The traditional Shabbos meal begins with wine and challah. Although they taste good, I never really understood why we bothered. * On the traditional deep purple wine, or grape juice often used in its stead. When you combine them with the also-traditional white tablecloth, get ready for someone to spill – and stains that neverRead… Read more »
We all know those coworkers — the ones that are just not getting it done. You may feel like it’s your responsibility to bring them back up to speed and into a good performance, but if you’re not their direct manager, there’s really not much you can do. Here are seven tips to lessen theRead… Read more »
There is arguably no more important skill for government career growth than networking. And doing it well can be the difference between landing a promotion or big project and being stuck in place. Here are 20 networking tips to get you started: Practice: Especially if you are shy, or have trouble speaking about yourself, practiceRead… Read more »
People are complex, variable and unpredictable. I like to think that we are more sophisticated than any 9-box grid, True Colors or personality test could ever hope to encompass. I feel violated when a marketer gets lucky and I suddenly “need” something I didn’t know even existed a few minutes earlier. Nonetheless, personality testsRead… Read more »
Guess who is at the very center of your People Garden? YOU! As with my first blog, this is about your People Garden work style. It is that time of the year where it is time for all of us to start our self-assessments for our Performance Appraisals. This whole concept has been ingrained inRead… Read more »
At various levels the federal government, there are structured, comprehensive career development (or mentoring) programs, like the Presidential Management Fellowship Program. Your agency might have its own version, but mentoring can be far less informal and structured, so long as it benefits both sides. If you are considering becoming a mentor to a new employee,Read… Read more »
Organizations have diverse teams focused on achieving a multitude of goals often with limited resources. Often, when resources such as staff or equipment are scarce some staff may engage in conflicts at work impacting office productivity. There are several ways to approach business conflicts: avoidance, acceptance or using a litany of anger. Business people learnRead… Read more »
Through the internet, introverts have found a safe haven to counter the extraverted hegemony of the workplace. We have guides for how to care for the introverts in your life, a defense of introverted leadership, and remarkable talks and books from introverts like Susan Cain. As an introvert myself, I find some of the mostRead… Read more »
Imagine a bright red Lamborghini parked outside of your front door and a sign right next to it screaming “FREE!” Initial reaction….Score! Secondary reaction……What’s the catch? With a little bit of healthy skepticism, you might reach the conclusion that the new gift may come with a hidden price tag. Because of the high market purchaseRead… Read more »
Recent findings from the Partnership for Public Service are raising cautionary flags when it comes to the government employment picture: Hiring for federal jobs has reached its lowest level in nearly a decade, as about 76,700 new employees entered the workforce in fiscal 2013 – a dip of more than 14.5 percent compared to 2012.Read… Read more »