Many of us who have no formal training or background in accounting/finance find ourselves overseeing big budgets. As we continue to advance in our careers the size of those budgets continues to grow, along the expectations and LIABILITIES. Brookings Executive Education (BEE) Finance for Non-Financial Managers course addresses some of the potential pitfalls those ofRead… Read more »
Recently, I enrolled in a course entitled “Project Management for the Office Professional” at Graduate School USA. To tell you the truth, I was skeptical. In my mind, project management had nothing to do with my desk job. Isn’t a project manager supposed wear a hard hat at construction sites? I could not have beenRead… Read more »
Working for a publication that almost exclusively serves the public sector and its partners, I routinely deal with practitioners and leaders at all three levels of government. Previously, I worked for an organization that archives data for government research projects. Along the way, I’ve picked up several tips and tricks for working effectively with electedRead… Read more »
Before my current state government position supporting AmeriCorps programs, I spent two years working as a community development consultant in Madagascar, the large island off the southeast coast of Africa. While living and working in Madagascar — a country and culture so different from our lives here in America — I learned a lot about perspective. And perspectiveRead… Read more »
We’ve all said at some point we wish that we had more time in the day. Chances are we would put more on our plate and complain about the same issue. Time is a commodity. Everyone has 24 hours in a day-how you spend them makes the difference. Invest some of my spare time workingRead… Read more »
When I first started working in an office, someone wise passed down this sage advice, “Make friends with the custodians and IT staff and your life here will be a piece of cake.” This turned out to be some of the best advice I’ve ever received. The custodial staff knows where everything is and theRead… Read more »
As woman in the workplace it’s hard not to let the double standards and stereotypes of women in power effect how you interact with co-workers and your approach to leadership. According to the Pew Research Center Report, Women and Leadership: Public Says Women are Equally Qualified, but Barriers Persist, the majority of Americans believes womenRead… Read more »
I recently read a job announcement for a well-known local nonprofit organization that included the standard position description, responsibilities, skills, and personal attributes required. But it also included something atypical for a job description: the announcement listed that the candidate must possess the qualities of “passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed.” Wow – whatRead… Read more »
I replay some conversations (in my mind) with management – to make sure I assessed the situation reasonably. I paid attention to what they said, but I really wanted to know what they thought. So I interviewed some supervisors to learn their perspective. I asked them what did they want to tell their staff, butRead… Read more »
For most of us, traveling on the government’s dime can be pretty exciting. These days, most of us don’t get to travel much anymore. So when we do, we like to make the most of it. Like most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to travel on business. Here are someRead… Read more »