We don’t know what’s coming: the ever-changing face of leadership Thursday December 14, 2017 By The Mandarin Engage.gov The pressure on public sector leaders to adapt rapidly to challenges of managing a far more diverse and distributed workforce is greater than ever. Now… Read more
Soft skills are now hard skills, and other career advice for public servants Tuesday December 5, 2017 By David Donaldson Features 'After enlightenment, the laundry' is one ex-secretary's career advice. Adam Fennessy gives his tips for dealing with ministers and making yourself heard in a bureaucracy… Read more
Adam Fennessy to leave public service Friday May 26, 2017 By David Donaldson News DELWP secretary Adam Fennessy will head to the private sector next month. Deputy secretary Christine Wyatt will act in the role until a replacement is… Read more
Finding gender balance: looking beyond the usual (male) suspects Tuesday December 6, 2016 By David Donaldson Features Conscious effort and willingness to recruit from varied professional backgrounds have put a lot more women on Victoria’s water boards — even in far-flung rural… Read more
Flextime: rigid staff embrace flexibility — with selfies Tuesday November 29, 2016 By David Donaldson Features Encouraging staff to post selfies of how they use their flextime — picking up the kids from school, walking the dog, coaching a footy team… Read more
Standing up for respectful relationships and saying 'No' to violence Friday November 25, 2016 By Adam Fennessy Features Even today, a significant number of employees in our public sector workplaces will be impacted by domestic and family violence. I encourage you to join… Read more
Explain the facts, not the politics, but talk to the public (and media) more Thursday September 29, 2016 By David Donaldson Features Secretaries weigh in: bureaucrats have to be more visible. In a world rife with spin, public service leaders are increasingly seeing the value in providing… Read more
'Someone we liked': public servants voice corruption shock Friday September 23, 2016 By David Donaldson News What's it like to discover your colleagues may have been involved in corruption? Senior public servants speak about Victoria's "wake up call" proving it's not… Read more
Why the Environment and Energy merger makes sense Wednesday July 20, 2016 By David Donaldson Energy & Environment Some are worried putting the Environment and Energy portfolios together under a Liberal minister is setting the cat among the pigeons. But there's a good… Read more
Why don't governments use shared services more? Friday April 8, 2016 By David Donaldson Features Legacy systems and specific needs hold back the standardisation and centralisation of government corporate services — but departments should be looking at using more shared… Read more
How to really shake up innovation: ask the crowd, let them fail Wednesday March 30, 2016 By The Mandarin Case studies CASE STUDY: Engaging staff is the key to real innovation in government. A unique crowdsourcing project conducted by a Victorian department is an example… Read more
Adam Fennessy: how — and why — to say sorry in government Monday March 7, 2016 By David Donaldson Energy & Environment PART TWO: Admitting mistakes and better consulting not only leads to happier citizens but better outcomes, DELWP secretary Adam Fennessy tells The Mandarin. Plus… Read more
Adam Fennessy: going part-time didn't kill this secretary's career Friday March 4, 2016 By David Donaldson Editors' Picks The secretary of Victoria's DELWP talks to The Mandarin about disruption, rolling out flexible working across the VPS, and how his path to becoming a… Read more
Eccles: $3m Victorian MoG change efficiency 'remarkable' Friday January 15, 2016 By David Donaldson Health Scrutiny of Victoria's post-election machinery of government changes offers a peek into the thinking of departmental secretaries and the reasoning behind the changes. Read more
