Management Skills for Effective Planners: A Practical Guide

In: Planning, Environment, Cities Ser.

Abstract

Cover -- Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- Introduction -- Challenges and rewards of planning -- Becoming an effective planner -- The book's approach -- The structure of the book and what to expect -- My story -- 1 Planning, Is It For You? -- What is planning? -- How did planning develop? -- Planning -- What is a planner? -- What is distinctive about planners and planning? -- Where are the opportunities? -- Sectors -- Working in the private sector -- The not-for-profit sector -- Sole practitioners -- Academic sector -- What planners do -- Planning roles -- The political aspects of planning -- The institutional aspects of planning -- Conclusion -- 2 Measuring Effectiveness - Competencies and Capabilities -- Career paths -- Competency and capability -- Competencies -- Capability -- When capability and competence are tested -- Urgent vs. important -- Competency, capability and flow -- Previous research -- Researching planners -- Conclusion -- 3 Interpersonal Capability -- Ability to interact positively with members of the public, citizens and communities -- Ability to develop and use networks of colleagues to help solve key workplace problems -- Ability to develop and contribute positively to team-based projects -- Shows an understanding of how the different groups that make up an organization operate and how much influence they have in different situations -- Ability to listen to different points of view before coming to a decision -- Ability to empathize and work productively with a range of people from different disciplines, social and cultural backgrounds -- Ability to work with senior staff and decision makers without being intimidated -- Ability to give constructive feedback to work colleagues and others without engaging in personal blame.