Career

Keeping Focus on Mission IT at ODNI CIO

I’ve previously written about some of the challenges of IT support in the national security space. Leaders have to balance competing mandates of mission support and security and have to do that in an environment constrained by resource limits and slowed by layers of oversight. One of the most challenging positions in the national securityRead… Read more »

Less is More

Optimism is rising among small business owners, but, according to a recent Citibank survey, the rosier outlook may not lead to more hiring, Dow Jones Newswire reports today. While more than 80% of small company CEOs think that 2011 will be better than 2010, only 14% say they will hire additional employees. Unfortunately, this isRead… Read more »

Weekly Round-up: February 18, 2011

Gadi Ben-Yehuda New for Govvies (especially Muni-Govvies): Krisy Fifelsky, the Web Services Manager for the City of Reno, Nevada, has overhauled her blog and added a video feature. GovGirl.com. Check it out! NASA and State Department in the Social Media Spotlight. Articles on Ragan and HuffPo hlighlight the work of these two federal agencies inRead… Read more »

Texas Bills Seek Stricter School Bullying Policies, Addition of “Cyberbullying”

Though most of the focus involving education during the 82nd Texas Legislative Session will be on spending, some advocacy groups and legislators are pushing for education reform in the area of school bullying. School bullying entered into national exposure as a possible rationale behind the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Since then, most statesRead… Read more »

Survey suggests public service professionals use social networking — but not as part of their job

A new survey from the Public Service Research Panel (PSRPanel) finds that over two-thirds of public service professionals surveyed use social networking daily (50%) or weekly (20%) as part of their personal life. However, only a third use social networking daily (12%) or weekly (21%) as part of their job. The survey is based onRead… Read more »

Success Rule #8 – Cultivate a Firm Handshake

Is your handshake firm and solid or weak and squishy? Man or woman a firm handshake says confident and authoritative. Although there are a number of stories claiming the origin of the hand shake, the bottom line is it is a sign of respect, and one indicating equality between greeters. So important is the handshakeRead… Read more »

Sustainable Transportation – Why do Americans Drive So Much?

Shell recently released its report “Signals and Signposts,” which looks forward to 2050 and attempts to predict future energy demand, supply, roadblocks and opportunities. While there is a lot of fascinating reading in the report, one piece that caught our eye was this chart, which compares US and European drivers’ motivations. Shell asked itself theRead… Read more »

The networked public servant

One of the most popular books about the social media powered digital revolution is Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. Published in 2008, it took a private sector view of the benefits of listening to customers and engaging with them in online spaces. It’s a worthwhile read. The two authors have subsequently published newRead… Read more »

The Federal Coach: From innovation to Monty Python: An interview with the U.S. Postal Service’s inspector general

David C. Williams is the inspector general for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the largest civilian federal agency, which has $67.1 billion in annual revenue. In this role, Williams manages a staff of more than 1,100 employees nationwide who conduct independent audits and investigations for the USPS. He began his career as a special agentRead… Read more »