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The Great ChallengesFor Top Public

ExecutivesThe Forum for

Executive Public Management

Copenhagen, DenmarkSeptember 1, 2003

Robert D. BehnKennedy School of Government

Harvard University

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public Executives

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy ChallengeThe Performance Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy ChallengeThe Performance ChallengeThe Motivation Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy ChallengeThe Performance ChallengeThe Motivation ChallengeThe Collaboration Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy ChallengeThe Performance ChallengeThe Motivation ChallengeThe Collaboration ChallengeThe Accountability Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy ChallengeThe Performance ChallengeThe Motivation ChallengeThe Collaboration ChallengeThe Accountability ChallengeThe Learning Challenge

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The Eight Great Challengesfor Top Public ExecutivesThe Leadership ChallengeThe Strategy ChallengeThe Performance ChallengeThe Motivation ChallengeThe Collaboration ChallengeThe Accountability ChallengeThe Learning ChallengeThe External-Communication Challenge

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The Leadership Challenge

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The Leadership Challenge

Leadership is the active recruiting of people’s intellects and energies to accomplish important purposes.

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Leadership requires:

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Leadership requires:The articulation of an inspiring mission.

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Leadership requires:The articulation of an inspiring mission.

Personal persistence.

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Leadership requires:The articulation of an inspiring mission.

Personal persistence.

A commitment to generating enthusiasm.

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The Strategy Challenge

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The Strategy Challenge

Strategy is the overall conceptual design of the means for achieving important purposes.

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Strategy requires:

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Strategy requires:A clear recognition of the true purposes to be

achieved.

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Strategy requires:A clear recognition of the true purposes to be

achieved.

An understanding of how people and organizations behave.

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Strategy requires:A clear recognition of the true purposes to be

achieved.

An understanding of how people and organizations behave.

The ability to match behavior to purposes by crafting concrete yet subtle organizational endeavors that will, directly or indirectly, influence people to help achieve those purposes.

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The Performance Challenge

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The Performance Challenge

Performance is the production of results that citizens value.

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Performance requires:

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Performance requires:The establishment of specific output targets that

people are charged with producing.

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Performance requires:The establishment of specific output targets that

people are charged with producing.

A conscious theory about how the organization’s outputs contribute to the desired outcomes.

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The Motivation Challenge

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The Motivation Challenge

Motivation is the mobilization of individual and collective efforts to produce results.

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Motivation requires:

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Motivation requires:A medium that provides everyone with three

important pieces of information:

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Motivation requires:A medium that provides everyone with three

important pieces of information:1. Every individual knows how well he, she, or the

team is doing;

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Motivation requires:A medium that provides everyone with three

important pieces of information:1. Every individual knows how well he, she, or the

team is doing;2. Every individual knows how well every other

individual or team is doing;

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Motivation requires:A medium that provides everyone with three

important pieces of information:1. Every individual knows how well he, she, or the

team is doing;2. Every individual knows how well every other

individual or team is doing; and3. Every individual knows that everyone else

knows how well he, she, or the team is doing.

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Motivation requires:A medium that provides everyone with three

important pieces of information:1. Every individual knows how well he, she, or the

team is doing;2. Every individual knows how well every other

individual or team is doing; and3. Every individual knows that everyone else

knows how well he, she, or the team is doing.

A conscious effort to reward success (not merely to punish failure) by creating “esteem opportunities.”

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Motivation requires:A medium that provides everyone with three

important pieces of information:1. Every individual knows how well he, she, or the

team is doing;2. Every individual knows how well every other

individual or team is doing; and3. Every individual knows that everyone else

knows how well he, she, or the team is doing.

A conscious effort to reward success (not merely to punish failure) by creating “esteem opportunities.”

The aggressive defense of subordinates who make minor, honest mistakes in the pursuit of public purposes.

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The Collaboration Challenge

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The Collaboration Challenge

Collaboration is the cooperative work with other (public, nonprofit, and private) organizations that have similar, yet not identical, missions to achieve broader, overlapping purposes.

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Collaboration requires:

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Collaboration requires:An understanding of the common purposes to which

collaborators wish to contribute.

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Collaboration requires:An understanding of the common purposes to which

collaborators wish to contribute.

An appreciation of the legitimacy of the needs and missions of other organizations.

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Collaboration requires:An understanding of the common purposes to which

collaborators wish to contribute.

An appreciation of the legitimacy of the needs and missions of other organizations.

The ability to convince people and organizations with diverse objectives to focus on the commonalities (rather than the differences) in their underlying missions.

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The Accountability Challenge

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The Accountability Challenge

Accountability is the necessity for public organizations to abide by the rules for finances and fairness while, at the same time, producing real results.

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Accountability requires:

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Accountability requires:An appreciation of both the formal and informal rules

for finances and fairness.

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Accountability requires:An appreciation of both the formal and informal rules

for finances and fairness.

A recognition of how these rules can hinder performance.

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Accountability requires:An appreciation of both the formal and informal rules

for finances and fairness.

A recognition of how these rules can hinder performance.

The ability to direct attention to these rules without becoming so mesmerized by them that the organization is left with no resources or energy for producing results.

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The Learning Challenge

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The Learning Challenge

Learning is the uncovering of basic principles of action, management, and leadership from a plethora of details in new and very specific circumstances followed by the application of these general principles in new situations.

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Learning requires:

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Learning requires:A large professional repertoire from which to observe

events.

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Learning requires:A large professional repertoire from which to observe

events.

An analytical appreciation of how the various items in a professional repertoire work.

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Learning requires:A large professional repertoire from which to observe

events.

An analytical appreciation of how the various items in a professional repertoire work.

The capacity to recognize in complicated situations the underlying patterns.

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Learning requires:A large professional repertoire from which to observe

events.

An analytical appreciation of how the various items in a professional repertoire work.

The capacity to recognize in complicated situations the underlying patterns.

The ability to create cause-and-effect theories.

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Learning requires:A large professional repertoire from which to observe

events.

An analytical appreciation of how the various items in a professional repertoire work.

The capacity to recognize in complicated situations the underlying patterns.

The ability to create cause-and-effect theories.

A willingness to experiment, based on such theories, with new tactics and strategies.

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The External-Communication Challenge

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The External-Communication Challenge

External Communication is the enlisting of support for the organization’s mission, strategies, targets, and activities from a diversity of stakeholders.

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External Communication requires:

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External Communication requires:

An appreciation the values and purposes of different stakeholders.

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External Communication requires:

An appreciation the values and purposes of different stakeholders.

The ability to maintain civil relations with stakeholders with dissimilar objectives and styles.

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External Communication requires:

An appreciation the values and purposes of different stakeholders.

The ability to maintain civil relations with stakeholders with dissimilar objectives and styles.

The capacity to explain the organization’s purposes and programs in terms that elected officials, journalists, and citizens understand and appreciate.

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The Great ChallengesFor Top Public Executives

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The Great ChallengesFor Top Public Executives

Questions?

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The Great ChallengesFor Top Public Executives

Questions?

Comments?

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The Great ChallengesFor Top Public Executives

Questions?

Comments?

Vicious Personal Attacks?