5 Takeaways from the OPM Breach Hearing

It’s highly likely that sophisticated hackers stole sensitive data from Office of Personnel Management systems containing Social Security numbers and other personal records of current and former federal employees, government officials testified on Tuesday. Although OPM has not determined the full scope of not one, but two recent hacks against its IT systems, Director KatherineRead… Read more »

You’ve Gone to a Networking Event—Now What?

Back when I was a director of communications at a nonprofit, my LinkedIn profile headline read “I schmooze for good causes.” A large part of my job was to attend events, meet people, and bring them closer to the organization and the cause it championed. I have a knack for networking. I’m a successful networker because I recognize that the mostRead… Read more »

Female Leadership: How Does the Public Sector Compare to Private?

In the recent post, I mentioned that one lady govie asked where women had it better – in the private or the public sector. In that article, we explored paid parental leave. Today, let’s talk about representation in leadership roles. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important to have your perspective included in decision-making. That doesn’tRead… Read more »

The Secret to Good Government

Could the federal government’s COOs be managing agencies better? Ron Sanders, Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton and the firm’s first fellow, sought to answer this question. In collaboration with the Partnership for Public Service, he and his company surveyed federal COOs to pinpoint the problems that COOs across the public sector frequently encounter inRead… Read more »

Your People Analytics Dashboard is Not Nearly as Useful as it Could Be

People are much more likely to retain information – and become intrigued by it, by listening to an interesting story than by listening to recitation of points on a slide. We’re more likely to retain information, learn from it and be able to act on it if it contains up-to-the-minute data. And we’re more likely… Read more »

A Beacon of Hope

Meet Joan Mower, a NextGen Public Service Award finalist in the Advocate category. As head of International Media Training and Development at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Mower has improved millions of people’s lives across the world by tirelessly promoting press freedom and training the next generation of journalists to do the same.

Ghost Whisperers of Institutional Memory

Ghost Whisperer, iRobot, and many crime shows depend on detective work based on access to other people’s memories.Young people need expertise that gets them out of their chairs and to step away from their computers. Administrative ghost whisperers, younger staff or not, should seek out older staff. That experience should not be disregarded as a… Read more »

Your Burning Questions About the OPM Hacks May Soon Be Answered

There are far more questions than answers about the massive Office of Personnel Management breach that exposed the personal data of millions of current and former federal employees. In the wake of OPM’s June 4 announcement that some 4 million people were affected by the cyber hack, new reports have surfaced that create a much bleaker pictureRead… Read more »