Monthly Archives: April 2011

UConn? City of Austin Is The Real Champ

This time of year all the sports junkies out there are talking about basketball and who won last night’s NCAA championship. But what about us govies? We’re left talking about budget battles, possible shutdowns and pretty much everything else gloom and doom. All those things are important, but what about the awesome in government? It’sRead… Read more »

Code for America hosts launch of Simpl

The launch and initial social innovation matchmaking activities hosted by Code for America, at their San Francisco headquarters on April 5th, will be the first public unveiling of the new Simpl platform. This important milestone is the result of a partnership between public sector consultancy FutureGov and government marketing experts Rock Creek Strategic Marketing. FindRead… Read more »

The Federal Coach: Obama Asks Federal Employees for Their Suggestions on Government Efficiency

“What do you think?” It’s a simple question, but one that federal managers routinely should be asking of their employees if they want an engaged workforce. Last week, President Obama personally asked federal employees in a video message for their ideas about how to make government more effective and efficient, particularly around efforts to increaseRead… Read more »

The Federal Coach: How Do You Manage Someone Who Wanted Your Job?

This week’s question is how to manage someone who also applied for your manager’s position. Please continue to share your ideas and suggestions for the column by commenting below and by sending in your questions to the [email protected]. How do you manage someone who wanted your job? –Federal manager (GS-13) from the U.S. Census BureauRead… Read more »

Simpl – the Social Innovation Marketplace – is open for business

Today is an important day for me and my colleagues, because today Simpl, the Social Innovation Marketplace, opens its doors to the world. Simpl is a website that enables people in government agencies to source innovative ideas for improving public services, and rather than being a funding platform, the marketplace is all about the exchangeRead… Read more »

Recruitment 411: Invaluable Internships

At many schools, internships have become a required part of the college curriculum. It’s easy to understand why; no class project or case study is ever going to be as valuable as hands-on experience. Many students have very specific career goals – often knowing exactly where they want to work. An internship gives them aRead… Read more »

Your Customers Don’t Care

I was in a local cafe the other day working on a Kanban training course I’ll be making available sometime soon. I grabbed the usual coffee for fuel and then a sugar avalanche of a toffee bar caught my eye. And I bought it. Because I have no impulse control whatsoever. I chewed the firstRead… Read more »