With each edition of The Business of Government magazine, my goal is straightforward: to introduce readers to the works, insights, and advice from some of today’s key government executives, who are tackling significant management challenges and seizing opportunities to lead. To complement these examples of leadership in action, I also highlight the practical, actionable research… Read more »
Have you ever heard of buzzword bingo? Where you and your co-workers make a bingo card of words or phrases like “touch base” and “data driven” and “Scalable” and “Proactive” and “Paradigm,” then head into a meeting and see who can hit a bingo? Well, it’s a real thing. I mention it because buzzword bingoRead… Read more »
There’s a lot of talk about innovation in the federal government, and with it comes talk of failing fast. The two go together in a useful, integrated way, but I hear little discussion of what either concept means. At least not in terms that managers can use. A definition of innovation I like is doingRead… Read more »
Many of us are antsy to see our futures before they happen. Haven’t we all been tempted to have our palms read or consult a crystal ball reader? In government, thankfully, such adventures are unnecessary, as we have qualified experts who can make predictions for the coming years. William Eggers, Director for Public Sector ResearchRead… Read more »
According to McKinsey, knowledge workers spend a whopping 19 percent of their day searching for information and expertise. Why? Take any one task and look at all the applications you use to get it done. Look at all the people you need to involve to do it. Look at all the time you waste switchingRead… Read more »
Wunderkind Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks about risk taking: “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.[1]” And yet a recent government-industry conference[2] included a discussion on the question of whether federal leaders will take onRead… Read more »
2020 sounds futuristic and far away, but it’s actually only five years from now. And in government, where things happen fairly slowly, it’s high time we start making our predictions on the status quo of the government just a bit down the road. William Eggers, Director for Public Sector Research at Deloitte, spoke with ChristopherRead… Read more »
There is no question that security is becoming one of government’s top IT concerns. Breaches have become so frequent that it is no longer a question of if they will occur, but when. According to a GAO report, the number of security incidents at federal agencies that have involved the potential exposure of citizens’ personalRead… Read more »
So, we’re working to increase the creative capacity of the Scottish Government (more about that in a previous post). But how do we know when we’ve actually done that? Well, that’s a very good question, I’m glad you asked. The measurement of creativity is challenging, not least because of the number of elements that supportRead… Read more »
Time management is a tough task. Many of us feel that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. When we have to maintain a healthy work-life balance, it becomes incredibly difficult to make time to grow your professional skills. No one is looking for more things to eat up time in the office, noRead… Read more »