FMA writes a monthly column, "Hear it from FMA," published on FEDmanager.com. This month's article, published on September 6, 2022, defends the Internal Revenue Service from unwarranted attacks as they try to simply do their jobs on behalf of all Americans.

It seems unlikely that anyone particularly “likes” paying taxes. Most Americans do, however, like health care, a strong military to protect and defend our interests, and Social Security – the three top budget items our federal tax dollars are spent on – not to mention the myriad other services Americans receive for their tax payments. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is regrettably no stranger to abuse from Capitol Hill, and the agency’s budget and staffing have declined for many years as a result. The negative rhetoric against the IRS from many elected leaders in DC has ramped up in recent weeks since the inclusion of $80 billion over ten years to help the agency enforce the nation’s tax laws. We’ve seen calls to defund or abolish the IRS, messages imploring people to not accept IRS jobs, and even threats to IRS employees. This is misguided, dangerous, and unacceptable.

Government Managers Coalition Op-Ed Published in Government Executive on August 29, 2022: 

Federal supervisors work every day to effectively manage their employees to deliver critical services for the American people. Unfortunately, many in Congress have shown no interest in leadership development for the federal workforce. The longstanding inattention to equipping leaders with the tools for success, coupled with bureaucratic inefficiencies that have long been endemic to national government, has prevented even the best leaders from managing most effectively. The results are seen each year in low scores for agencies on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Proponents of the Public Service Reform Act and Schedule F cite an interest in government modernization and accountability. But these proposals are merely “easy button” solutions, and there is no easy button to federal leadership and accountability. Still, there is a consensus among the professional associations of federal managers and executives we represent that Congress must modernize the civil service.

FMA contributes to the quarterly FEDforum, hosted on FedManager.com. The prompt for this quarter's article was "back to square one."

In many ways, a federal employee who has been promoted to become a manager or supervisor is starting at square one. And at the beginning, you need all the help and support you can get, you need all the help and support you can get.

With new challenges and unknowns, things to learn like how to deal with poor performers, and a shift of focus from ‘getting things done’ to enabling others to get things done, among many other shifts and priorities. The Federal Managers Association (FMA) recognizes the challenges these new managers face and is ready to be of immediate assistance. These new managers may have years of experience and valuable knowledge, but for many, this new beginning requires a completely new toolkit to allow them to become successful managers and leaders. Some agencies do better than others about providing managerial training quickly. Sadly, we have heard of many other instances where training was delayed for many months. In either case, FMA stands ready to assist these new managers find their way to becoming the best leaders they can be, while also looking out for their interests.

FMA contributes to a quarterly "FED Forum" on FedManager.com, responding to different questions and prompts. The prompt for the latest Fed Forum is "Team Morale." We thought we'd consult Ron Gryga, recently awarded as FMA Manager of the Year, and other recent winners of the prestigious award for their wisdom on team morale. Please read on to learn more.