Leadership

Political Appointees – How To Make The Most Of Their Time

The political appointee is one of the most prized and most difficult positions in government. These individuals are plucked (mostly) from the private sector, dragged through the Senate confirmation process and handed the top-job at an agency. They are expected to lead, but often don’t have the tools necessary to manage the difficult and nuancedRead… Read more »

SUCCESS RULE #39 Learn the Language of the Mind

Do you talk to yourself? Do you answer? I’m sure you do. We all of have conversations with ourselves, these are called thoughts. Perhaps the more serious question is what type of conversations are you having? What is the language of your mind? Have you ever talked yourself into such a frenzy it actually madeRead… Read more »

What are four types of mentors you need for your career needs?

Check this out: http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2014/03/21/avoid-superman-complex-seek-the-4-mentors-your-career-needs-most/ via @prismatic One of my friends introduced me to the notion of having a committee: a group of personal connections that serve as a sounding board for personal and professional issues? I have developed my own committee which serve as mentors for me on a variety of issues. How have youRead… Read more »

Selling Out

During a period of more than 10 years, as a CEO, Director, and Board Chairman, I have been responsible for disposing of three organizations and have been an acquisition target of two other organizations. I have been a close observer of several others. Here’s what I learned. Start Early. From concept to handing over theRead… Read more »

This is What the Future of Government Innovation Looks Like

Presidential Innovation Fellows with IFE CEO Kathleen Kemper (center) and John Paul Farmer (far right). Photo credit: Kevin Allen The term ‘government innovation’ can seem like an oxymoron. But for a small band of disrupters working at the highest levels of government, innovation is actually the prevailing rule of the day. On Thursday, March 13th,Read… Read more »

To Telework On Sunny Days? – Plus Your Weekend Reads

Monday brought another round of winter weather to the DC metro region. The federal government was closed, but not for teleworkers. Teleworkers were able to continue on, business as usual. The question becomes, if telework is acceptable/necessary on days when the weather if foul, is telework also an advantage on days when the sun isRead… Read more »

Tip-off: Is The NCAA Tournament Helping or Hindering Your Productivity?

You’ve likely seen much in the media addressing how the NCAA tournament affects productivity – positively or negatively – like here, here, and here! So, does it help or hinder productivity and performance? As a firm who works with client’s in the areas of employee engagement and high performance culture I can say – itRead… Read more »

Preparing Government for the Internet of Things

Did you know that your sneakers are on the Internet? So are local city buses. Oh, and TV is one of the biggest web junkies around. As strange at this sounds, the proliferation of sensors and Internet connections on everyday items – on our ‘things’ – is at the heart of the Internet of ThingsRead… Read more »

Good Communication between Operations and IT is Vital to Growth

There are reasons that the co-operation between your Operations function and your IT function are difficult. The conflicting agendas and miss-matched expectations that these two areas naturally have can be difficult to overcome. However, like many relationships, solving the communications breakdown and developing a good two-way dialog between them is a key to your organization’sRead… Read more »