Peter: accountability and openness ends with the counting of the ballots. All the power rests with the premier’s office and he is the only one who can speak. Maintaining secrecy is the objective and responding to emails threatens that objective. Communication with the electorate by email or any other means is banned. I have emails to municipal, provincial, and federal officials outstanding. Do not give up.
I wish there was a way to ferret out the senior bureaucrats in the province . They have a lot of control , and when you look around at the departments and talk about “performance” or “product /productivity” you can’t any sign of any simple annual report let alone historical statistics. They are all hiding and getting away with it .
I also find that their new tactic is that the bureaucrats do not answer emails . Anyone else notice that ???
There is a difference between ‘knowing what the team is doing” and measuring what the team is doing, against previously established objectives and milestones. Establishment/ assignment of roles, objectives, measureable milestones, resources, and government commitment can only be achieved with leadership that ensures these things are clearly agreed upon at the very beginning, by all the parties.
Your article correctly recognizes the role volunteers, however they are not at the top of the food chain— government is, the premier is. Your article states “it is clear political leadership is needed”.
I suggest to you that need exists because the premier has become a follower not a leader. He has not established the normal framework up front that a leader provides for a project of this magnitude or importance. He is hoping the volunteers are successful, and in my opinion he has not taken personal ownership for this important issue. As usual he says good things but executes very poorly.
The political leadership that is needed is not achieved by knowing what the team is doing.
That said your identification of this issue makes an important contribution to trying to move it along, regardless of whether we agree on the leadership style.
I did not realize that “leading from behind” was a leadership strategy. If it was this government would be the most successful government we have ever elected.
Most tactics that employ this concept of leading from the rear are the result of “leaders” wanting to avoid personal risk. That is not leadership it is incompetence.
It can be a very good strategy. The point is to be always in knowing how the team is doing. Those who lead from in front often lose touch with those being led. Anyway most leadership jobs need some of both kinds.
I would like to follow up on the apropos and timely suggestion of peter s wherein he proposes “one NAME for the whole effort”
The plethora of agencies, departments,and various levels of government involved make it very difficult for those experienced in starting and/or funding ventures and I am sure it is over whelming for the inexperienced or financially unschooled.
I have personally become involved with 2 small business ventures as a pro bono advisor, aid and sounding post and am dismayed at the lack of co-ordinatio/cooperation between various agencies.
It is like a race to see which one can garner the most security to the detriment of the other and they are each putting the ultimate risk taker in an untenable position–.that is to say one agency is over secured and the other cannot participate because of lack of security.
Leadership requires one BOSS and not a group of person without the necessary background experience each pushing their own agenda and resumes to the detriment of the borrower.
Maybe we should review the mandate of the agency from years ago headed by the late Frank Sobey–Industrial Estates I believe it was called.
My experience has been that the persons with the drive,. ambition and dedication have everything but the money and that those with the money have none of the attributes of those seeking the money.
And round and round we go.
I sense that ‘followership’ is what you suggest that we are seeing in “leadership needed” (and are hopeful of it being provided by example, somehow) . And, you are referring here to the Provincial economy’s moribund “now or never”.
Considering that the economy is not the government’s, but rather the gross Provincial product of all the workers; and, that since recently a respected ‘nower’ pointed out that productivity, innovation and persistence seemed awfully low, perhaps the legislature should review our work standards; maybe before they recess … til February.
I find we are being buried by reports , documents , and groups and acronyms .
There should be just one NAME for the whole effort . There should be one person in charge . There should be one mater website . There should be just one master project schedule and related status reports .
I keep hearing about ideas and “we should do this ” but find it hard to find out what has been done, and what is planned. I don’t see any sign of Money and budgets either ,let alone target dates .Am I missing something ?
