In launching our innovation program, my colleagues and I surprisingly received the most push-back from our most innovative colleagues. “We’re already innovating!” was the common refrain. True dat. We have jaw-droppingly talented colleagues who are doing amazing things to help U.S. exporters. However, these best practices aren’t often widely shared across an organization with officesRead… Read more »
Content is king! This has become the mantra of social media, especially bloggers. As long as you have good content, they will come. Saying otherwise is blasphemy, heresy! And yet, a brave few souls are daring to challenge this. They whisper in dark corners that there is a new king in town. The king isRead… Read more »
Meetings compose a large amount of your work time, but are they time well spent? Efficiency can be increased or decimated by the timing and structure of meetings. Think about the impact multiplier for each participant. Starting an eight person meeting 15 minutes late wastes two hours of work for the organization. Bad meetings areRead… Read more »
A while back I had an opportunity to participate in a lunch and learn about this topic and thought these big take-aways would be great to share. Today’s workforce is a blend of Ernest Hemingway’s “Lost Generation,” Jack Kerouac’s “Beat Generation,” Timothy Leary’s Vietnam-era Generation and Generation Y (I couldn’t quite decide what literary workRead… Read more »
I was hired as the first female Chief Innovation Officer in the country in early 2013 and I have to admit I think that is pretty cool. However, I am also very much aware of the gender gap that I see around me in meetings at City Hall and with community stakeholders. Often it isRead… Read more »
Most agencies have policies to facilitate diversity and sensitivity. Showing awareness or activism in this area may even be a part of your performance review. But be honest: do these policies really ensure that we walk the walk and truly embrace diversity in the workplace? Workplace diversity is a really fashionable topic these days. ItRead… Read more »
Your stare was holdin’, Ripped jeans, skin was showin’ Hot night, wind was blowin’ Where do you think you’re going, baby? Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, But here’s my number, So call me, maybe! (chorus) Carly Rae Jepson – Call Me Maybe Although this song is almost two years old (anRead… Read more »
We have all heard the phrase “Change is Good.” But is it? Change can be good; however, making a change without regard for those affected by it, is a recipe for trouble. When a leader tells employees about a change instead of involving them in the change, a team’s work quality, morale, and motivation suffers,Read… Read more »
Uncle Sam continues to face a quandary over how to attract a new generation of young people to public service. One perplexing problem is how to rebuild plummeting trust in government among the all important millennial demographic, also known as Generation Y. This generation will ultimately comprise a majority of the U.S. labor force, yetRead… Read more »
Collectivism is a core concept in public service. In my last post, I introduced the concept of leading without a title (insert hyperlink to that blog post). So much of our personal development happens outside the office. Our life experiences, personal lives and hobbies paint a picture of our values, ethics and interests. Reflection isRead… Read more »