A few summers ago, I stood at a railing and watched the thundering water of Niagara Falls while other people watched me. The number 1349 was plastered on all four of my limbs. Temporary tattoos. I had raced a triathlon in Vermont the day before. Although many people stared, nobody dared to satisfy their apparent curiosities. When IRead… Read more »
Writing contract specifications can seem daunting, boring or like a mere formality. Where should I start? What should I write? It is difficult to start with a blank piece of paper and to generate the specifications for a contract. If the service is existing, start by thinking through the day to day details of theRead… Read more »
Packaging. Why do government communicators, marketers and brand strategists do it? To find out, take a look at a gift wrap site. Honest. The parallels between wrapping a gift and packaging a person are striking. A friend at work gave me a wry smile and said maybe he’d let me package him sometime. I reckoned that heRead… Read more »
The end of the fiscal year is drawing near and it is also to good time to begin a review of your web content to ensure it is still engaging for your target audience. Over the years, the technology industry developed more diverse online tools to help create interactive web content. However, good web contentRead… Read more »
I was recently asked for an up-to-date résumé (note to my employer: I wasn’t job searching) and realized I hadn’t updated it since I got my current job four years ago. I had been working hard the last four years but hadn’t been keeping track of all of the interesting things I was doing. WhileRead… Read more »
Not everything can be Big Data. Not everything should be either. But some data do need a kick in the pants, so to speak. Are the data you produce or use real time, coming down the pipe as a feed everyday, or are you stuck with years old data for your planning and analysis purposes?Read… Read more »
Let’s make a bet. If you are at your same job 10 years from now, I’ll give you $10, but if you have switched jobs, you have to give me $5. Sound like a fair bet? It’s not. On average, people are now switching jobs every 5 years and for the newest generations in theRead… Read more »
Okay. That’s harsh. Yup. It is. Does it count that I’m being harsh with myself first? And foremost? Here’s the thing. When I started out in public service, I said what I thought. Now, I was raised right – so I said what I thought, but I said it politely and patiently and in aRead… Read more »
Thanks for coming back for part 2 of this series. If you have not already, please check out Change the Way You Hire Part 1: Am I Qualified. Would you rather have an employee with two years of experience but has demonstrated the ability to handle more complex tasks over time, or someone with fiveRead… Read more »
Do your meetings have a creative killer? Newsrooms call them “story killers,” the naysayers at meetings who repeatedly shoot down stories while unsuspecting victims are trying to generate new ideas. Creative killers assassinate ideas, breeding fear and limiting impact for hundreds, maybe even thousands. These idea deaths never get investigated and their potential never getsRead… Read more »