Exploring the Role of the Big “D” Designer in Government

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog arguing that everyone designs. In that post, I talked about how those of us with little to no design experience are still designers (just little “d” designers), as we work to improve situations and experiences around us. Big “D” Designers, on the other hand, are those individualsRead… Read more »

Happiness: The Output Not the Input

All of us want to be happy particularly at work where over a lifetime we spend more time with our colleagues than our families. Happiness is an important core workplace value of millennials who want meaningful work as soon as they walk into our agencies as they fast track their way to being an executiveRead… Read more »

U.S. Federal Hiring Practices 101

The mission statement of the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management is as follows: To recruit, retain, and honor a world-class workforce to serve the American people. It’s certainly an important and noble mandate. Yet with such a wide variation of jobs within the U.S. federal government, from professional to administrative to blue collar toRead… Read more »

Four Stages of Industry Knowledge Expertise

Every organization has people whom are looked upon as subject-matter experts. These folks have the institutional knowledge that can only be gained through years of experience. Therefore, they are indispensable and are likely to survive downsizing, restructuring, or layoffs. As a young professional, I lean on experienced colleagues all the time to get my workRead… Read more »

Woman Code: Leadership 102

In a previous blog we discussed three key factors that participants in the Brookings Executive Education (BEE) Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) felt helped them face challenges in the workplace. After a few inquiries we decided to continue that discussion with BEE Executive Director Mary Ellen Joyce, PhD. After five years of WLN, Joyce has heardRead… Read more »

The Impact of Government Shutdowns on Innovation

With the upcoming deadline to pass the budget for the 2016 fiscal year, it’s a good time to revisit the impact of past shutdowns and Continuing Resolutions (CR) – both which can delay funding to agencies and cause uncertainty over future funding. Much has been written about the cost of these budget uncertainties, particularly aroundRead… Read more »