Thoughts from the other side of Interchange

by Nick Charney

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A lot of people have been asking me about my new job (See: Today is My Last Day in the Public Service) so I figured I'd share some of my initial observations about working on the other side of the wall.

Change is refreshing

Admittedly I'm still technically in the honeymoon stage having only joined the IOG a month ago. That said I can say with a fair degree of certainty that I was definitely due for a change of scenery. I won't bother you with all the details but suffice it to say that the sight lines between my work and what I deem important were blurred. I still believe wholeheartedly in public service but felt like my work was too heavily weighted towards the transactional when my interests, skills and drive is biased towards the transformational. In short, I was looking for a better personal fit, and from I can tell thus far, I have found it.

Technology can be easy

Integrating into the IT infrastructure at work was seamless. I walked in, was handed log in credentials and sat down at my iMac (yeah that's right), hooked up my iPhone to the wifi and connected my office calendar and email with my other Google accounts.

Every organization has its own language

We often get so wrapped up in the nomenclature of the business we fail to understand that sometimes it can hinder rather than help; and the same can be said of organizational structures. This is playing out right now within our institutions of government, between them and whenever they interface with the publics they serve. It's creating real barriers to engagement across the board, causing people to dig in their heels with partisan rhetoric and otherwise eroding the middle ground of compromise that I've always thought was the inherently Canadian way forward.

A lot of people are looking for greener pastures

I'm not sure if it's where I am relative to my career trajectory cohort or symptomatic of some larger issues out there in the ecosystem (e.g. the one I pointed out above) but a lot of talented people I know either have or are now broadening their horizons and looking beyond the walls of the public sector organizations they currently work for.

You are always more valuable to an organization after you leave it

Whether it's Murphy's law or the fact that its human nature to take things for granted, your worth to an organization is never truly understood until you're no longer there when they need you.

Today is my last day in the Public Service

by Nick Charney

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Sensational title I know, and while it's true that today is literally my last day, I consider my departure more of a pivot than anything.

I've been in the civil service for 7 years and felt it was time to readjust, to choose a course of action that allows me to benefit from a different experience and test new hypotheses. An opportunity to elevate my work and focus more closely on some of the issues that are facing the public service, issues that I think are rising in importance.


Where I'm going and what I'll be doing

On Monday I assume responsibilities as a Senior Research Officer at the Institute on Governance, an Ottawa based not-for-profit who's mission is to advance better governance in the public interest. My work will likely be spread across its four lines of business (modernizing government, public sector governance, indigenous governance and not-for-profit governance), involve its in-house learning lab and span all three jurisdictions. In short, the move provides me greater flexibility and a more diversified work experience built around wider array of challenges.

As I embark on this journey - a temporary, two year assignment under the Policy on Interchange Canada - I would encourage you to reach out if there is a mutual opportunity you want to pursue.

That said, you might want to do so quickly; I have a feeling things are about to pick up.

Cheers

Pivots, badges, a new contributor, and bureaucratic ipsum

by Nick Charney

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Hi All -

You may have noticed things changing around the blog recently - new logos, new pages, the bio of a new contributor - in short, I'm widening the tent, bringing people in, and trying to branch out into a couple of different things.

First, last week's post (See: Big Data, Social Media, and the Long Tail of Public Policy) is a bit of a pivot in focus, expect me to spend more time writing about what public sector organizations can do with data in the near future.

Second, I've devised a badge that now adorns the site and much of my social media presence; it signals to others that you take your responsibilities as a professional and non-partisan public servant seriously online. Over the next few weeks I will create a widget and a crowd source a corresponding set of principles for those wishing to use the emblem on their own sites/social media outposts. In short, think of it as a practical, principles based, opt-in badge for those among us who want to engage online while ensuring we do so in a manner that preserves our professional integrity.

Third, I've invited Kent Aitken to join the blog as a full time contributor. I'd give you a long back story but quite frankly the reason I invited Kent to contribute is simple: he impresses me. I like the fact that he approaches things with a critical eye, that he is committed to thoughtful and respectful discourse, and quite frankly, that he gives off a really solid vibe. Kent's first post drops this Friday in lieu of mine as I will be spending Friday recovering from day surgery (nothing serious, just some minor foot repairs). Kent and I still have to discuss a number of things, but suffice it to say we will be working towards an editorial calendar that likely has some empty spaces for those interested in contributing.

Well that's it for me for now, look for Kent's inaugural post on Friday. See you next week.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I threw together a bureaucratic ipsum generator with the help of a friend, enjoy.

-- Nick

Update: One Month Later

Pic is unrelated, but awesome.

I won't lie, the last 4 weeks have been gruelling, and the situation is no where near resolved.
Luckily, I've got a broad network I can lean on for support, access to the Employee Assistance Program (which I would recommend to anyone in crisis), and a loving wife, who has done more to support me day-to-day than I thought was possible in a lifetime.

Originally published by Nick Charney at cpsrenewal.ca subscribe/connect

Update on my Crowd Funding Experiment!

Hi Everyone


First - I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you have already generously supported my IndieGoGo campaign (if you haven't clicked through yet, I wish you would!).

Second - I had a couple of people contact me asking me how to send me a cash donation (because you don't have a PayPal account); if that is something you are interested in please send me an email. What I plan on doing is simply collecting the monies and then paying them back into the campaign with my own PayPal account (so they count towards the total).

Third (and quite possibly, most importantly) I've found a Knight in Shining Armour who has agreed to translate the entire document, meaning that all of the funds raised will be going to charity!

I want to personally thank Doug Hadden VP of Products at Freebalance for agreeing to take on the translating. Doug has asked that the funds be directed to SOS Children, which I will gladly do on everyone's behest after the campaign.

There's only one catch - and its a big one - when I set up the campaign I set it up in a manner that I thought made the most sense: all or nothing. If we hit the target the money kicks in, if it we don't, well the money doesn't come through.
In other words, while I may have found a sponsor to do the heavy lifting, if we don't hit the goal this could all fall through.

I suppose what I'm saying is that I still need your help

In an effort to sweeten the pot a little I'm going to set up a permanent page on this blog for Scheming. It will house both the English and French versions of the whitepaper as well as all of the thank you's, links, blurbs, and sponsors that helped get the job done. I'll share it once I've got the mock-up complete.

In the meantime if you need anything please let me know, if you help out with the campaign, please do, the link is below.
Link to the Campaign!

Originally published by Nick Charney at cpsrenewal.ca

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Internet + Custom Suits + Ottawa = A Good Time

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to take a minute to put an upcoming event in Ottawa on your radar. 
Indochino, a (Canadian!) custom menswear company is coming to Ottawa next week as part of its Travelling Tailor promotion and from what I've heard from friends in Vancouver and Calgary this is like the Apple Store of menswear.
Now if you don't think style is all that important in the public service, I'd encourage you to check out this piece I wrote on the confluence of style and the public service for Apartment613. It was crafted after a conversation with Ottawa based fashionista (and public servant) Jes Lacasse.  Ironically one of the things that didn't make the final cut of my article on Apt613 was my lamentation about the lack of quality men's clothing in Ottawa; the nice thing about Indochino is that once you are measured up and in their system you can simply order custom suits/shirts as needed without having to go into a store front.
Below is a video outlining a bit more about the company/process for those who are interested. I should probably also mention that if you RSVP your custom fitting in advance you get a free custom dress shirt with every suit purchase you purchase (not a bad deal if you are in the market for a new look). 
The event runs in Ottawa from April 24th to April 28th.
See you there.








Originally published by Nick Charney at cpsrenewal.casubscribe/connect