The OPM Hack Is Bad News For Federal Customer Experience Efforts

It’s been a rough nine months for federal cybersecurity. The huge Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hack is just the latest in a series of incidents that make people skeptical of Washington’s ability to protect their personal information. Since last fall, we’ve witnessed hacks of the: OPM. Last week’s cybersecurity failure at OPM wasn’t its firstRead… Read more »

11 Ways to Network toward Rapport

Rapport makes small talk HUGE! Taking the time and getting to know people speeds learning names and fosters active engagement, increasing productivity. Rapport is the glue that binds personal and professional relationships. It reinforces the concept that people prefer to do business with those they consider friends. Successful networking can be accomplished simply by exercising… Read more »

Google: Solving Big Data – Sharing Technology and the Value

One of the many challenges involved in architecting “Big Data” solutions is in just moving the stuff around. Sometimes it makes sense to move the work to the Data (instead of the other way around). This assumes that your Data is already in a form that is amenable to heavy-duty analytics. More typically, you’re lookingRead… Read more »

Winter is Coming for Game of Thrones – and Federal Talent Management?

“Winter is Coming” is a key theme of the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. With its warning of constant vigilance, the meaning is clear – no matter how good or calm things seem now, the good times and serenity won’t last forever…and you need to prepare and be proactive to ensure you’re ready for… Read more »

A Customer’s View on How Data Dashboards Enhance Decision-Making

Data visualization software can help data analysts more efficiently distill and communicate pertinent information to their customers. Likewise, the customization available in many data visualization packages enables consumers of data to more easily obtain and sort through the information they need. In a previous blog post, I explored how the U.S. General Services Administration isRead… Read more »

7 Ways You Might Not Know You’re Putting Your Agency at Risk

>> Want even more information about the OPM breach? Read our recent post, 12 Things You Should Know About the OPM Breach The recent Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach has everyone on edge. The personal information of approximately 4 million current and former federal employees may have been compromised by hackers. The OPM will be contactingRead… Read more »

Hacking for Good, One Community at a Time

On June 6, 2015 thousands of people from 106 communities took part in the National Day of Civic Hacking. Organized by Code for America, the annual event helps people come together and collaborate to make their communities stronger. The locally organized events welcome more than just those who crunch code. Around the country, organizers engaged people of all backgrounds, including tech experts, government employees, students, entrepreneurs,Read… Read more »

Part 2: Leadership and Building a Clear Ethical Program

WWSJD? What Would Steve Jobs Do? Could Apple employees ask themselves this and know what to do in a tricky situation? Can your employees ask themselves what YOU would do in an unusual situation and know what they should do? In last week’s blog I introduced the Malcolm Baldrige and Florida Sterling business management modelsRead… Read more »