The traditional leader is seen as a charismatic hero, a lone figure, towering above the rest. These are seen more in the military or business worlds – Gen. George Patton, auto executive Lee Iaccoco, computer guru Steve Jobs. But in reality, the success of a leader depends on the context, or environment, in which theyRead… Read more »
Harvard business sage John Kotter writes “We can’t keep up with the pace of change, let alone get ahead of it.” He says the historical success of hierarchical structures “can’t handle the challenges of mounting complexity and rapid change.” Large companies (and governments) cannot ignore the daily demands of running large enterprises that depend onRead… Read more »
New Zealand’s government reform efforts over the past quarter century have yielded both positive results as well as cautionary tales. Its proposed next steps, however, are worth examining. At the World Bank’s series of forums on performance management, I found John Whitehead’s insights particularly interesting. Whitehead is a former secretary of the Treasury in NewRead… Read more »
In an era of shrinking budgets and increasing demands for high-quality services, productivity improvement is critical to performance outcomes. How can public-sector organizations meet fiscal requirements while sustaining effective performance levels? Tune-in to FedCentral today on WFED 1500AM at 10am to hear David Dye, Director, Federal Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting LLP and John M. Palguta,Read… Read more »
I’ve long admired Gary Locke for his commitment to results-oriented government. He pioneered new approaches in Washington State both as the chief executive of King County and as governor. But I’d never met him until last week at a Partnership for Public Service event where he summed up his tenure as Commerce Secretary, before departingRead… Read more »
A recent Washington Post article detailed what it cites as a top secret national intelligence infrastructure that has been steadily growing since September 11th, 2001. The Post highlights the fact that some 854,000 people hold top secret security clearances, nearly 1.5 times as many people that live in Washington D.C. itself. According to Tully RinckeyRead… Read more »
Originally posted on Unleash the Monster By Erica Pierson It’s summer time and recent grads are in the process of looking to start their careers. Well, good news. Now is the right time to consider a job in government. There are continued steps to implementing hiring reform across agencies in response to the recent presidentialRead… Read more »
Rub elbows with the author’s of “Power of Pull” this Friday evening at the free book launch party at L2 Lounge in Georgetown. “Power of Pull,” has won acclaim from readers like President Bill Clinton, Google’s Eric Schmidt, and “Megatrends” author John Naisbitt. Authors (and Deloitte Center for the Edge leaders) John Hagel and JohnRead… Read more »
Since getting my new HTC Droid Incredible, I’ve been gleefully exploring the growing number of applications available for Android. This week I was thrilled to discover CONGRESS, a new Open Source Android application by Sunlight Labs. Technology and Politics are two of my passions. I’m a huge proponent of open and transparent government and regularlyRead… Read more »
Are you someone who knows exactly what it takes to make NASA the best agency possible? Do you doodle ideas on cocktail napkins and mail them to a NASA Center? Do you wake up early in the morning to watch Space Shuttle launches (like this morning’s 4:14 a.m. EST STS-130 launch) or stay up allRead… Read more »