Congressional Management Foundation | Reaching Goals Through Coordination and Teamwork

Reaching Goals Through Coordination and Teamwork

*Excerpt from Keeping It Local: A Guide for Managing Congressional District & State Offices, Chapter 3, copyright Congressional Management Foundation.

DO...

DON'T...

Develop systems and office practices that allow an office to work effectively and maintain its focus on strategic goals.

Monitor progress on strategic goals in multiple ways: action plans; weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings; and regular progress reports.

Hold all staff accountable by recognizing outstanding performers and addressing the sub-par work product of others.

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.

Coordinate activities among all offices by scheduling annual planning sessions; promoting collaboration; and sharing news and information frequently.

Create a good working relationship between the Chief of Staff and District/State Director through mutual respect and open, honest and frequent communication.

Pursue a new and major initiative without scrutinizing how it would affect the strategic plan, goals and office resources.

Let critical activities, such as planning and relationship building, be delayed by less important, but more pressing activities.

Undertake a major project without first drafting a comprehensive action plan that includes tasks, responsibilities and deadlines.

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.

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.

Comments (0)

Add Comment

Tags:District / State, Managing Staff, Strategy & Planning

WE'VE MOVED!

NOTE: CMF is moving the week of June 17, which may result in email delays and telecommunications downtime. If you need immediate assistance, please call 202-716-7036 or 202-657-4839. Our new address is: 710 E Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.

DONATE TO CMF

ABOUT CMF

Inside of Capitol Dome

CMF is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to helping Congress and its Members meet the evolving needs and expectations of an engaged and informed 21st century citizenry.

Our work focuses on improving congressional operations and enhancing citizen engagement through research, publications, training, and management services.

Read more about CMF