Getting Things Done
We all feel better looking back on accomplishments we can measure, see and touch. When we work for the government, this can feel like a challenge. To meet this challenge, we need to foster and maintain a sense of empowerment.
We all feel better looking back on accomplishments we can measure, see and touch. When we work for the government, this can feel like a challenge. To meet this challenge, we need to foster and maintain a sense of empowerment.
Last summer we were at our farm in upstate NY and it was time to hay the fields. We don’t have haying equipment so we allow others to hay the fields and use the hay for their animals or sell it – or whatever else one does with hay. I sat by our house, watchingRead… Read more »
Non-profits, foundations, and universities are enthused by government’s growing interest in the use of evidence and evaluation. They are chiming in with either support for government initiatives or undertaking their own initiatives. Some non-profits and foundations are advocates for the use of evidence-based decision-making in different policy arenas, while others advocate use of different toolsRead… Read more »
The federal government is not the sole player in the growing movement toward the use of evidence and evaluation in the policy decision-making process. While the federal government is undertaking a number of evidence-based program initiatives, the “moneyball government” movement is broader, encompassing initiatives at the state, local, and even international levels. Examples of State-LevelRead… Read more »
OMB’s guidance to agencies on the development of their FY 2015 budgets promises that “OMB will issue a separate memo at a later date that encourages the increased use of evidence and evaluation, including rigorous testing of innovative strategies to build new knowledge of what works.” This encouragement comes on top of a foundation alreadyRead… Read more »
Free. Easy. All Online. Public interest in Congressional activity surged in recent years. Confusion, misinformation, and outright lies abound. But we can get accurate information without extensive web searches. All official Congressional activity is available on one website. Have you ever wanted to read the text of a bill for yourself, while Congress debates it?Read… Read more »
Do people ever offer you advice? How valuable is it when you request it? When unsolicited? Earlier this week I heard from an entrepreneur – he had an idea, started a company, and successfully sold it in four years. He would make a change if he did another start-up: during the planning for the start-up,Read… Read more »
When talking about leadership, Dick Davies said “leadership can not be taught – it can only be learned.” It caught me by surprise at the time, but has stayed with me as a fundamental in developing leaders. Learn by doing. In my youth, I wanted to learn to play tennis and read several books aboutRead… Read more »