LinkedIn. PayPal. YouTube. They’re household names for most — if not all of us. We use these nifty platforms to search and apply for jobs, send and receive payments and watch videos go viral. But behind these household names are bright minds that overcame failures and challenges to shepherd their creations from ideas, to concepts,Read… Read more »
At the Next Generation of Government Summit, I was sitting in a room of nearly 700 public sector employees from every level of government. As I wandered that room, I asked these govies to tell me about themselves and, let me tell you, I was floored by the dynamism I found. Every person had differentRead… Read more »
That’s what Elizabeth Fischer Laurie, keynote speaker for Tuesday’s Next Generation of Government Training Summit, asked. As Attorney Advisor of the Department of Health and Human Services, Fischer Laurie addressed typical images that arise when we think of bravery. We often think of cops chasing after the bad guys or firefighters risking their lives to saveRead… Read more »
Government workers these days are facing mountains of stress. Limited resources. A 24-7 news cycle. Constant connectivity and all of its demands. A growing disconnect between public perception and needs and the reality of services. Stress manifests itself in a variety of ways — from illness to grumpiness to self-isolation — and too often itRead… Read more »
I’m white, Jewish and male. If I behaved like sociologists expect, most of my mentors would be “like” me. But I don’t. The lion’s share of my mentors are black, female and of a different faith than I. Though I’ve never personally been the subject of research on homophily —the tendency of individuals to associateRead… Read more »
Why are you a public servant? That’s the question we asked the thirty NextGen Public Service Awards finalists. Their responses were inspirational and show why they were nominated by their peers, for their dedication to improving and invigorating government. We compiled them into this video that we played for over 200 govies the last nightRead… Read more »
In order to succeed in business and in life, you have to be willing to change. – federal employee benefits
Last week I had the pleasure to watch Illumination Entertainment’s Minions, the movie about the yellow pill-shaped creatures that was accompanied by an aggressive marketing campaign. I found that the movie, which shows the Minions from the beginning of time to the time they meet Despicable Me‘s Gru, to be hilarious from the the Universal logo at the beginningRead… Read more »
A manager might need temporary talent on a project and doesn’t have it on his/her team. Energetic employees in other parts of the agency may have those skills and would like to share them as a way of broadening his/her professional experience. How can they connect? GovConnect is an initiative sponsored by the Office ofRead… Read more »
In the wake of Katherine Archuleta’s departure as Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), it’s natural to think back on other high-profile federal leadership resignations. Some resigned from government because they did something wrong or poorly handled a key situation. Others left because, ultimately, they were the ones in charge. As Steve Huffman, co-founder and new CEORead… Read more »