Follow these tips and you won’t waste time on Monday morning getting your focus back. http://www.karlabrandau.com/tgif Another Friday and 99.9% of all employees in America are muttering under their breath or uttering the words to colleagues as they walk through the doors, “Thank God It’s Friday.” We omitted .1% because there are workaholics who thinkRead… Read more »
Do you ever wonder, “How can I make a difference when so many things around me seem out of my control?” An hour spent perusing print and online news media or even attending some organizational planning meetings would lead us to believe that all hope is lost and that the good in the world (andRead… Read more »
Ever had a boss ask you to perform a task that was totally out of your area of expertise? Trying to work outside one’s comfort zone can bring up anxiety for even the most seasoned professional. But if leaders prioritize building up their employees’ strengths, they can improve morale and efficiency. According to a GallupRead… Read more »
Innovation. It’s the latest buzzword making waves in government. But is there more to innovation than just hype? Has the government really embraced the idea of it? Or is it merely innovation for innovation’s sake? Philadelphia is embracing more than just the term innovation; they’ve just graduated the first class from the Municipal Innovation Academy.Read… Read more »
Do you know the top Senior Executive Service (SES) members will make over $200,000 a year in 2014? Did you know there’s only 7,200 SES in the federal government out of 2 million government employees? So: how do you make it to SES? Here are six tips: 1) Be Awesome – Yes, this is simpleRead… Read more »
I noticed that some leaders want to blame others for what they are not doing on the job. The problem is leadership lacks corporate social responsibility (CSR). Who would have thought that leaders do not want to look at the problems within an organization and explore ways to fix those issues. The problem is someRead… Read more »
One of the more intimidating but significant times in the life of a manager is the start of a new organizational assignment. It’s an opportunity to take advantage of your strengths and work on any weaknesses. And, as with any project, the way you begin is extremely important. Performing a situational assessment is an importantRead… Read more »
I have previously written about the 5 Main Barriers to Digital Engagement by organizations, their leaders, and other senior professionals. These barriers include lack of knowledge and understanding of social and digital technologies, framing that leads to risk aversion, poor/no roadmaps, and inadequate resource allocation. A related issue involves concerns over the ROI of socialRead… Read more »
I recently finished The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right Paperback by Atul Gawande and I was blown away by the results he shares with regard to the use of checklists as well as his personal experiences in the implementation and use of checklists. As a big believer in the power of repeatable processesRead… Read more »
What are the major levers for driving changes in government agencies? Traditional tools are statutory changes, budgetary controls, and executive orders. But one that seasoned government executives will use to drive change is control over delegations of authority. A recent report by the Partnership for Public Service on how several federal agencies created shared serviceRead… Read more »