management, Uncategorized, Working Together

Reputation: a Matter of Trust

Today I recommend thinkpurpose’s post Why I Don’t Care About the Reputation of my Organisation. …If you aim for a good reputation, trust takes a back seat. Spin, presentation and image are the easy ways to a good reputation but trust is made from simpler and sterner stuff. It has to be based on something

January 12, 2014 Short URLbest practice, building reputation, business, career development, customer experience, disengaged employees, employee engagement, engagement, experience, government, online reputation, public schools, reputation, reputation management, school district, success, superintendent, TripAdvisor, trustCareer Development, Government, Management, Public Schools, Working Together