Book Description

A Practical Guide to Government Management provides a comprehensive yet one-volume work on high-level government management and can be described as a mangement book, reference book, and textbook all in one. It is geared towards any upper level government manager, public administration student, or anyone interested in public sector management. Government managers receive limited or no management training, and at higher levels, focus more on policy than management, with negative consequences for the agencies they manage. This book seeks to address that dearth, written from the point of view of someone who successfully led government organizations, for an extended period, and faced a wide variety of managerial problems and issues. It covers a number of topics seldom discussed (and certainly not all in one volume), such as handling problem employees, cutback management, prioritization, making decisions, gaining control of an organization, and telling one’s boss — the elected official—no. Leo Strine, Chief Justice of Delaware’s Supreme Court and a former colleague, says that “In a time when many Americans are jaded about public service, it’s refreshing to be reminded that there are talented people who devote their careers to making our government work for the governed. Vince Meconi always put the public first in his decades of service in all three branches of government, and anyone interested in making government more effective will benefit from his insights and experience.” Former Delaware Medicaid Director Harry Hill says, “I have led government agencies, managed for multiple Fortune 500 Companies, and run my own business. Vince Meconi is the best manager I have ever encountered. As a student of management myself, I collected over 800 books on the subject. Most offered little new, just a new way of saying the same thing. This book has what the others lacked — written instructions, practical examples, and advice for public sector managers from someone who has actually faced all the challenges for a prolonged period. It is a management book, reference book, and textbook all in one.”