leadership

CMF is delighted to welcome bestselling author Chris Whipple, whose latest book, “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency” offers a behind the scenes portrait of the Chiefs of Staff for the last nine Presidents. He will discuss the role of these powerful individuals – and what senior Hill staff can learn from both their triumphs AND their missteps.

Nearly every week we read about a scandal that could have been prevented if employees had said "no" to ill-advised orders or provided their bosses with better advice. In this timely session, Ira Chaleff will share lessons from his new book, Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You're Told To Do Is Wrong, which explores when and how to disobey inappropriate orders, reduce unacceptable risk, and find better ways to achieve legitimate goals.

We at CMF know that managing a congressional office is challenging. Senior managers in Congress have a lot to do in a short amount of time with a large staff to oversee. But CMF research and experience suggests that enhancing management skills is possible, IF the manager makes a commitment to improvement.

In the fourth installment of "Inside the Hill", Members of Congress and congressional staff discuss how citizens' voices are heard on Capitol Hill.

The newly released House calendar for the 112th Congress presents a fascinating opportunity for grassroots advocates seeking to build relationships and influence legislators. The calendar makes good on part of a promise the House Republicans made that they would operate differently than Democrats, and even previous Republican leaders.

In the first installment of "Inside the Hill", Members of Congress and staff discuss how social media is changing the way Members can communicate with their constituents.