The jobs of politically appointed executives leading federal agencies are typically seen as being mostly about policy and politics, not internal management and organizational performance. But is that really the case? And if so, should politicos then stay out of the management realm? Harvard’s Kennedy School recently looked at the issue in their new report,Read… Read more »
by Mary Schwarz, ICF Interactive Interdisciplinary has always been one of those words that bothered me. Not the actual intent of interdisciplinary – approaching work by involving practitioners from several areas of knowledge – but what it sounds like. So many ways to be disciplined or punished … will it be writing lines, scrubbing gumRead… Read more »
Baby boomers are retiring in droves and the government is in desperate need of the next generation of public servants. But government doesn’t just want anybody – they want the best and the brightest. One program that is looking to help attract the top talent is the Presidential Management Fellowship program. For more than 35Read… Read more »
I stumbled into the federal government by accident. When I quit swimming after my sophomore year of college, I waited tables to help pay tuition. As my senior year progressed, I realized I needed to gain some accounting experience. A local tax preparer called and asked my roommate if she was interested in a job.Read… Read more »
Learning how to succeed in business can come from a variety of diverse sources. It may include mentors, managers and multiple teams of staffers that you meet during your career. Inspiration for solid business practices may also result from other life experiences, including sports. The three business lessons I learned from the batting cage coverRead… Read more »
According to this post on Zen Habits, all the motivation hacks in the world can be broken down into two categories: 1) make things enjoyable, and 2) use public pressure. The theory is that if only you can find the joy in your work and hold yourself accountable to others, you can find the motivationRead… Read more »
Hello, my name is Emily and I am a millennial. And you know what? I am proud to be a millennial. Oftentimes, the millennials get a bad reputation as being lazy, tech focused and commitment phobes. But I’m here to tell you: It’s not all true. Right now, millennials make up about 16 percent of theRead… Read more »
Feeling stuck at work? Passed over? You know the feeling: it seems like you’ve been doing the same old thing for ages, yet no one seems to notice. You’d excel at a higher position, but coworkers who have been around for less time are being picked before you. What’s going wrong? If you’ve been wonderingRead… Read more »
Over the past 4 years, GovLoop has hosted a Graduate Fellowship Program in which recent graduates or current graduate students have joined us for a semester to contribute to our mission to “connect government to improve government.” Over 40 Fellows have worked on our core projects, including our research guides, online and in-person training, digitalRead… Read more »
Since there’s the “Build a Bear” concept for kids, I figured why not create my own fictitious “Build a Boss?” I have had a fairly large number of supervisors during my federal government career (I’m counting at least 14 in 11 years). And while no one is perfect (not even Olivia Pope on “Scandal”… evenRead… Read more »