Posts By Nicole Willingham

Courageous Followership & Intelligent Disobedience

In the Next Generation of Government Training Summit session, “Courageous Followership and Intelligent Disobedience: What the Best Leaders Expect from their Teams,” Ira Chaleff used three fun examples: dancing, more dancing (the tango), and guide dogs, to illustrate the concepts of his two books, “The Courageous Follower” and “Intelligent Disobedience.” To explain “followership,” Ira openedRead… Read more »

Better Data, Better Decisions

In the Next Generation of Government Training Summit session, “Analyzing Data to Make Better Decisions,” Kirsten Dalboe, MGMT Cube Program Manager at DHS, and Gray Brooks, Senior API Strategist at GSA, shared their successes with using data to improve performance and efficiency. Kirsten was the “data scientist” behind the DHS Management Cube, which integrates financial,Read… Read more »

Soft Skills Learned Outside of the Office

It was October 2010, and I had a crazy morning at work.  I was out for a jog on the Trinity Trail during my lunch break when I saw two abandoned, skittish Basset Hounds that would forever change my life.  My original plan was to foster these two sweethearts, who we named Hank and Lucy.Read… Read more »

Connecting Through the HUD Switchboard

Switchboard’s mission is to provide HUD’s citizens, stakeholders, and staff with the tools and channels necessary to interact meaningfully with their government in the following ways: By welcoming and encouraging creative ideation to improve HUD’s programs, policies, and operations, and engaging those interested in the process of putting those ideas into action; By creating avenues of feedback for individuals or organizationsRead… Read more »

Healthy Eating at Work

I have an accounting degree and a (dusty) nutrition degree, and sometimes it’s more fun to talk about food instead of financial statements! In order to achieve optimal performance at your job, you want to ensure you are properly fueling your body. A healthy diet can lower the risk of many chronic diseases, elevate mood,Read… Read more »

Are Gov Employees Risk Averse?

I stumbled into the federal government by accident. When I quit swimming after my sophomore year of college, I waited tables to help pay tuition. As my senior year progressed, I realized I needed to gain some accounting experience. A local tax preparer called and asked my roommate if she was interested in a job.Read… Read more »

Ebola and the Impact on the COOP

On Monday morning I woke up to the horrible news that the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse diagnosed with the Ebola virus over the weekend was a 2010 graduate of Texas Christian University. As a Fort Worth resident, proud TCU alum, and daughter of a recently retired nurse, the news hit home. I also hadRead… Read more »

7 Ways to Build a Boss

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 »