Please forgive me for having not blogged, but life should be allowed to intrude. And intrude it has this season: I officiated a planned wedding that became suddenly very interesting, and then conducted an unplanned funeral that tears at my heart still. These reminders of real life pushed aside the comparatively mundane promise of writingRead… Read more »
Triggered by a range of experiences recently I thought I would reflect on my learning journey. So over the last few weeks I’ve been dipping in and out of my blog posts from the last 5 years and thinking about how things have or haven’t changed or even if some of the things that IRead… Read more »
The end of the year means two things: setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and endless retrospectives. While we can’t force you to put down the cake and pick up a carrot, we can help you do your job better by highlighting some of the biggest and best innovations to come out of government in theRead… Read more »
A popular quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin is: Nothing is certain but death and taxes. True – however, the timing of one and the amount of the other are not certain. Leaders face certainty and uncertainty when painting their vision – e.g., revenue must cover expenses for an organization to be viable, but the timingRead… Read more »
For years now, governments around the globe have been working to bring services online. And this trend has generally resulted in easier access to services for most constituents, which is a good thing. However, when asked, government officials will, more often than not, cite the driving factor to be that of economics, it’s simply cheaperRead… Read more »
We all know that there is no shortage of transformational ideas or exceptional public servants in government, working to improve how agencies operate. IT holds unbelievable promise to streamline processes and change the business of government. Although this potential is clear, we have seen agencies struggle to completely leverage IT. Instead of a gateway toRead… Read more »
Summary: This post highlights the risks associated with public social media platforms and describes how private social networks (aka private digital networks) can reduce those risks while also enhancing communication and collaboration among organizational stakeholders. It counters the main points of resistance offered by organizational leaders and articulates the importance of being prepared to establishRead… Read more »
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” –Sydney J. Harris 1. Make time for their family and friends This is especially important if you have to travel to different work sites throughout your work week. 2. Exercise If you are unable to exercise during the week, then you need toRead… Read more »
The Service to America Medals are the Oscars of public service awards. The annual awards – by the Partnership for Public Service – are given to outstanding public servants. Last year’s recipients included a NIH scientist who found the superbug infecting patients, a NASA rocket scientist who helped create the Mars Rover and a youngRead… Read more »
2013 may very well go down as the year of big data. At every government conference, training, networking summit, someone was talking about how big data was transforming the way their organization operates. But one program rose above the rest. This year the Army’s EMDS was selected as FedScoop’s IT Program of the Year basedRead… Read more »