Posts By Erin Gee

Good Read: Inside the Box

Originally posted on #GovLife. Innovation. Creativity. These are words that we’re seeing more and more around the public service these days as a result of Blueprint 2020. And yet, I know there are people who feel the exact opposite about it. I don’t want to get into this too much, but Jessica Olien’s Inside theRead… Read more »

Good Read: The one thing that truly motivates creative talent – and how to foster it

Originally posted on #GovLife I read a lot of articles about creativity because I think it’s important (and interesting) – particularly for the public service. As public servants, we’re not mandated to be mundane, so why do we just let it happen? But I digress. Deborah Morrison’s The one thing that truly motivates creative talentRead… Read more »

Good Read: 10 Reasons Your Top Talent Will Leave You

Originally posted on #GovLife. The public service is a huge organization with people leaving every day. But with austerity measures in place, I’ve seen and heard about staggering numbers of young, incredibly talented, and smart people leaving. This worries me. What does the public sector of the future look like without these talented folks? Yes,Read… Read more »

Good Read: Why You Should Give Yourself Permission to Screw Up

Originally posted on #GovLife. Vicki and I were fortunate enough to see Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson give a talk about this article in September at the 99u pop-up school. From my experience, failure (or mistakes) is talked about a lot as an idea, but I don’t see many people actually talking about their failures. ThisRead… Read more »

Good Read: Neil Blumenthal of Warby Parker on a Culture of Communication

Originally posted on #GovLife. Or as I’d like to call this post, Everything I Learned About Workplace Culture, I Learned From Warby Parker. But seriously. For those of you who don’t know about Warby Parker (I may need a moment to re-evaluate our friendship), they’re one of the small business darlings from New York thatRead… Read more »

Good Read: 5 Common Characteristics of Ideas That Spread

Originally posted on #GovLife. One of the things we hear about a lot when we talk about innovation is the rate of adoption. Whether or not an idea (no matter how amazing) succeeds is a huge risk, and it’s not just applicable to government. The characteristics listed in 5 Common Characteristics of Ideas That Spread,Read… Read more »

Good Read: The Y Factor: How to Nurture Star Qualities in Millennials

Originally posted on #GovLife. As a Millennial, I hate seeing article after article about how my generation is the <insert negative adjective here>, and how working with us is the pits. The stories and situations that are recounted do not resonate with me or even reflect my way of thinking or working. In fact, theyRead… Read more »

Good Read: How to Start a Billion-Dollar Empire With a Laptop

Originally posted on #GovLife We’re always told “don’t judge a book by its cover”, so trust me when I say “don’t judge this article by its title”. We all know (or at least should know) Alexis from his days at reddit. In 2008, after watching hisTED talk, I became an instant fangirl and haven’t lookedRead… Read more »

Archetypes

Originally posted on#GovLife. In my last post, I provided you all with some background as to who I am. One of the things I find fascinating about the public service (particularly in Ottawa) is that it’s a microcosm of Canada. It doesn’t attract a specific personality type or background – it is literally, equal opportunity.Read… Read more »