Yearly Archives: 2009

Leaders Lead, Writers Write

For the past eight months I have been part of a leadership program that emphasizes identifying and following your dreams. Since I was in elementary school I have wanted to be a writer. I was good at it. I loved seeing my ideas take form on a page. Writing papers, stories, articles all came easilyRead… Read more »

The myth of engaging with everyone

When I talk to people about the possibilities of engaging with people online, using social technology, I often get questioned about the numbers issue. Stuff like: How many people in our area actually use Twitter? What about people who don’t have web access? What do we do about people who don’t like using the internetRead… Read more »

Federal Managers

As a long time Federal Manager, I am constantly amazed by the lack of recognition that our front line managers receive. Front line managers are charged with carrying out the policies and meeting the goals of their Executives and with directing, developing and evaluating their subordinates. But far too little effort is spent on providingRead… Read more »

Self-Esteem and Facebook/Twitter

X-posted to WordPress – not really government related, but Social Media related: We all remember the pseudo-psychology of the 80s when Self-Esteem issues were identified and the concept beat to death as a crutch for young up and coming emergent adults when we suffered failures in life. As we approach the end of this decade,Read… Read more »

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs Systems Design & Development Branch Launches Kanban for Software Maintenance

Wow, what a “newsy” sounding title… What I want to do is show how we will use Kanban to track all of our software maintenance activities. I’ll start with a couple of useful links about Kanban as a technique: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/11085_3776851_1/Managing-Change-Requests-Using-Lean-Methods-and-a-Kanban-Board.htm http://www.software.craftysims.com/?p=184 So I have been on board OPP for about a month. My observation isRead… Read more »

Diversity Pays Off

Originally posted on Unleash the Monster When President Barack Obama took office, the role of diversity within organizations heightened. For more than 200 years previously, the presidency was held exclusively by white males. Now, more than ever, organizations across the board are recognizing the need to commit to diversity. Why is it so important thatRead… Read more »