Let’s assume that, as an IT leader and decision maker, you understand the importance of clear and efficient communications. Whether with superiors, subordinates, peers, vendors, or customers, good communications are a key ingredient to your success. And you’ve probably read or heard somewhere that 93% or some similar percentage of interpersonal communications are non-verbal; thatRead… Read more »
I landed my first supervisory job at the age of 29 (considerably young, in HUD years). While the 3 years of experience definitely resulted in more gray hairs (and more frequent trips to the stylist for highlights), I learned a lot along the way. Confidence – I remember one of my very first meetings atRead… Read more »
Suppose you are an IT decision-maker (and who in IT doesn’t have to make decisions regularly?). For that matter, forget the “IT”. What drives your decision-making? Let’s assume that you would like to consistently make decisions so as to have the maximum positive (or least negative) impact on your own personal well-being. Does this soundRead… Read more »
I’m going to keep this quite short considering this is post about obedience, public sector managers, the nature of evil and social media. I’m going to argue how findings of a few psychological studies suggest the modern communications person needs to be more in touch with ‘the people’ avoid being complicit in evil acts. ARead… Read more »
Do your meetings have a creative killer? Newsrooms call them “story killers,” the naysayers at meetings who repeatedly shoot down stories while unsuspecting victims are trying to generate new ideas. Creative killers assassinate ideas, breeding fear and limiting impact for hundreds, maybe even thousands. These idea deaths never get investigated and their potential never getsRead… Read more »
The traditional Shabbos meal begins with wine and challah. Although they taste good, I never really understood why we bothered. * On the traditional deep purple wine, or grape juice often used in its stead. When you combine them with the also-traditional white tablecloth, get ready for someone to spill – and stains that neverRead… Read more »
What’s the primary source of frustration for you in your organization? If you’re like many, the inability to move people towards a certain goal ranks high on your list. Interpersonal relationships can be tough. If only everyone saw it your way. The reality, of course, is that this is a two way street. Their inabilityRead… Read more »
Flood insurance? Bank deposit insurance? Pension guarantees? Home loan guarantees? . . . No private sector business will take on some risks that the federal government agrees to bear on behalf of the broader society – at least not at an affordable price. So government, by nature, oftentimes puts itself at financial or reputationalRead… Read more »
Why don’t agency top leaders know about significant management problems in their organizations before it is too late? So-called scandals seem to be more prevalent these days, ranging from seemingly dishonest reporting of telework hours at the Patent Office or veterans hospital access wait times, to the safety of CDC labs, to lavish conferences atRead… Read more »
As is often the case, I read with interest Meghan Biro’s recent column in Forbes – Big, Bad Data: How Talent Analytics Will Make It Work In HR. It caught my attention with its insight into the world of talent analytics and HR. I was particularly excited to see Biro’s conclusions drawn from a recentRead… Read more »