When a crisis hits, leaders can overlook their people – focusing on the situation at hand, but forgetting about the person working right beside them. When employees see trust in government decline, their morale can suffer too. It becomes a domino effect – when employee morale suffers, so too does the agency’s ability to activelyRead… Read more »
Welcome back for part 2 of this series where we continue the journey down the Eightfold Path to Public Service Enlightenment. I will be building on concepts from last week so if you have not already read part one please do so. Eightfold Path to Public Service Enlightenment: Wisdom In part 1 we covered theRead… Read more »
When I look at plans for Professional Development, I think we are missing the point. We make it all about the individual shaping his or her future. There should be more to it if one takes the notion, professional development should involve the people who have a say in a person’s career. Organizations say, maybeRead… Read more »
Right now in government – and to some extent the private sector – there is a huge gap between the cyber workforce we need and the cyber workforce we have. The good news is ISC2 – a cybersecurity industry group – has just released a new report that looks at some ways to overcome theRead… Read more »
Baby boomers are retiring in droves and the government is in desperate need of the next generation of public servants. But government doesn’t just want anybody – they want the best and the brightest. One program that is looking to help attract the top talent is the Presidential Management Fellowship program. For more than 35Read… Read more »
Does it take a crisis for government to work right? Last week, I attended a forum sponsored by the American Society for Public Administration that looked at the successes in implementing the Recovery Act and potential lessons for public administration in the future. Little did I realize that the future would come so quickly, withRead… Read more »
The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of Buddha and serves as a path to obtain or reach enlightenment. Buddha defined enlightenment as the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. From my experience, public service can cause a lot of suffering at times and Buddha’s teachings provide a great toolsetRead… Read more »
One of the things that my Jiu Jitsu instructor Ryan Hall stresses repeatedly in classes is the importance of believing in what you are doing and expecting success. When he goes to execute a technique on someone, he knows it will work and therefore it does. Beyond the martial arts this idea is alive and well.Read… Read more »
Since there’s the “Build a Bear” concept for kids, I figured why not create my own fictitious “Build a Boss?” I have had a fairly large number of supervisors during my federal government career (I’m counting at least 14 in 11 years). And while no one is perfect (not even Olivia Pope on “Scandal”… evenRead… Read more »
Each year, some employees do their best to stay focused by following the office rules and political climate succinctly. While this is a way to play it safe, it often yields the same results: a “check the box mentality” of task management. Yet, have you ever wondered what life is like on the other sideRead… Read more »