5 simple ways to do your job better in 2013

All year long we’ve been talking about ways you can improve your leadership skills. Find a better job. Make a difference. So we wanted to take a step back and pull out the five best pieces of advice we’ve heard this year. It’s all part of our mission to help you do your job better. So let’s get started.

Five Ways to Help You Do Your Job Better in 2013

#1 Eliminate the Skills Gap

Right Person, Right Job

#2 Top Down and Bottom Up

Leadership at all levels

#3 Transition Turmoil

Prepare, Execute and Impress

#4 Ask Questions

Don’t Be Afraid To Speak Up

#5 Talk

Rumors Spread Like Wildfire, Inform

1. Fix the Skills Gap: Fact, there is a pay and hiring freeze going on right now. But that’s not the only problem facing agencies – there’s also a major skills gap. The only way for agencies to be successful is to correctly match the right person to the right job. It sounds simple. But it’s a really hard task. We talked solutions.

2. Engage Top Down and Bottom Up Leadership: In order for an agency to be successful you have to have everyone in the agency engaged and on the same page. Leaders need to not only inform and guide but really listen to their employees. The Transportation Department has shown real success in this arena. Which helped them greatly improve their rankings in the Best Places to Work guide.

3. Prepare, Present and Produce during Transition. The transition time between a first and second term can be challenging for career feds. With new faces headed in as top dogs it’s hard to maintain production. But excelling during the transition is possible. And it if you can succeed it really shows your value.

4. Ask the Tough Questions: Unfortunately sometimes leaders can be blinded to a situation and it’s up to you to ask the tough questions. But there are ways to best approach leaders with problems and solutions. We figured out how to ask the toughest questions by posing questions to presidential candidates.
   

5. When Budgets Get Tight – Explain. The worst thing leaders can do in times of budget uncertainty is crack down on information. Talk. Inform. Be available. Rumors spread like wildfire in times of budget crunch. Let your employees be in on the discussion. On the flip side don’t assume. You never know what’s going to happen so don’t spread anxiety.