Achieving agency missions becomes harder and more complex every minute. But with less money in the budget, many agencies are stuck between the need to deliver new services and the cost of supporting old infrastructure. To break the cycle of dependence on proprietary systems and endless service contracts, agencies need simpler, widely compatible network infrastructureRead… Read more »
When school ended in May, I switched my workout from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. For some of you, that may be no big deal, but for me, it’s a big commitment! I’m not a morning person at all. The first few weeks, it was a struggle to get up at 5:10 and drive toRead… Read more »
What is your sense of the culture of your organization? Is it mission-focused, optimistic about succeeding and engaged in tackling difficult issues with an anxiousness to solve them? Or has it become a territorial, negative, bureaucratic enterprise where every opportunity is met with “we could never do that” excuses that roll off the tongues ofRead… Read more »
With few exceptions, I have had stellar colleagues aside whom I am proud to work. I’ve worked with teams to achieve tremendous results and quantifiable impacts based on our decisions, projects or action. Without unseemly boasting here, I have always felt that the taxpayer got more than its fair share from my salary. (Most days).Read… Read more »
We’ve all been on our way to refill our coffee cups when we notice a certain coworker is there already – and we retreat to our desks on the double. Everyone has a person or two in the office that he tries to avoid. Maybe they’re too negative, maybe they’re too needy, maybe they’re aRead… Read more »
We depend on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect our health by providing information and regulation for drugs and medical devices. But sometimes when times get tough, the FDA needs to depend on someone as well. Marcia Crosse, Director at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for the Health Care team, is that pillar.Read… Read more »
The spotlight is shining brightly of late on the hidden value of organizational health and how to capture it. Even all the way to Washington, D.C. Before delving into this very public discovery, let’s digest a commanding reference that uncovers a strong incentive for ailing entities to maintain sustained organizational health. According to a recentRead… Read more »
Sometimes looking to your past can improve your future. Napoleon marching on Moscow is an example of project management, which helped future generals avoid being blinded by their own hubris. Closed societies, like the Ming Dynasty in China, illustrate the dangers of getting closed off from potential growth and later helped other societies prosper fromRead… Read more »
When it comes to performance improvement, it’s important to know that being wrong is ok – in fact, doing so may be a sign of effectiveness. When we were in college, we conducted experiments with a certain hypothesis or theory and drove testing to the point of confirmation – either right or wrong. We triedRead… Read more »
I am currently a year into a fellowship with the CDC, a dream opportunity I remember applying for like it was yesterday. I was six months out of school and had a generic resume I would tweak for various positions. None of my friends had applied to the public sector, and I never had anyRead… Read more »