I gave a brief talk recently on how to effectively build teams. These are the main lessons I shared: 1. Build trust. No one will follow someone they don’t trust. I cited Steven M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust as my guidebook for doing so. Covey cites 13 principles for earning and keeping trust. IRead… Read more »
The term “no comment” is conventionally viewed among government communicators and media relations professionals as leaving a negative perception with the interviewer and the audience. This is because “no comment” often implies there’s something sinister going on – whether that’s true or not. Why “No Comment”? “It seems obvious after the fact, but ‘no comment’Read… Read more »
Twitter has been taking a bit of a pasting in the technology media world recently. Could this mean it is facing a bleak future, and could become the new MySpace, or Friendster? Or even – the horror! – FriendsReunited? The biggest furore came when they recently changed the terms of use for their API orRead… Read more »
DCLG have today announced that residents, bloggers, tweeters, community activists and hyperlocal sites should have the same access and facilities to council meetings as traditional newspaper journalists. This is important because it means Government recognises the valuable contribute the wider community makes to accountability in local government. It’s a very timely announcement. For a whileRead… Read more »
Congressional approval ratings have matched the all-time low of just 12 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. That means that fewer than 1 of every 8 Americans thinks Congress is doing a good job. Much of this dissatisfaction is surely deserved, but far too many people have the wrong idea about whatRead… Read more »
Well, well, well folks. It seems I’ve hit a hot button here: customer service. I cross-posted a post titled “Get to Know Your Customers on a Personal Level” to the NCMA group on LinkedIn. There strong feelings on both sides. Some think that contracting officers absolutely need customer service training. Some think that customer serviceRead… Read more »
Http://LeonardSipes.Com Are blogs the journalistic scumbags of the internet? I just finished reading (for the second time) Ryan Holiday’s “Trust Me, I’m Lying—Confessions of a Media Manipulator.” Holiday heaps tons of slime on both blogs and the mainstream media. The premise of the book is something he refers to as “trading up the chain;” convinceRead… Read more »
If law enforcement can cut down on pirated apps, Android will become a shinier target for developers Here is today’s top tech news. Three top Android piracy sites seized – The DOJ has stopped three large sites from distributed pirated Android apps. Developers for Android have long complained (and rightfully so) about the ease ofRead… Read more »
The FBI’s Sentinel project is a recently completed case study of the potential of Lean/Agile methodologies for managing government projects. “so fraught with miscommunication, incompetence and failed oversight that the entire debacle would have been a shoo-in for the most flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars since, well, ever” They were over-running and close to killingRead… Read more »
On Monday, August 20, I had the pleasure of attending the American Security Project‘s event on U.S. Drones Policy: Strategic Frameworks and Measuring Effects. I say that it was a pleasure because, unlike most discussions on drone policy, this one was based on facts and empirical data rather than politics and speculation. The event wasRead… Read more »