Here we go again. Both sides of politics claim they want an independent, high-performing APS. Yet neither side can resist the urge to interfere, and the APS leadership seems to continually tread the path of least resistance. The latest is the reported forming by the APSC of a consultative committee with representatives from 11 unions,…
It has been almost three months since I cleaned out my office at Kiah. I am often asked if I have really left or is it a façade and am I still pulling the strings, and if I have left, why? In short, I have left Kiah and am no longer involved in its operations…
As published in the Mandarin 21 March 2025: Why generalists ARE specialists Firstly, congratulations to The Mandarin on their conference last week. It is one of the better conferences I have attended because they had the courage to allow competing ideas to be put forward. It was a bit unusual, the norm being a passing…
It’s on again, politicians throwing stones at each other over the public sector. One side says too many and the other says too few. It’s an argument designed to score points politically, to play to the leanings of the electorate. One is either for or against the public sector. You either think it to be…
A large IT project off the rails, who would have thought? It’s not actually news and picking on the Defence ERP program is like shooting fish in a barrel. It’s not that people aren’t trying to do a good job, it’s just that sometimes they just dig a hole they can’t get out of by…
As published in The Mandarin September 27, 2024 by John Glenn and Kylie Pezdirc If we want the best possible public sector, we need more leaders questioning what has always been done. Not to seek consensus, but to challenge it. To challenge themselves. The status quo is yesterday’s answer to today’s problem. Consensus is the…
You don’t have to be at the top to demand that your organisation delivers. Hold yourself, your colleagues and your leaders accountable. As published in The Mandarin September 17, 2024 by John Glenn Last week was a tough one for the Defence sector. But there are lessons for everyone in public service. I get told…
s published in The Mandarin, 21 March 2024 by Kiah MD John Glenn I have reproduced below a Facebook post by a good friend of mine, Kat Rae. The post was private, so sharing it was difficult. Kat is a private person, and she doesn’t seek to be the “face of a movement”. But her message…
As published in The Mandarin, 6 December 2023 by Kiah MD John Glenn Trust in consultants would seem to be at an all-time low, given the integrity breaches over inappropriate use of confidential information, conflicts of interest, and even the sharing of online assessments. Yet they remain among the most capable and trusted advisers across…
by Kiah MD John Glenn He was inspirational, a hero, in many so many ways. Clearly, I have an affinity, if only through the name. I was six years old when he was the first American to orbit the earth on Friendship 7, as part of the Mercury space program and the space race. I recall my…
