Monthly Archives: April 2012

CISPA Set to Pass in the House, Upcoming Army Mobile Policy, and More

Today’s federal cybersecurity and information technology news: With the addition of several amendments to protect privacy and civil liberties, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing & Protection Act has enough votes to pass through the House of Representatives. More here. The director of intelligence at U.S. Cyber Command, Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, said the U.S. needs approvalRead… Read more »

Surviving “Carmageddon”

Last summer, Judy Gish, Public Information Officer for the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) District 7, had a very unenviable task: keep 500,000 vehicles off of I-405 in Los Angeles during a mid-July weekend. Impossible? You might think so, but Gish led a communications effort that was so successful that it was a non-event. MotoristsRead… Read more »

Federal Conference on Diversity: The 10 lenses of cultural identity

When it comes to really fostering diversity at an organization, the old frameworks just don’t cut it anymore. New approaches are needed. That according to author Mark Williams, who used humor and wit to get his message about the 10 lenses of cultural diversity across at today’s Federal Conference on Diversity. Demographics – age, gender,Read… Read more »

Federal Conference on Diversity: Real commitment is key for change

Why are we still asking the same questions and exploring the same issues? What needs to be different? This is how Sharon Fitzpatrick opened her discussion, “Diversity and Inclusion”, during today’s Federal Conference on Diversity. “We have the wrong conversations about the right things – lack of commitment, unwillingness for change, lack of resources,” sheRead… Read more »

Customer Service Bill Is Resurrected

Will feds soon be asking their customers if they are satisfied with the service they’ve received? Following the customer service initiatives launched by Gore’s reinventing government team in the 1990s, the federal government has waxed and waned on the importance of customer service in the course of serving the public. With citizen satisfaction with governmentRead… Read more »

DHS CPO talks Acquisition Challenges and we answer Your career questions with Frank DiGiammarino

DHS CPO talks acquisition challenges and we answer your career questions with Frank DiGiammarino by GovLoop Insights On today’s program for Wednesday April 25th, 2012: Riding the procurement wave— and dealing with tight economic times with DHS top procurement official — Nick Nayak. Frank DiGiammarino answers your career questions. Are you ready? It’s just 195Read… Read more »

Daily Dose: Would More Female Agents have Discouraged Cartagena Shenanigans?

Can a lack of workforce diversity lead to on-the-job shenanigans? That’s the question the Washington Post asked in regards to the Secret Service prostitution scandal, and how few women are employed as special agents. Only 11% of special agents are women; some Congresswomen think this lack of diversity could have contributed to the poor decisionsRead… Read more »

Planning for Councillors

A nice little project this, that we developed for our friends at NALC. It’s a site introducing some of the issues around planning, particularly aimed at parish councillors. We did the design and built the WordPress template, while the guys at NALC provided the content for us to build the pages. The purpose of theRead… Read more »

A Question About Questions

When you ask a question, are you trying to change your understanding…or theirs? Teaching by asking questions can cause learning breakthroughs. Too often I see people trying to manipulate others, which can backfire spectacularly. I ask a lot of questions because I genuinely want a better understanding, not for the other person, for me. RecentlyRead… Read more »

The Art of Influence – Free eBook

What do all of these people have in common? Albert Einstein Mohandas K. Gandhi Bill Gates Micheal Jackson Martin Luther King, Jr. Oprah Winfrey Influence. “The ability to affect others – seen only in its effect – without the exertion of force or formal authority.” Each one of these individuals knew how to harness theRead… Read more »