Leadership changes at work are always “fun” and a challenge. It takes a while for the culture in the company and the culture the new management team brings to mesh. To put it mildly, the Trump Administration has a very different culture than their predecessors. There are bumps and falls along the way, sort of like riding a bike without training wheels. And trainings or weekend retreats to try and create a company culture. One way this is done is ethics classes or compliance training.  This helps staff avoid pitfalls and inadvertently breaking a law or code of ethics. So why did the White House say no to a staff ethics course?  Or do they have another way to handle that issue?

Politico discusses that subject here

President Donald Trump’s team rejected a course for senior White House staff, cabinet nominees and other political appointees that would have provided training on leadership, ethics and management, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.

What would this course have done?

The documents suggest the program could have better prepared officials for working within existing laws and executive orders, and provided guidance on how to navigate Senate confirmation for nominees and political appointees, how to deal with congressional and media scrutiny, and how to work with Congress and collaborate with agencies — some of the same issues that have become major stumbling blocks in the early days of the administration.

Maybe the administration is trying to save money?  Or they have a plan in place?  Hard to tell.

The program was expected to cost $1 million, the documents show.

I get it. The transition team had leaders in various fields and I get them wanting to save money but this may have been penny wise and pound foolish.

“As a result of a change in Presidential Transition Team leadership after the Nov. 8, 2016, election, there have been changes in the PTT’s goals for the political appointee orientation program,” it said. Shortly after the election, Vice President Mike Pence took over running the transition from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The changes included the transition team’s desire to control all the speakers and content, according to the notice. It is unclear if the administration put in place its own program or offered any rigorous training to appointees and nominees across the government.

Impact of the choice:

Ethics training might have made it easier to lead agencies and use the institutional memory of the long time government workers.

Several political appointees at agencies said they received very little training, and the time between the election and Inauguration Day was hectic. There has also been little contact between the political appointees at agencies and the longtime civil servants because of a lack of trust, several of these people said.

Gee you think? It would be smart to have ethics briefing for both the administration and the voting public. And maybe some ethics training updates for long time non appointed staff?  Actually draining the swamp (a campaign promise) involves doing difficult things and having to make choices one does not always like. Hopefully the administration can start doing this and think before they send a memo or tweet.

So where is this ethics reform package?  I would love to see it. I sincerely hope the words and actions match up soon Mr. Trump.  Maybe an ethics video might be useful in the future?  Or a culture of integrity being built by the administration?  That would be draining the swamp indeed!