Tag: government
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Directors General: Making Decisions That Shape Culture and Drive Transformation
DGs at the Operational Helm Directors General occupy a unique leadership tier in Canada’s federal public service. Situated between ADMs and Directors, DGs are responsible for translating strategic direction into operational reality. Unlike ADMs, who focus on broader portfolios, DGs must make decisions within their own domain and see them through, communicating rationale upward while…
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Directors General and the Power of Decision: Where Culture Meets Accountability
DGs at the Crossroads Directors General (DGs) are the backbone of Canada’s federal public service. You stand between Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) who provide strategic direction and Directors who manage frontline delivery. In this pivotal position, your choices determine whether programs advance with clarity—or stall in layers of hesitation. The DG role is not simply…
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ADMs and the Weight of Responsibility: Culture, Accountability, and the Need to Decide
The Tightrope of ADM Leadership Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) live at the critical juncture where government policy meets organizational reality. Unlike Ministers and Deputies, you are not setting the political agenda. Unlike Directors General (DGs), you are not solely responsible for operational delivery. Instead, you occupy the middle ground where policy intent must be translated…
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Leadership at the Summit: Ministers and Deputies as Catalysts of Cultural Accountability
At the Peak of the Pyramid Ministers and Deputy Ministers stand at the summit of Canada’s public service and political governance structure. While the operational machinery of government depends on Directors General and Assistant Deputy Ministers, the tone, pace, and cultural priorities of the system are ultimately set at the very top. In the Westminster…
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Decisions in the Middle: How DGs Move Beyond Advice to Action
Directors General (DGs) hold the pivotal middle ground of the federal public service. You are close enough to operations to know the realities, yet senior enough to influence strategy. In many transformations, the success or failure of implementation comes down to how DGs interpret their role: are you merely an advisor, or are you a…
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ADM Balancing Act: Expertise, Culture, and the Courage to Decide
Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) occupy one of the most complex leadership roles in the federal public service. You are expected to be the expert in your portfolio, the translator of political intent, the manager of vast operations, and the bridge between Deputies and the Directors General who implement on the ground. It is, quite simply,…
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Everyone Nods But Nothing Moves: The Hidden Drag on Government Transformation
Transformation in government is never about technology alone, nor about bold political vision in isolation. At the highest levels of leadership—where Ministers and Deputy Ministers carry responsibility for both vision and execution—the challenge is subtler and more insidious. It’s the silent drag on change that arises when everyone around the table nods in agreement but…
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What’s Next for Government Transformation?
Government and public administration transformation typically involve efforts to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and responsiveness of government services and operations. Efforts usually aim to leverage technology and modernize administrative processes to better serve citizens. Often, it’s a generational effort to clear the accretion of process, policy, and regulatory barnacles. Recent Government Transformation Focus Areas…
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Rome was not transformed… in a day
This is an op-ed piece originally published in Canadian Government Executive in January 2018. It suggests that government stick with its transformation initiatives though they may be hard. (715 words; 3 min read) Like any other consultant and successful business book writer, I pontificate like an oracle at Delphi. In my case, about digital transformation.…
