Yearly Archives: 2014

Find Project Success With the Balanced Scorecard Method

During my time in National Defense University’s Advanced Management Program (41), I took a great course on the balanced scorecard technique. Generally speaking, it is a technique for senior management to measure how well strategic initiatives are performing. However, project managers can use the technique to help steer any project towards success. Balanced Scorecard BasicsRead… Read more »

Beyond Public Hearings: Engaging in the 21st Century

Community engagement can be addressed from many perspectives; a wide range of coverage only strengthens the topic as a key value of inclusive democracy. In the past few months we’ve blogged about how Boston’s gamifying the process and getting youth involved, how engagement needs to be all inclusive, and how governments engage in events likeRead… Read more »

Feedback: Are You Doing It Right?

Feedback is not easy for most people. Learning to give it constructively and receive it gracefully are two skills that can make difficult situations much less so. Getting in the habit of asking for feedback is also important. You should be soliciting feedback from your direct reports, or letting them know that you are interestedRead… Read more »

Ou est la salle de bain?

Remember when you didn’t know where the bathroom was located and asking just seemed to be announcing the obvious (that you needed to use it…right then)? How a new employee is treated in the early days with your organization lays a foundation that either brings them into the corporate culture or repels them. And theseRead… Read more »

Does Hero Worship of the Military Get in the Way of Good Policy?

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: Hurricane Sandy was one of the deadliest on record. To jump start the recovery process in 2012, the government created a $50 billion dollar Hurricane Sandy disaster relief fund. The money was a huge help, but tracking those funds could have been a nightmare. Meet the Sammies finalist who is keepRead… Read more »

Lessons Learned from the Cleanup of Hurricane Sandy – How to Track the $$$

Hurricane Sandy was one of the deadliest on record. The massive storm took the lives of 117 people in the United States and 69 more in Canada and the Caribbean. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) estimates that Sandy caused $5 billion dollars in losses: $4.75 billion in infrastructure damage and a further $246 million inRead… Read more »

When Social Media Gets Ugly

By Amy Larsen, Client Success Consultant at GovDelivery (cross post from Reachthepublic.com) Social media can be a beautiful thing. With unlimited possibilities for connections with billions of people worldwide, friendships can be strengthened, families can connect across the globe, and loyal customers can become raving fans, even friends, of your organization. But like most things,Read… Read more »

Professional Use of Social Media: Empowerment vs Control (Part 3)

In parts 1 and 2 of this series on professional use of social media in the public service, I talked about the two different approaches you can take and about the social media disclaimer. In part 3, I would like to discuss two different models commonly used for message amplification through employee professional use ofRead… Read more »