Leadership

former federal CIO Steve VanRoekel at GeekWire

DorobekINSIDER: 6 Reasons Silicon Valley Can’t Fix Government

Hey there. I’m Christopher Dorobek — the DorobekINSIDER — and welcome GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER… where we focus on six words: Helping government do its job better. On GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER: Living in a Mobile World – lessons learned from ACT-IAC’s mobile apps fair: Some of the big takeaways from the app fair, emphasizing how government organizations areRead… Read more »

Leadership and…Barrel Racing?

Horse riders galloping through a rodeo arena, swiftly twisting and turning around barrel obstacles, racing to finish in 20 seconds or less. Go too fast, you risk getting bucked. Go too slow, you won’t win. This, my friends, is barrel racing. Like the intricacies of this wild sport, state and local governments face unique challenges.Read… Read more »

Why Ask Questions?

The average four-year-old girl asks 390 questions per day, mostly to her mother. Yep, you read that right. Three hundred ninety. Sorry, Mom. Warren Berger, our keynote speaker at GovLoop’s State and Local Innovators Virtual Summit and author of A More Beautiful Question, said this number isn’t all that surprising. At that young age, childrenRead… Read more »

8 Ways to Build an Economy That Works for Everyone

On Monday, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke at the National Press Club. His speech, “Shared Prosperity: Building an Economy that Works for Everyone,” provided insights on current policy focus areas at the Department of Labor. He opened by reminding the audience of a phrase used by President Obama during a rally in Milwaukee: “ByRead… Read more »

11 Ways to Keep Millennials in Government

A couple weeks ago, OPM released a report on millennials in the federal government. The major finding? Those born after 1981 are satisfied with their jobs, but frustrated by the lack of reward and advancement. It’s not necessarily rewards in the monetary sense, but rather failure to recognize innovation, hard work, and creativity. Currently, millennialsRead… Read more »

Photo: (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) President Barack Obama convenes a meeting with cabinet agencies coordinating the government's Ebola response, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Oct.15, 2014.

DorobekINSIDER: An Ebola Casualty: Trust in Gov

Hey there. I’m Christopher Dorobek — the DorobekINSIDER — and welcome GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER… where we focus on six words: Helping government do its job better. On GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER: A Bright Future for Open Data: As more industries are joining the fight for open data, governmental organizations at the local, state and federal levels have becomeRead… Read more »

Is Recovery Act a Model for Ebola Crisis?

Does it take a crisis for government to work right? Last week, I attended a forum sponsored by the American Society for Public Administration that looked at the successes in implementing the Recovery Act and potential lessons for public administration in the future. Little did I realize that the future would come so quickly, withRead… Read more »

Eightfold Path to Public Service Enlightenment: Wisdom

The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of Buddha and serves as a path to obtain or reach enlightenment. Buddha defined enlightenment as the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. From my experience, public service can cause a lot of suffering at times and Buddha’s teachings provide a great toolsetRead… Read more »