Oakland has a new School Superintendent. I like him, partly because of the following statement he dropped at a meeting of the Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority recently. All the city and county heavy-hitters were there, discussing the possibility of hiring an out-of-state firm to do a data report on Oakland. There was much debateRead… Read more »
I spent the majority of my federal career sitting in a cubicle, and these last few years I have ventured out on local travel as well as trips across the county. I have an accounting background, and most of my reviews pertain to financial issues. Since I work for the US Department of Housing andRead… Read more »
Be Prepared Showing up with a clear mind and a solid strategy is key to performing at your best. In Texas Hold’em this consisted of reviewing previous play, determining what your general strategy will be and making sure your mind is clear and ready to play. This is also important in leadership. Reviewing what hasRead… Read more »
Imagine if a scientist spent a year – every hour of every day – on a single task. The person would account for 8,760 hours of work and need one serious nap. Now imagine if the scientist put out a compelling request for help, and volunteers interested in the problem answered the call. I grew up in aRead… Read more »
Some people are natural born writers who can easily string together concise messages with little to no effort. The rest of us are “writers-in-progress” who know it takes time to craft an effective business message. The best approach to strong business writing is varied and based on the several things: Solid research Editing skills TurningRead… Read more »
In our jobs as federal employees, knowing how to do our jobs and do them well is essential to our success. Our success is predicated on the training we receive and the attitude we take regarding that training and how we build upon it thereafter. But, how do you know if you are successful atRead… Read more »
Switchboard’s mission is to provide HUD’s citizens, stakeholders, and staff with the tools and channels necessary to interact meaningfully with their government in the following ways: By welcoming and encouraging creative ideation to improve HUD’s programs, policies, and operations, and engaging those interested in the process of putting those ideas into action; By creating avenues of feedback for individuals or organizationsRead… Read more »
The mere mention of a meeting can send people scrambling for the solace of a long email chain. But meetings don’t have to be catalysts for eye rolls or iPhone games. Creativity is key. Within the EPA Innovation Team, we occasionally have walking meetings. I’m a big fan. Coffee meetings? Not as much. Despite meetingsRead… Read more »
The applications are now closed – thanks for you interest! If you want to apply later on, we’ll be doing another featured blogger round at the end of March 2015. At GovLoop, we pride ourselves on our community. There are over 150,000 of you — government employees, industry partners, and knowledge experts — who areRead… Read more »
In my last post, I spoke about how the US Postal Service is leveraging its existing expertise in the delivery business to begin a two-year grocery delivery test in San Francisco, CA, and how you can emulate them leveraging your existing skills by teaching what you already know. There are a number of ways youRead… Read more »