problem solving – Page 2

Tag: problem solving

Budget Advisory Committees are Hard

When the Budget Advisory Committee was approaching my boss and I would look at each other and groan in unison “Ugh BAC!” Why? It was not that we didn’t want to talk budget with the community. Hey, we’ll talk your ear off with all sorts of budget geekiness if you let us. It is because a BAC

November 17, 2013 Short URLbudget, budget advisory committee, budget development, community, community input, data, Education Code, government, government spending, input, Management, problem solving, public education, school district business, school districts, school spending, schools, unionsAnalysis, Data, Government, Public Schools

Stages of Grief at Work

Much has been written about Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I am thinking about this, because a family member is currently dealing with cancer. He spent some time in denial (delayed seeing a doctor). He spent months bargaining (if I become a vegan, this will go away). I

October 10, 2013 Short URLacceptance, anger, bargaining, business, consequences, denial, depression, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, five stages of grief, Management, next step, problem solvingWorking Together

How to Take a Break

CaveGirlMBA’s post about the guy who plays online games at work really struck a chord with me, because here’s a second post about it. For me, the story is explained by one of two possibilities. 1. He is thoroughly disengaged and doesn’t give a s**t 2. He is engaged, but takes breaks inappropriately You’ll know

October 6, 2013 Short URLbusiness, computer games, expectations at work, inappropriate work behavior, Management, mental breaks, problem solving, taking a breakSchool District Jobs, Working Together

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

We Don’t Need No %@# Standards?*

Imagine comparing two school districts’ test scores, where each district uses different tests. That would be meaningless, right? Yet, this situation exists on the business side of things. Legislation will require a calculation, but the implementation is unclear. Subsequent guidelines and regulations (if any) sometimes just cite the statute verbatim. For example, prior to the new funding formula, conversion

October 3, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, business, data, Education Code, Excel, fiscal, government, problem solving, SARC, School Accountability eport CardAccounting, Analysis, Data, Excel

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

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