How to Court an Informal Mentor
An informal mentor can be a great career development resource, whether you are trying to manage work/life balance, navigate career decisions, or develop new skills.
Part 1: World Class Organizations, Are You Missing Something?
I am attending the Florida Sterling Council’s Annual Conference in Orlando next week as a Sterling Examiner going into my fourth year. Sterling is the Florida Governor’s version of the nationally recognized Malcom Baldrige Presidential program; they are not-for-profit and serve both public and private entities. Both programs are dedicated to improving the performance ofRead… Read more »
Help Yourself by Helping Reporters Dig into a News Story
In my newspaper reporting days, when I started really digging into stories, I would run into two basic types of sources. One type would decline comment or be defensive, even if the news story is directly about them. Sometimes it was carried to an extreme, such as an encounter I had way back in theRead… Read more »
Federal Agencies Must Treat Customer Experience As A Business Discipline
By now we all know that federal customer experience (CX) is disastrously weak, and that improving it will boost both agency operations and the health of the political system. We’ve also seen some pockets of hope popping up, as I predicted a few months ago. For instance: The Department of Education’s new portal is complete,Read… Read more »
Paper, Paper, Everywhere
Paper paper everywhere, but not a drop of efficiency to be seen. That could be the mantra of government workers everywhere, who, in order to perform their important duties for citizens, often have to shift through mound and mounds of internal and external paperwork to get anything done. From clerks who must deal with enormousRead… Read more »
Case Studies on Smart Communities
During GovLoop’s May 21 online training, Become A Smart Community Using Tools You Have, But Probably Don’t Know About, Esri’s Director of Government Markets, Christopher Thomas, and Hub Program Manager, Brenda Wolfe, demonstrated how geospatial technology enhances efficiency across the public sector. GIS apps on the ArcGIS platform are immediately deployable and easily configured forRead… Read more »
Using the Force in Government
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Actually, this is happening right here in our government. Yes, it’s true: DoD has become the new and modern Death Star! Okay, maybe not quite. But there is a super laser technology now used by the Navy, thanks to Peter Morrison, Program Officer at theRead… Read more »
5 Ways You Can Lead Change in Your Organization
Change is constant. The best government leaders know how to make it an expectation, rather than something to be feared.
The Evolution of Government Financial Transparency
You’ve probably heard something about the DATA Act, the first U.S. open data law that requires all federal agencies to standardize and publish their spending reports. However, do you know how that Act came about? More importantly, do you know how and when it will be achieved? Below we offer a brief timeline to offerRead… Read more »
3 Non-Defensive Tricks For Dealing With Tricky Coworkers
When I got my first career-path job after college, there was a lot I didn’t know about working in an office full of people who came from different backgrounds. I’d just moved to California and my New York communication style could come off as brash and blunt. I was often defensive and I unintentionally put people on the defensive.Read… Read more »