SEPTEMBER PROGRAM - SELF IMPROVEMENT

A four part program for September, each part addressing a different aspect of being a municipal administrator / manager.

Part 1 deals with the placement process: getting the job. In this part two individuals who do a lot of job recruitment and placement, Greg Fehrenbach and Dan Mason, will discuss some of the dos and don'ts of the placement process, especially the interview process. They promise to keep it light and lively but very pertinent for those who are in transition, expect to be in transition, or just looking for ways to improve their marketability.

Part 2 concentrates on the ability of an administrator / manager to analyze operations and make decisions on effectiveness. Tom Czerniecki, the Manager of Evesham Twp. will present an overview of the "LEAN Six Sigma" program and how he applied these concepts to Evesham Township using principles from the program to maintain services with reduced staff.

Part 3 is a program presented by the ICMA New Jersey State Liaison, Rita Soler Ossolinski in which the Daniel Pink book, A Whole New Mind, which offers a look at the change in society from the information age to the conceptual age, will be the basis for discussion. Discussion is led to focus on the value of and learning from personal stories. Other elements of Pink's view are highlighted (design, meaning, play, empathy, symphony, and the added element of courage) as they relate to / and are illustrated in the local government management profession.

Part 4 is a look at why we got into this business in the first place, why we stay in the business, and whether what we are doing is personally rewarding. Given the current financial status of many municipalities, many administrators / managers find themselves in a very difficult work environment, having to undo many of the same programs they took years to create, or to terminate many of the same employees they have invested personal time and identification. It is time for everyone to step back and to consider who they are and why they are doing what they are doing. In this session, a number of the "more experienced" and often retired administrators and managers will provide brief comments on why they got into the profession, or what one action they did that had the most profound long term effect on their local government (either positive or negative), or who made the biggest long term impact on them and their careers, for better or worse and why. This session will be a nice way to reflect on the cyclical nature of the "good" and the "bad" times and how we all get through them.

Schedule:        9:00     Continental breakfast
                            9:30     Selling Oneself
                            10:30   "LEAN Six Sigma"
                            11:30   A Whole New Mind
                            12:00   Lunch
                            1:00     Celebrating the Profession

Cost: $40 breakfast /coffee / lunch

Reservations: Call Tara Lovrich, Manalapan Township at 732-446-8308 or by email: tlovrich@mtnj.org by Tuesday noon, September 14th.

Directions: NJ Turnpike South to Exit 8A.  Stay Left after tolls, go up and around the ramp and after passing under the intersection make an immediate right into the hotel parking lot.