The WOO Factor
“The man who gives little with a smile gives more than the man who gives much with a frown,”-Jewish Proverb
Leadership
9 Management Lessons From House of Cards’ Frank Underwood
What wicked wonders await us in the next season of the hit series, House of Cards? If you’ve been binge watching, you know that the main character, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, is a politician with some violently strong management methods. With Season 3 of House of Cards premiering on Netflix on February 27, 2015, it’sRead… Read more »
Tips to Excel as a Woman in Civic Tech
Women face barriers in nearly every professional setting. However, some sectors of government are more challenging than others, especially when they employ a dominantly male workforce and require skillsets traditionally associated with men. Civic tech is one of those sectors. Jill Melnicki, as a technology consultant in state and local government, offers a unique perspectiveRead… Read more »
Why Sometimes You Should Say “I Don’t Know”
When you’re the manager, the last thing you want to do is appear uninformed or incompetent when someone asks you a question – but even worse can be the damage caused by guessing at the answers. Yet it’s often our first impulse to spin out conjecture rather than simply saying, “I don’t know.” The risks?Read… Read more »
The Top 5 Books of 2015 on Elections & the Political Process… So Far
Although we’re only a mere two months into the year, a deluge of incredible books on the topics of elections and the political process — fiction and non-fiction alike — has occurred. In the words of George Mason, “The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never beRead… Read more »
4 Reasons to Benchmark Against the Private Sector
I’ve always found it a bit disheartening how far-removed some government departments seem to be from any semblance of performance-based accountability. I ask, “would these folks survive a day out in the real world if there was an ounce of competition?” Considering that I work for the government as well, I have to assume that othersRead… Read more »
Are Your Meetings “Garbage”?
If I asked you to think through your career and remember notable meetings you attended, ones where ideas were flowing, decisions were made and you left feeling like you and your team really accomplished something…how many come to mind? Now, what if I asked you to recall meetings where no decisions or very little progressRead… Read more »
6 Ways to Add Creativity Into Your Daily Routine
When’s the last time you drew something? Or went dancing? Or made a collage? What favorite hobby is boxed up in your closet, untouched since your last move? Adult life can be a creativity killer, as we rush from workout to commute to job to meeting to commute to cooking dinner to bed. With deadlines,Read… Read more »
Think On Your Feet: Rising to the Occasion of Standing Meetings
Ever feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland frantically rushing around the office exclaiming, “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date/meeting?” Well, what if I told you there’s a way to help alleviate some of that hysteria and cut down meeting times with a little something called “Standing Meetings?” Riding onRead… Read more »
Innovation and Conflict – Conflict Style
Innovation and conflict go hand-in-hand. But if we turn to conflict resolution models to help us innovate, we might find they need a bit of innovating, themselves. A good example is the idea of conflict modes, or conflict style.