Because I have to write a short analysis (for my other course) about any public agency, and because that silly interview has been on my mind, I thought I'd combine the two and pick Dream Job to be the subject of my paper. Think how knowledgable I will sound at the interview! I'll hold forth on the strengths and weaknesses of the agency's Mission and Vision Statements, and give my wonderful insights on the three-year Strategic Plan.
But it'll be a damn monologue. You want to know why? Because public workers never actually read their agency's Strategic Plan. Girl, please!
The State Legislature mandated that all state agencies develop a Mission, Vision, Goals and S.P. So it follows that the overarching goal is to make the agency sound good to ... I'll give you one guess ... that's right! The Legislature! That's why the language in them tends to be rather florid instead of straightforward, and why normal people's eyes cross just to attempt to read them.
I'd share an example, but as it happens, Dream Job's statements are perfect. They're dreeeeamy! Not that I'm biased.
But seriously, about the no-read-em thing: I had to call DJ for a copy of the Strategic Plan, because it wasn't on their public website. The guy - the head of the administration department - had no idea where it might be, but he promised to find it. Later he e-mailed it to me. It turned out just one administrator knew where the S.P. was kept. And it's a working copy. From last spring. See what I mean?
OK, I'd better get back to my mountain of articles. Stupid thesis. Jo, it's too late for me, but save yourself. Save yourself.
YOUR MOUNTAIN WILL REACH CRITICAL MASS AND BLOW UP IN YOUR FACE IF YOU DON'T CALM DOWN! Having said that, anyone who has an advanced degree that comes from an accredited (by legitimate accreditation institutions) has gone through this paper chase, and come out alive, but not very sane for the year after it ends. The bean counter is an expert at spotting fake schools with TP diplomas, so she is getting the full nelson of a Masters program. I think she is both brave and wonderful!
Posted by: BB | February 20, 2007 at 10:19 PM
Thanks, sweetheart. I shall untie you now. You deserve it.
Posted by: pam | February 20, 2007 at 10:36 PM
Well, I checked the cast list and Claire Bloom isn't in this one either.
Better luck next time.
(Note: for those of you wondering about this ongoing Claire Bloom fixation, a word in your ear--decades ago BB and I went to see Woody Allen's "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" [a lame remake of Bergman's "Smiles Of A Summer's Night" and itself one of the least funny Swedish comedies ever made {not a very large category in and of itself}] and afterwards we very loudly and publically descended into this ludicrous argument about whether the British actress Claire Bloom was in the cast [this being in pre-internet days when you could just click a mouse and look things up]. Well, naturally she wasn't [Allen rarely used anything but American actors at this point of his career] and having made complete public speactacles of ourselves this continued to be a bone of contention between us anytime we had a disagreement about any aspect of any movie whatsoever. For reasons which continue to escape me, BB persists in still being my friend and I, for equally opaque reasons, insist on continiung the deceased equine flagellation.)
Any relationship between this post and Pam's ongoing quest for the Strategic Plan is quite, quite accidental and must be reckoned on the same level of probability as quantum flux.
Posted by: Anthony | February 21, 2007 at 06:46 AM
But you: you stay tied up. Learn brevity, and we'll talk!
Posted by: pam | February 21, 2007 at 07:11 AM