Posts Tagged: budgeting

An Analysis of A NASA Dbase Hack-and-Dump

This is just another in a long string of NASA security breaches [Editor’s note: this analysis predates any official announcements by NASA] Recently, some news of a NASA hack-and-dump passed my twitter deck. I decided after watching a few of my friends re-tweet the news that it might be worth checking out. At least I’dRead… Read more »

Sunlight Foundation: Obama Super PAC Thoughts

Last night’s announcement came as no surprise — that the President would formally align himself with super PAC run by former White House staffers. The corrupting influence of money in politics, according to the President’s public persona, is a threat wielded by rank-and-file lobbyists and insider trading. It’s been about a year since the postRead… Read more »

How do you track results instead of time?

You may have guessed that in a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) the focus is on results. Not time, not physical presence. For years, organizations have tracked success by looking at time cards and making sure everyone is at their desks. That’s the old currency. What does it really mean if you put in 60 hoursRead… Read more »

Political law links for 2/7

BUNDLERS IN THE NEWS. The Times. “Two American brothers of a Mexican casino magnate who fled drug and fraud charges in the United States and has been seeking a pardon enabling him to return have emerged as major fund-raisers and donors for President Obama’s re-election campaign.” More here. STOCK ACT PROVISIONS EXAMINED. Covington’s look atRead… Read more »

Keeping Track! The Next Scud Hits Federal Compensation

So many pieces of legislation and so little time for campaigners to come up with ways to inhibit/prohibit pay increases for Federal employees. Proposals are coming out of Washington like scud missiles but looking less like true, well-researched bills to address real concerns with Federal compensation. What’s next? Freezing promotions? Here’s an abridged list ofRead… Read more »

Four Methods for Creating Thriving Employees

“If you give your employees the chance to learn and grow, they’ll thrive – and so will your organization,” says Gretchen Spreitzer and Christine Porath in an article they wrote in the January-February 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review. Their article doesn’t focus on creating happy employees but rather “thriving” employees. They say the focusRead… Read more »

Reward and Recognition in the Public Service – A System In Need of Reform

Social Connect via: Dan Pink gives a good TED talk on the subject of incentives that I’d like to share as an opening to this post. He believes that “carrot/stick” incentive models are not appropriate for the knowledge worker who does not perform mechanical tasks or “inside the box” tasks. During the talk, he givesRead… Read more »

Elected Bodies Need Guiding Principles

The Colorado City City Council recently approved an interesting set of guiding principles that they will use to govern Colorado City. A few highlights of the principles and comments from me in italics follow: Principle 1: The Council will focus on policy and outcomes. The Council’s unique value is to ensure that the strategic directionRead… Read more »

Sunlight Foundation: Video Blackout of Hearing on Budgets for Legislative Support Agencies

This Tuesday, there will be hearing on budgets for the Library of Congress, the Government Printing Office, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office. It’s too bad that the public won’t have a real opportunity to learn about these important agencies, as the meeting is not expected to be webcast by the committee,Read… Read more »

The Inner Voice at Work

Organizations are collections of people—individuals who have an inner work lives. The inner work life is a complex set of processes affecting how individuals understand themselves and interact with others. While most of the inner work life is hidden, a great deal is revealed through patterns in behavior, which ultimately affect work, performance, and theRead… Read more »