Have you ever been in this situation? The lead negotiator for the district says that they need those calculations for the cost of a 1% raise and the cost of one day of salary. Negotiations are starting in 10 minutes. You get that frozen look on your face because this is the first time you
Category: Technology
This is the Way We Have Always Done It
I learned a new expression recently. “Jumping the shark” means holding on to an idea that has run its course. It originally referred to the TV show Happy Days where one particularly silly plot device is now viewed as the moment when the show’s writers officially ran out of ideas. Rather than give the show a dignified send off, they
What’s Your Sign?
How might you introduce a new accounting employee to an unfamiliar financial system? First of all, you might want to warn them about any quirks in how the system shows signs. There are two ways to display signs: Normal and Debit /Credit. Currently I am working with a system that mixes both in the same report. I know! I know! You
Devices in Meetings
The superintendent checks his emails under the table. As if we can’t all see that. Now others doing the same thing. Before devices: Participant says (out loud) “Excuse me, Bill, I think we are getting a bit off topic here. I’d like to suggest that we redirect our focus back to XYZ and have this discussion later.” After
When Communication is a Problem
We all believe that communication is the key to all good relationships, whether these are of a personal or business nature. Lately, when I’ve been told that “there’s a memo on that” or asked “have you read the manual,” I am reminded that there is also the type of communication that signals that something dysfunctional is going
I Never Want to Talk to You Again
The county where I am currently working has one of the most wretched computer systems in creation. Everything is messy: it is just workaround on top of workaround. There are so many places where you can do real damage. For example, how do you handle a new salary schedule? Just overwrite the old one. And
Peeking Behind the Curtain
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! Most of us have seen the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” The mighty Oz is a fearful sight until Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal an ordinary man pulling levers and talking into a microphone. The lesson is that sometimes the awesome and magical turn out to be an
Billion with a “B” for iPads
I highly recommend the following commentary in the LA School Report: If iPads are the answer, what’s the question? The author interviewed tech savvy LA Unified students, who also happen to be in the target demographic for the iPad purchase (students of color in south LA and Watts). One of the student responds: “What I’m struggling to
- When Special Education Doesn’t Cost Everything plus the Kitchen Sink
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- “I Don’t Have Time”
- Advice from an Interim Mentor
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Bernadine: Great discussion. I am definitely in the "write it down" camp. As long as you create an environment where procedures…
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Book Review: Magic Words by Tim David | FiscalShare: […] book is actually a great supplement to the book I recently reviewed: Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work. In that book Susan…
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Fiscalshare: Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I have been in numerous trainings where some of the busy participants are not on…
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derekm8201: Respectfully, I disagree with the assessment of the root cause. Devices in themselves don't cause bad behavior, it's the people…
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