My mother always said I was a schmuck. “All of the women in our family are,” she says. “We work like animals, and what does it get us? Nothing.” We call this the “Coopersmith gene,” for my grandmother Muriel, may she rest in peace. Grandma had a heart attack in her early 40’s, shoveling snow offRead… Read more »
2014 saw the lowest federal job satisfaction numbers from feds and an unusually high separation rate, but what those numbers don’t tell you, is there are still passionate and determined federal workers who dedicate their lives to federal service. That remarkable work done was recognized Monday night in the annual Service to America Medal awardRead… Read more »
Hello, my name is Emily and I have a problem – I can’t say no. If you ask me to help on a project my default answer is an univocal yes. I can’t help myself and it is a problem, because if you stretch yourself thin you can’t give your 100 percent to any oneRead… Read more »
Thanks for coming back for part 3 of this series. If you have not already, please check out: Change the Way You Hire Part 1: Am I Qualified Change the Way You Hire Part 2: Years of Experience is Overrated Recruiting talent is a critical factor in avoiding mediocrity. You cannot just expect talented peopleRead… Read more »
I landed my first supervisory job at the age of 29 (considerably young, in HUD years). While the 3 years of experience definitely resulted in more gray hairs (and more frequent trips to the stylist for highlights), I learned a lot along the way. Confidence – I remember one of my very first meetings atRead… Read more »
Suppose you are an IT decision-maker (and who in IT doesn’t have to make decisions regularly?). For that matter, forget the “IT”. What drives your decision-making? Let’s assume that you would like to consistently make decisions so as to have the maximum positive (or least negative) impact on your own personal well-being. Does this soundRead… Read more »
A few summers ago, I stood at a railing and watched the thundering water of Niagara Falls while other people watched me. The number 1349 was plastered on all four of my limbs. Temporary tattoos. I had raced a triathlon in Vermont the day before. Although many people stared, nobody dared to satisfy their apparent curiosities. When IRead… Read more »
My name is Amber and I am an overachiever and a perfectionist at heart… I often hold myself to an unachievable standard, something I have worked hard to stop doing over the years. For a long time I knew this was my worst habit, but did not know how to give myself permission to letRead… Read more »
In my teens I dreamt of being a fashion designer. The walls of my room were literally covered with ripped-out pages from Vogue. They had to be clean pages, only photos, no words. I would be Kamali, Karan, Lauren, Klein. For a time it seemed I was actually on that path. They took me intoRead… Read more »
I was recently asked for an up-to-date résumé (note to my employer: I wasn’t job searching) and realized I hadn’t updated it since I got my current job four years ago. I had been working hard the last four years but hadn’t been keeping track of all of the interesting things I was doing. WhileRead… Read more »