We know that gold stars don’t hold the same appeal today as they did when you were a kid, but there’s no shame in striving for the adult equivalent. Getting recognized for good work is always important. As a government organization you do essential, impactful work on a daily basis with less glamor and aRead… Read more »
The late Zig Ziglar, a well-known author, sales trainer and motivational speaker, is credited with saying, “You can get anything in this world you want – as long as you are willing to help others get what they want”. Too often however our focus is either on what we want, or what we think othersRead… Read more »
The Sunlight Foundation recently hosted TransparencyCamp, a gathering of technology, policy and government thought leaders to discuss open government and open data initiatives. My recent post, “ICYMI: TransparencyCamp Event” gave a general overview of the event, and highlighted a session with former Philadelphia Chief Data Officer Mark Headd. This blog will look at a subsequentRead… Read more »
Drones. The word sends shivers down the spines of some Americans, but these remotely piloted aircraft are poised to make huge inroads in the national airspace. “Despite the fact that most people link unmanned aircraft systems with intelligence agencies and the military, the federal government’s drones user base extends well beyond spies and soldiers, reportsRead… Read more »
When I talk to my colleagues in the federal government, there seems to be a common theme around leadership or lack thereof. We seem to think that there has been a decline in the effectiveness of those in leadership positions. Many people in leadership positions have not demonstrated that they are sufficiently prepared for theRead… Read more »
Am I writing a bunch of leadership gobbledygook in my GovLoop blog? I had to stop and ask myself this question after reading a Harvard Business Review article entitled “The Trouble With Leadership Theories,” by Doug Sundheim. This short, but poignant article draws attention to the ways we toss leadership jargon, or as we sayRead… Read more »
That’s me pictured above with my parents and Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. It was a Saturday morning about 20 years ago following a Presidential radio address. The “Blue Pass” I’m wearing allowed me unfettered access to the West Wing, including the White House Briefing Room where I assisted dozens of reporters. This isRead… Read more »
When I first told my friends I was switching my major from computer science to geography, they seemed pretty confused. What do you do with a geography degree? was a question I got used to hearing, and I became pretty skilled at answering it. And good thing, too, because now that I’m in the geospatialRead… Read more »
You’ve been working for a few years, and you decide to get an advanced degree—for new knowledge or for a needed credential. How do you choose? In the past few years, universities have started lots of new master’s degrees—from “human-computer interaction” to “public history” to “law enforcement management”—many with direct connections to employers, such asRead… Read more »
“That’s normal city pace” is something of a running joke at the local municipality I work for. By normal pace, my coworkers and I mean slow. We often set ideal project deadlines and miss them by months or even years. Sometimes things just never get completed. I know it’s not just us. Bureaucratic red tape,Read… Read more »