Did you tune-in to last night’s debates? Record numbers of you took to twitter. But career feds were still left in the dark for specifics on what a second-term Obama administration or a Romney-Ryan ticket would actually look like. Would there be a workforce overhaul? What initiatives would be started right out the gate? WhoRead… Read more »
We are less than three weeks from the election. So the big question now, is what’s next? What happens after the new president is elected? How should career feds handle the transition. The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) have tried to answer some of those questions.Read… Read more »
What an extraordinary weekend as we witnessed the first successful supersonic space jump by Austrian Felix Baumgartner. While I did not get to watch it live, I have played (and re-played) that amazing feat a few times, and one question keeps nagging me: What is my “Supersonic Space Jump Moment” (SSJM :-)? You know whatRead… Read more »
Two years ago the Knight Foundation launched their Tech for Engagement Initiative. The idea was simple, they wanted to answer the question, can technology accelerate the capacity of citizens within a community to engage in their civic life in an easier and more effective way? The question seems fairly straightforward. But as the Knight Foundation’sRead… Read more »
The following is a summary from the Leadership at all Levels session on October 12, 2012. Speakers and participants in this session had the opportunity to discuss and share opinions on telework policies and issues in the federal government. Guest Speakers: Wanda Smith – GSA Danette Campbell – USPTO Summary: Telework offers some risks andRead… Read more »
We’ve already discussed how the saboteur undermines an organization or cause by starting a cycle of operational drag and harassing and demoralizing their coworkers. But what drives a saboteur? Didn’t he want to work there in the first place? Wasn’t she hired because she was the top of her field? The number one motivation forRead… Read more »
About this time last year I was at the ELC (Executive Leadership Conference) sponsored by ACT/IAC (www.actgov.com) when, during a passionate discussion, an attendee from State Department wagged his finger at the contractors at the table and said “Look, you guys come to us when you need something. You want our time. Our energy. OurRead… Read more »
While not every effective leader has the giftedness, skillset, mental horsepower or even the desire to be a CEO, many of the core strengths are one and the same. First and foremost, a chief executive who proves to be an effective leader must be a radical visionary. In Steve Jobs’ biography, Walter Isaacson describes visionaryRead… Read more »
Innovation and Change, a Historical Perspective A historical perspective of an organization, as those cited by Willem Mastenbroek from over a decade ago are not only interesting as an evolutionary history of organization and the firm, but also facilitate insight into early management and human behavior. The examples also give a glimpse into what hasRead… Read more »
Behold, published in 1944, the Simple Sabotage Field Manual. In its original context, the SSFM was applied to allied sympathizers in occupied territories during WWII. Today, the field guide has stunning applicability to 21st century organizations and employees. This blog reframes the Simple Sabotage Field Guide’s “tips and tricks” as a set of guideline forRead… Read more »