Last week we looked at indicators that might be measured in relation to factors that can foster creativity and innovation in organisations. In this post we’ll consider possible measures of creative activity and the outcomes of creativity. Creative activity The measurement of creativity itself is arguably about monitoring ideas that are generated. This can beRead… Read more »
Aspiring front-line managers often ask me, “What would you do as a front-line manager the first week on the job.” I tell them I would start having conversations with my team members that foster emotional connections. The first questions I would ask my direct reports are, “What is your personality and temperament, what are strengthsRead… Read more »
Managing a micromanaging boss can bring results, though it’s not likely to be fast. With patience and an understanding boss, however, you may be able to salvage the relationship.
In Women in Technology: Promoting a Broader Perspective, I argued that women can make strong contributions in technology-focused areas without being employed by technology firms or educated and trained in technology-related fields. This piece extends those ideas by highlighting the diversity of career options for women available in the Digital Era. Although well intentioned and certainly important, emphasizingRead… Read more »
By Abigail Reid, Writer-Editor, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Recently, the Thrift Savings Plan examined gender differences in retirement saving among Federal employees. For the first time, we segmented data from our annual Participant Behavior and Demographics Report by gender, in addition to factors like age and length of tenure. Considering that March is Women’sRead… Read more »
Have you ever heard of buzzword bingo? Where you and your co-workers make a bingo card of words or phrases like “touch base” and “data driven” and “Scalable” and “Proactive” and “Paradigm,” then head into a meeting and see who can hit a bingo? Well, it’s a real thing. I mention it because buzzword bingoRead… Read more »
There’s a lot of talk about innovation in the federal government, and with it comes talk of failing fast. The two go together in a useful, integrated way, but I hear little discussion of what either concept means. At least not in terms that managers can use. A definition of innovation I like is doingRead… Read more »
For every Luke Skywalker there is an Obi-Wan Kenobi (or Yoda) and for every Justin Bieber there is an Usher. These pairs each shared a mentor-mentee relationship. Without this special bond, neither party would have achieved the accomplishments (I use the term accomplishments loosely for our latter mentee subject) they are so well known forRead… Read more »
The public service needs more linchpins. More what? Exactly.
As a little girl, I was taught not to use the word lie. It was a bad word in my world. My mother told me to use untruth instead. And so I did…until I transitioned to the workplace; I began to use ‘fabricate’ to replace untruth. Today, telling an untruth is simply deemed a lieRead… Read more »