Tag: Government

Students started Tuesday with one question: What was BEE thinking by starting the day with a talk on the federal budget? Coffee hadn’t kicked in and students were hearing about jurisdiction, appropriations, and authorization already!

It was the second day of the Washington D.C. immersion week for students in Business & Government: Understanding and Influencing the Regulatory Environment – the new Olin-Brookings Executive Education course taking place this week inside the beltway.

Jaime Harrison shares his political expertise with students at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

It didn’t take long for students to switch into political gear. Former Michigan Congressman Bob Carr’s presentation on the budget was fascinating and illuminating. As a result, the students will be discriminating consumers of news broadcasts that conflate the federal deficit and debt.

Jaime Harrison, former House Floor Director for Democratic Whip Congressman Jim Clyburn and now chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, was the next guest speaker on the agenda. He shared the secrets of advocacy, explaining the many nuances of communications strategies. This presentation should certainly help with the class assignment to develop an advocacy plan on the topic of high-level nuclear waste repository.

The luncheon speaker was David Burstein, author of How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World. It was clear that the millennials he has interviewed do not reflect the experiences of our Olin students. David should visit St. Louis to learn about the challenges so many of this generation are facing.

Class members had a chance to role-play Members of Congress in an interactive and eye-opening simulation about Congress. Everyone was able to master the process and got re-elected by the time the exercise concluded. Former Congressman Bob Carr returned to share dinner with the group while discussing how closely the simulation depicts reality. Given the chaos produced during the exercise that might not be consoling news.

School’s not out yet for Olin undergrads in a new course called Business & Government: Understanding and Influencing the Regulatory Environment.  While their classmates packed up for summer destinations, the pioneers in this class trekked to the nation’s capital for a weeklong immersion into the regulatory workings of Washington D.C.

The program is designed and delivered by Brookings Executive Education (BEE), a unique partnership between Olin and the Brookings Institution. Students in this inaugural course include undergrads, MBAs and PMBAs.

Students were greeted on Sunday by Trevor Corning, BEE program coordinator, and led on a lively tour of Washington. The group is lodged in the heart of the city, at DuPont Circle, a short walk to Brookings and other notable sights such as the White House.

The class got down to business early Monday morning with an overview by BEE’s Mary Ellen Joyce of a heuristic by which to understand the process and the role of a policy entrepreneur.

Former Oklahoma Governor and now President of the American Banker’s Association, Frank Keating, keynoted the program sharing his observations about the importance of government-business interaction.

Governor Keating was followed by John Hudak, a Brookings Fellow, who discussed the publicly underestimated power of the President and his Cabinet secretaries, providing insight into opportunities to engage with decisionmakers.

Following lunch, the vibrant Ilona Nichols (Public Policy Consultant; former House and Senate Staffer, and Congressional Research Service expert on legislative procedures), briefed the students on the legislative process, confirming notions that Congress is indeed a “sausage factory.”

Next up was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol led by former Congressman Jack Buechner who represented the district surrounding St. Louis. Buechner brought the students onto the floor of the House, creating lasting memories for the group.

The day concluded with a visit to the Washington office of Monsanto where students learned about the business perspective of the policy process and the importance of active participation in policy conversations.

Then it was back to work. Monday evening, students met in their groups to start discussing their assignment to develop an advocacy plan. Students were assigned roles to play in the debate over a high-level nuclear waste repository. We’ll see at the end of the week if the nuclear industry will hold sway over the anti-nukes!

Degree candidates in the Master of Science in Leadership program do more than just study how to successfully lead change and solve problems and conflicts in the workplace – they are public sector leaders who believe in making a difference, every day.

Government work is not simple. It entails making a series of trade-offs. A typical MS-Leadership candidate wrestles with a series of challenges on a daily basis. However, with the right set of tools, learned in MS-Leadership program, and knowledge of when to apply them, the MS-Leadership candidate is better prepared to respond to leadership challenges.

Let’s take a peek into a typical day of a MS-Leadership candidate…

6AM At the door, already running late. “Where did he leave my coat? Oh, I’m getting mad. I don’t have time for this! … Wait, wait, be a STAR. Stop. Think. Act. Reflect. Maybe he didn’t misplace it. Maybe I forgot it in the car! I love Leading Thinking!
Instruction from: Vision and Leading Change

7AM In the office. Preparing for 8AM meeting. “Think about negotiation lessons… and don’t forget, should conflict arise among stakeholders, remain calm and employ conflict resolution tools.”
Lessons learned from: Strategies for Conflict Resolution

12PM Walking back to the office. “That meeting was far too long and disorganized! Mental note, I want to be a role model and mentor to my subordinates and rising stars in the organization. I want to set a better example.”
Insight from: Leaders Growing Leaders

2PM Budget meeting. “How can I explain the results and benefits of this program? We were able to measure success; now I need to convey this information to my boss.”
Tools from: Accountability for Results

3PM “Meeting a direct report today. I want to inspire a connection to our agency’s mission.”
Instruction from: Motivation, Service, and Public Leadership

Senior Leader mentors employee on how to be a resilient individual.

4:30PM “Budgets – again! Boss says we need to be creative about how we respond to more mandatory cuts. Creativity and budgets, that’s an oxymoron”

Tools and tips from: Inspiring Creativity in Organizations

6PM In traffic. “That jerk just cut me off! How dare he! Hold on and think about impulse control.
Relax and remember: Resilience in Leadership

7PM Walking through the door. “Honey, I was a STAR today!”

8PM Checking work email for the last moment issues. “I need a better solution for my team. We need to reformulate the problem at hand.”
Methodology from: Strategic Thinking

10PM Dreaming. “I should sign up for the next course on ….”

It’s a misnomer to think that the 2012 election maintained the status quo in Washington, D.C. In President Obama’s second term there will be new players, priorities, and policies. A larger Democratic majority in the Senate and a narrower GOP majority in the House suggest that the 113th Congress will take action on several fronts. Along with the public demand that our nation’s leaders take concrete steps toward restoring fiscal sanity, even political sacred cows are subject to scrutiny and modification.

Every four years Brookings Executive Education provides an in-depth briefing on the post-election environment. The 2013 edition was as insightful and provocative as its ever been. The one-day class held on February 4 included a session on the budget featuring renowned economist Alice Rivlin and a leading statesman on budget matters, former Senator Pete Dominici. Jen Psaki, former White House Deputy Communications Director and Press Secretary for Obama 2012, was a speaker as well.

“The theme that came out of the day was continued gridlock. Neither party wants to move, especially to address some of the fiscal challenges this country needs to face. Democrats need to embrace entitlement reform and Republicans have to address revenues. Neither party can afford to demonize the other to effect a real solution.”  – Ian Dubin, Senior Program Manager, Brookings Executive Education