2008 – 2009 Year in Review

• Accomplishments at a Glance
• Community Building and Engagement
• Learning and Development
• Policy Effectiveness

Accomplishments at a Glance

As we started the year, the National Managers' Community was welcoming a new champion at the deputy minister level, Mr. François Guimont, the Deputy Minister of Public Works Government Services Canada. The Community Secretariat had recently changed host departments and had moved from the Canadian International Development Agency to the Canada Public Service Agency. The community was starting the fiscal year with sustainable funding for the first time and contributors and the new host for the National Managers’ Community Secretariat were stressing the need for more accountability. In terms of the National Managers' Community presence, six regions were without coordinators. The Secretariat in Ottawa was operating with minimal staff and had not had a full time Executive Director in place for several months.

It was clear that the National Managers' Community had to put some effort into rebuilding its presence in the regions and its Secretariat. Business processes that would demonstrate our accountability also needed attention.

Community Building and Engagement

Annual National Forum 2008

The 2008 version of this annual event was held in Vancouver, British Columbia in April. More than 1,200 participants from 48 organizations came together to network and learn from each other. They also participated in an on-site e-polling session where they identified the challenges facing managers within the Public Service. (See table).

We held focus groups across Canada after the forum to delve deeper into some these issues, and to explore solutions.

The power of connectivity is great. The forum is an opportunity to both learn and give in a different way. There is an unleashing of energy. - Delegate at Forum 2008

Expanding the Network

The NMC focused on reaching more managers and aspiring managers through its various networks departments, agencies and regions. With the help of our Champion, François Guimont, his Assistant Deputy Minister Advisory Board, and his DM colleagues across government, the NMC worked to start or revitalize networks. We created a Network Start-up Toolkit (PDF) with tips and suggestions on how to start a network. We would like to congratulate the new or revitalized networks at: Treasury Board Secretariat, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Public Safety Canada, the Communications Security Establishment, the Public Service Commission, Industry Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

The NMC also collaborated with its many partners to advance PS Renewal. A Network Summit on the topic in Ottawa brought together various networks, including the Association of Professional Executives, the Youth Network, the Federal Council, the Human Resources Council, the Canada School of Public Service and the Canada Public Service Agency. A committee was created coming out of the summit dedicated to performance management and the regional Federal Councils agreed to hold regional network summits in the future.

Communications

The NMC needed to increase its outreach to managers and aspiring managers and decided to use the website as our primary communications vehicle. We greatly improved it, adding new features and tools like an on-line newsletter, and making it easier to navigate.

We were also part of a pilot project to create a presence on GCPEDIA, the Public Service wiki. The NMC space on GCPEDIA provides a space for managers to discuss and collaborate on issues, challenges and ideas. By joining the wiki, managers can participate in ongoing discussions, give feedback on learning events put on by the NMC, get help from their colleagues on projects, create and edit articles, and offer and receive practical advice on managerial issues.

To further improve our direct communications with members, we launched the first issue of The Voice, the NMC newsletter.

In January 2008 the NMC started to compile an e-mail database to reach managers directly. At the time of printing this report, more than 650 people (including some networks) had registered to receive updates from the NMC through email.

These initiatives add up to a more connected, more visible, and more vibrant community.

Awards and Recognition

Each year the National Managers' Community recognizes excellence through our leadership awards. Thirteen managers (one per region and territory) are rewarded for outstanding initiative, meaningfully engaging their employees, and creating positive organizational change.

A single national award, the Mike Nurse NMC Leadership Award (named after a former Champion), is presented to an individual manager, leader or team who demonstrates excellence in meeting management and leadership challenges or who positively impacts managers across the country. Richard V. Crowe, Client Services Director, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Atlantic Region, received the 2008 Mike Nurse Award for his outstanding leadership at the helm of the National Managers' Community.

The NMC Web site has the full list of 2008-09 award recipients.

Learning and Development

The leadership and learning events have collectively strengthened the level of co-operation and collaboration among managers across departments in every geographic region. - Workshop participant

The NMC knows that great managers never stop learning. We organized 77 events in 2008-2009 across the country - everything from armchair discussions with the Canada School of Public Service to lunch and learns and speakers' series. Thanks to these events, 2,800 managers from forty-one organizations had the opportunity to come together, learn, share, find solutions and become better managers. Topics included leadership, performance management, building learning organizations and coaching practices for managers, with most events selling out early.

Communities of Practice

The NMC fosters two active communities of practice to help our members be better managers: Coaching, and Leadership and Learning. The focus in both communities is to "Train the Trainer." Fifty public servants from across the country were trained this year to deliver the one-day coaching workshop. Each of the fifty practitioners will deliver five sessions to their colleague managers. That translates into 250 workshops to potentially thousands of managers.

The second community of practice is about leadership and learning. We provided a refresher session to fifteen people who are now better equipped to deliver these workshops, and share insights on how to use innovative organizational learning and engagement tools with other managers.

It only takes one match. The community of practice is that match. Trained knowledgeable people are the key to success, and this is an excellent venue to take us down that road. - Nicky Compton, Veterans Affairs (retired)

Policy Effectiveness

Through the Vancouver forum and subsequent focus groups of about 200 managers, policy challenges on issues such as performance management, accountability and risk-taking, learning and development, and succession planning were consistently identified by managers at all levels and across the country.

The NMC, with the assistance and support of our Champion, François Guimont, raised these challenges with the Public Service’s most senior leaders, including the Clerk of the Privy Council, and presented twice to the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal.

Performance Management Working Group

Most managers have said that performance management is their number one challenge. The Performance Management Working Group was created to bring managers and government organizations together to find better ways to support and equip managers.

The Working Group is co-chaired by the NMC and the Public Service Renewal Task Force at the Privy Council Office, and includes representatives from the Canada School of Public Service, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, the Human Resources Council and the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service.

The working group is concentrating on the problems of managing unsatisfactory performance, and identifying tools and ideas to create a positive performance management culture. The Canada School of the Public Service has revamped its performance management curriculum, and the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer is developing new tools to assist managers.

Working with Central Agencies

The NMC is becoming the go-to source when Central Agencies want to reach or hear from managers. We participated with the Human Resources Council and the Canada Public Service Agency in the Human Resources Capacity Pilot. We also met with Treasury Board Secretariat to discuss the web of rules that managers face. And we have been working with The Canada School to develop a partnership.