Reaching Goals Through Coordination and Teamwork
Do's
- Do develop systems and office practices that allow an office to work effectively and maintain its focus on strategic goals.
- Do monitor progress on strategic goals in multiple ways: action plans; weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings; and regular progress reports.
- Do hold all staff accountable by recognizing outstanding performers and addressing the sub-par work product of others.
- Do use formal and informal strategies and communications to address the three fundamental obstacles to good interoffice relations: distance, different core functions and the drive for efficiency.
- Do coordinate activities among all offices by scheduling annual planning sessions; promoting collaboration; and sharing news and information frequently.
- Do create a good working relationship between the Chief of Staff and District/State Director through mutual respect and open, honest and frequent communication.
Don'ts
- Don't pursue a new and major initiative without scrutinizing how it would affect the strategic plan, goals and office resources.
- Don't let critical activities, such as planning and relationship building, be delayed by less important, but more pressing activities.
- Don't undertake a major project without first drafting a comprehensive action plan that includes tasks, responsibilities and deadlines.
- Don't try to cram project work into a single weekly staff meeting. If extensive planning or discussion is required, schedule another meeting with the relevant staffers.
- Don't confuse a communications channel with a command channel. Directives and decisions should follow the prescribed chains of command, but simple requests and information exchanges should be common and routine among staff.
Details
Copyright 2010, Congressional Management Foundation
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: Congressional Management Foundation; 3rd edition (March 8, 2010); Reprinted in 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1-930473-13-3
Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.25 inches
- Download the entire book in PDF:
Keeping It Local: A Guide for Managing Congressional District & State Offices(2.5 MB)
Pricing for Hardcopies
Price: $25.00
Bulk Price (10+ copies): $25.00 $22.50 (10% off)
