Some folks were meant to take the oath of office. Some were meant to say: “Do you want fries with that?” They are NOT interchangeable. Do you have new hires at your agency come in trying to take charge? With all the focus in colleges on “leadership” we have been getting a few twenty-somethings comingRead… Read more »
[Note: this is a cross post from my blog; the original of which can be found here.] As a public servant who is often frustrated by the lack of information-sharing within public sector organizations, I can only wager a guess at what it is like to try to get information when you are outside them.Read… Read more »
There are some proposals for open/cloud functions within government that will help it work better. Please consider giving them support. One proposal is to make web services like wikis, source code control systems, search engines and suchlike across agencies (in a virtual “cloud”), analogous to what the intelligence agencies do already. But this would beRead… Read more »
A wonderful LA Times story today related to the financial crisis. During the boom years, some lenders looked for ways to reduce costs, etc. etc. One way was to forgo the usual title insurance policy, which protects lenders from title issues such as judgments, unknown heirs, and other defects in the title to the propertyRead… Read more »
Hello GovLoop members! I want to inform you I have taken a position with the Collins Center for Public Policy as director of online strategies. I’m also soliciting feedback here on a policy project utilizing the Web for education and public outreach. Known as a “’Think Tank’ with muddy boots,” the Collins Center’s mission isRead… Read more »
Originally posted on Not So Random Thoughts on March 18, 2010: Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting and receiving a personal tour of the Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress (LoC). I was overwhelmed by the impeccable detail and amazing beauty everywhere I turned. The Jefferson Building has to be one ofRead… Read more »
Calls for more government efficiency come not just from the public, but also from the public servants who make government’s day-to-day operations possible. Some of the best ideas come from the people who intimately know the processes that could be improved. However, implementing those ideas often requires jumping several, tall hurdles. In an unfortunate caseRead… Read more »
Commenting is an honor and a privilege. What readers often don’t realize is how much they can add to a post by commenting.The old model was “broadcast.” Your radio, television, or newspaper communicated “at” you. The result was lowest common denominator news, education, and entertainment.In 1999, the Cluetrain Manifesto started with “All Markets Are Conversations”Read… Read more »
On the first weekend in March – mostly sunny weather, briskly seasonal temperatures without the customary roaring and “marching in” mountain winds – we had our first Busy Women’s Retreat at the serene, scenic Blue Mountain Retreat Center, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Maryland (near Harpers Ferry, WV). The Blue Mountain RetreatRead… Read more »
Part 2 – The Rules Past: Part 1 Next there are a number of informal and formal rules you will have to figure out quickly 1 – Time – Spend the first week figuring out when people generally get to work and leave work. How long people are taking for lunch, etc . While thereRead… Read more »