News

As congressional staff experience more and more confrontational situations – in person, online, maybe even in the community – we hope you will join us September 17 for a special program on "Strengthening Emotional Well-Being and Personal Resilience." This webinar, hosted by CMF and SHRM as part of the "Life in Congress project," is open to all House and Senate staff.

Silos spell trouble, most notably for advocacy and policy professionals. Having spent thousands of hours at the keyboard as a musician, I've found that some lessons learned from performing music can also apply to overcoming silos.

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) strongly endorses the package of recommendations adopted unanimously today by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The package of 24 reforms includes several ideas CMF recommended to the Select Committee.

We are pleased to host a reception for staff in the Class of 2018! Now that your offices are up and running, it's a wonderful time to come and meet your colleagues in other freshman offices, as well as learn about the application process for the Democracy Awards (of which you're now eligible to apply!) We'll even have a few seasoned senior staff on-hand to answer those nagging questions you may still have.

We get it, there is a lot to juggle—everything from learning to navigate the tunnels beneath the Capitol to forging political allies and learning how to communicate well with constituents. In an effort to provide stability and support along this treacherous path, the Congressional Management Foundation recently convened an audience of experts and first-term staffers for a mid-year check-in.

CMF's 2018 was filled with many accomplishments. Our Partnership for a More Perfect Union trained more than 13,000 citizen-advocates. Freshman offices received additional help with our new Job Description for a Member of Congress. However, the most important achievement of the year was the launch of the Democracy Awards.

Congress has a lot to learn from the game of soccer. It demonstrates the importance of everyone finding ways to support each other, how to advance a shared goal, and the need for constant communication. Join us July 19 when Peter Loge, former House Chief of Staff and author of the book Soccer Thinking for Management Success: Lessons for Organizations from the World's Game, will provide House senior managers with practical management advice.