Essentials

STEPHEN SCHECHTER ESSENTIALS PROGRAM IN PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP:
A Professional Development Program for
Early- and Mid-Career Professionals in New York Public Service
Sponsored by
The New York State Academy for Public Administration (SAPA) 

Program Mission

The State Academy for Public Administration (SAPA) promotes excellence in public service and fosters commitment to the highest standards of performance and integrity in public administration throughout New York State.

We strive to meet this mission by providing professional development opportunities for early- and mid-career professionals in state and local government and in nongovernmental organizations working with government.
The Stephen Schechter Essentials Program in Public Service Leadership is a professional development program with two objectives:

1. To enable its participants to learn more about career-related issues of state public administration set in larger contexts.
2. To encourage participants to network with and mentor one another and with SAPA board members who are mid-career and senior public administrators in New York State.

The broader goal of the program is to provide participants a sense of belonging to a larger public administration community and a culture of people dedicated to public service in New York. The program also affords the opportunity for participants to form lasting professional relationships with other members of the public administration community.

Program Eligibility

The program is open to early- and mid-career professionals who seek or recently obtained a managerial position (overseeing a program area and/or staff) in state or local government or in a nongovernmental organization working with government. Participants range from Excelsior Fellows committed to finding a career in state management to fifteen-year veterans in state government who have recently secured a management position.

Program Description

The program consists of a series of evening sessions held monthly beginning in September and continuing through May each year. All sessions are held In-Person unless otherwise directed. Informal networking sessions among participants, presenters, SAPA Board members and invited guests are scheduled periodically throughout the program year.

During each session, participants will learn from and interact with one another and a senior practitioner and SAPA board members. Each month, presenters focus on a topic that relates to a larger issue or theme of direct practical relevance to state and local public service today. Using hypotheticals and group activities, presenters encourage lively discussion that relates the presentation to participants’ current job responsibilities and career objectives.

Participants who successfully complete the program receive a Certificate of Completion and become SAPA members.

Program Topics

The following is an illustrative list of program topics:

The New York State Constitution 

The New York State constitution is the guiding navigational star in the firmament of our exercise in self-governance.  New York’s first constitution was drafted primarily by John Jay and was ultimately adopted in 1777, and has subsequently undergone multiple major revisions reflecting the values and needs of New Yorkers, enshrining the careful balance of powers among the branches of government and providing a path for government to deliver public goods.  This session provides the historical context and overview of this central legal document’s role in governmental administration, and provides participants with a launching point from which to further enhance their understanding of the very important work they do in our republic.

Two Cultures of Administration

Every agency has two mindsets that can multiply or divide any team effort. On one hand, there is the institutional orientation, typically represented by line managers, budget officers, HR, and the legal/contract/counsel’s office who try to maintain institutional interests, enforce the rules, and keep the agency’s mission on task, on budget, and on schedule. On the other hand, there is the program orientation peopled by the scientists, experts, and program staff who may be less concerned about the rules and more concerned about “getting the job done” and achieving their program’s goals. When institutionalists are perceived as “can’t do” people, or when program specialists feel honor-bound to skirt the rules, the agency’s mission and morale may suffer. How can institutionalists and program specialists in your agency overcome differences to move the agency’s missions forward and to change when change is called for?

Politics and The Permanent Bureaucracy

Much has been made of the tension between the needs of elected officials and their appointees and the policies that have been put into place by civil servants in the permanent bureaucracy or what is disparagingly referred to as the so-called “Deep State.”  How should agencies reconcile the needs of these two constituencies? How should agencies accommodate the demands for
political change?

Working for the Hollow State

Can public administration be deep and hollow at the same time? The hollow state here refers to two major trends of public service — a dwindling state government workforce and an increased range of outside nongovernmental and intergovernmental partners. What do these trends mean for you in carrying out your responsibilities, in who you work with, and how you succeed interacting with these outside entities who often-times are inside state agencies?

The Ethical Administrator

Public service is a noble profession, but how easy is it to do the right thing? For example, what should you do if you think your supervisor or a co-worker is engaged in active unethical behavior, or a co-worker is spending hours a day on personal business? What are the benchmarks of ethical behavior and how do you deal with unethical behavior in the workplace? In this session, our presenter will engage participants in the topic and its hypotheticals.

Implicit Bias

We cannot begin to understand workplace diversity until we understand implicit bias in ourselves and others and how to deal with it.

Navigating the Civil Service System

Guided discussion on how the NYS civil service system can work for you along with tricks of the trade when it comes to career mobility. Topics include advancing within the system as well as transferability and provisions 52.6 and 70.1.

Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership simultaneously enhances the personal growth of workers while improving the quality and caring of institutions. This can be achieved through a combination of teamwork, community, personal involvement in decision making and ethical and caring behavior. There are 10 characteristics of Servant Leadership – they include listening, awareness, persuasion, stewardship, and commitment to the growth of others. Servant leaders share power and put the needs of others first while helping people grow, change, and accomplish their goals.