If you’re considering becoming a mentor, let me start by saying good for you! It can be such a rewarding experience watching and helping someone grow. If you’re feeling the pull to mentor, I believe you should trust your gut. You don’t have to be an expert at coaching or the top of your fieldRead… Read more »
I recently heard a segment on the radio in which listeners submitted questions that they would ask their spouse or significant other anonymously. The submissions ranged from, “What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told your spouse?” to things much more scandalous. My first reaction was that if you have to ask your spouse anonymously, thenRead… Read more »
I mentioned in a previous post that we were planning to install a user survey on the NAO website. As the survey has been live for few days it is worth saying how it works. We are using SurveyMonkey which is activated for 1 in 20 visitors. We will review the frequency of this dependingRead… Read more »
Most jobs today require you to be stuck at a cubicle. If you are lucky, you have an ergonomic chair that allows you to maintain beautiful posture. As a physically active person I often cringe at the amount of time I spend behind a desk. Entering the workforce definitely took a toll on my body.Read… Read more »
Some state governments are not making it easy for their elected officials or their citizens to see where money is being spent and what results are being achieved. Consider this latest example. The actual name of the state has been omitted, as it would be a terrible embarrassment to its statewide elected leaders, its legislature,Read… Read more »
As a career counselor, I get a lot of eye-rolls when I talk about self-assessment as a part of the career development planning process. And yet, when I ask my graduate students what they do best, they don’t have very descriptive words. “Multitasking” or “problem-solving” or “building strategies”—interesting concepts but not particularly useful in jobRead… Read more »
Leaders (and everyone reading this is a leader irrespective of title or duties): sweat the small stuff. Notice details and pay attention to the invisible dynamics around you. In our ever-evolving world, yesterday’s intern could be your future boss. Chuckle at your peril… Much has been written about situational leadership, including the excellent theory positedRead… Read more »
During my time in National Defense University’s Advanced Management Program (41), I took a great course on the balanced scorecard technique. Generally speaking, it is a technique for senior management to measure how well strategic initiatives are performing. However, project managers can use the technique to help steer any project towards success. Balanced Scorecard BasicsRead… Read more »
“I believe we need to attract a new generation of the best and brightest to public service and I believe that government can be a source of inspiration, not degradation.” Andrew Cuomo There is a lot of evidence that diversity in the workforce enables lots of great things like problem solving, communications, and the abilityRead… Read more »
In parts 1 and 2 of this series on professional use of social media in the public service, I talked about the two different approaches you can take and about the social media disclaimer. In part 3, I would like to discuss two different models commonly used for message amplification through employee professional use ofRead… Read more »