Peter: accountability and openness ends with the counting of the ballots. All the power rests with the premier’s office and he is the only one who can speak. Maintaining secrecy is the objective and responding to emails threatens that objective. Communication with the electorate by email or any other means is banned. I have emails to municipal, provincial, and federal officials outstanding. Do not give up.
barry h | December 7, 2015 |
I wish there was a way to ferret out the senior bureaucrats in the province . They have a lot of control , and when you look around at the departments and talk about “performance” or “product /productivity” you can’t any sign of any simple annual report let alone historical statistics. They are all hiding and getting away with it .
I also find that their new tactic is that the bureaucrats do not answer emails . Anyone else notice that ???
peter s | December 7, 2015 |
There is a difference between ‘knowing what the team is doing” and measuring what the team is doing, against previously established objectives and milestones. Establishment/ assignment of roles, objectives, measureable milestones, resources, and government commitment can only be achieved with leadership that ensures these things are clearly agreed upon at the very beginning, by all the parties.
Your article correctly recognizes the role volunteers, however they are not at the top of the food chain— government is, the premier is. Your article states “it is clear political leadership is needed”.
I suggest to you that need exists because the premier has become a follower not a leader. He has not established the normal framework up front that a leader provides for a project of this magnitude or importance. He is hoping the volunteers are successful, and in my opinion he has not taken personal ownership for this important issue. As usual he says good things but executes very poorly.
The political leadership that is needed is not achieved by knowing what the team is doing.
That said your identification of this issue makes an important contribution to trying to move it along, regardless of whether we agree on the leadership style.
barry h | December 6, 2015 |
I did not realize that “leading from behind” was a leadership strategy. If it was this government would be the most successful government we have ever elected.
Most tactics that employ this concept of leading from the rear are the result of “leaders” wanting to avoid personal risk. That is not leadership it is incompetence.
barry h | December 5, 2015 |
It can be a very good strategy. The point is to be always in knowing how the team is doing. Those who lead from in front often lose touch with those being led. Anyway most leadership jobs need some of both kinds.
Bill
Bill | December 5, 2015 |
I would like to follow up on the apropos and timely suggestion of peter s wherein he proposes “one NAME for the whole effort”
The plethora of agencies, departments,and various levels of government involved make it very difficult for those experienced in starting and/or funding ventures and I am sure it is over whelming for the inexperienced or financially unschooled.
I have personally become involved with 2 small business ventures as a pro bono advisor, aid and sounding post and am dismayed at the lack of co-ordinatio/cooperation between various agencies.
It is like a race to see which one can garner the most security to the detriment of the other and they are each putting the ultimate risk taker in an untenable position–.that is to say one agency is over secured and the other cannot participate because of lack of security.
Leadership requires one BOSS and not a group of person without the necessary background experience each pushing their own agenda and resumes to the detriment of the borrower.
Maybe we should review the mandate of the agency from years ago headed by the late Frank Sobey–Industrial Estates I believe it was called.
My experience has been that the persons with the drive,. ambition and dedication have everything but the money and that those with the money have none of the attributes of those seeking the money.
And round and round we go.
Bill F | December 4, 2015 |
I sense that ‘followership’ is what you suggest that we are seeing in “leadership needed” (and are hopeful of it being provided by example, somehow) . And, you are referring here to the Provincial economy’s moribund “now or never”.
Considering that the economy is not the government’s, but rather the gross Provincial product of all the workers; and, that since recently a respected ‘nower’ pointed out that productivity, innovation and persistence seemed awfully low, perhaps the legislature should review our work standards; maybe before they recess … til February.
Gordon a.... | December 4, 2015 |
I find we are being buried by reports , documents , and groups and acronyms .
There should be just one NAME for the whole effort . There should be one person in charge . There should be one mater website . There should be just one master project schedule and related status reports .
I keep hearing about ideas and “we should do this ” but find it hard to find out what has been done, and what is planned. I don’t see any sign of Money and budgets either ,let alone target dates .Am I missing something ?
peter s | December 4, 2015 |