Description
Book SynopsisReplete with practical advice for anyone considering a career in federal, state, or local government, Caught between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to Survive Public Service conveys what life is really like in a public service job. The book is written as a series of lively, entertaining letters of advice from a sympathetic uncle to a niece or nephew embarking on a government career.
Kenneth Ashworth draws on more than forty years of public sector experience to provide advice on the daily challenges that future public servants can expect to face: working with politicians, bureaucracy, and the press; dealing with unpleasant and difficult people; leading supervisors as well as subordinates; and maintaining high ethical standards. Ashworth relates anecdotes from his jobs in Texas, California, and Washington, D.C., that illustrate with humor and wit fundamental concepts of public administration.
Be prepared, says Ashworth, to encounter all sorts of unexpected situ
Trade Review
A 'must' for anyone aspiring to a career in public service at any level, Caught Between the Dog And The Fireplug is highly readable yet filled with sensible observations and recommendations. Wisconsin Bookwatch Quite often an academic assumes that a book of anecdotes provides 'war stories' but little insight. This book, however, richly combines real experience with solid advice that would benefit even the most experienced public administrator. Ashworth's book performs the rare feat of providing an amusing look at public service while maintaining the importance of service to the commonweal. Public Administration Review
Table of Contents
Foreword Preface October: Working with politicians November: Working with the press December: Learning from your boss January: Dealing with unpleasant and difficult people February: More on unpleasant people March: Subordinate leadership, getting help from above April: Taking the initiative, or risk taking inside government May: The kinds of pressures and influence used on you September: Relations with a governing board October: More on governing boards November: Bona fide bureaucratic behavior December: "Walking with kings" January: Delegating, or working for your subordinates February: Ethics and morality in public service March: A few thoughts on leadership April: A summing up
