Leadership

Blogging Series: 10 Ways Open Innovation Can Transform Your Agency

10 Ways Open Innovation Can Transform Your Agency Starting this week, I will be doing a 10-part series on open innovation and how it can transform government agencies. What is open innovation? Open innovation is a phrase that was coined by Henry Chesbrough as, “…the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerateRead… Read more »

Inducement Prizes, Contests, and Challenge Awards

Inducement prizes – as opposed to “recognition” prizes such as the Nobel or Pulitzer prizes – are a growing element of how government is trying to spur innovation in solving tough problems both inside and outside the government, notes Annie Lowrey in a recent Washington Post article. Why? Because prizes are effective. Under the rightRead… Read more »

The Federal Coach: New Year’s Resolutions for the Federal Manager

‘Tis the season to set some New Year’s resolutions. Like many ofyou, I usually focus my resolutions around traditional topics likelosing weight, getting fit, spending more time with family or helpingothers. No one can argue with those, but this year why not consideradding some management goals to your 2011 resolutions? I’ve added someprofessional goals toRead… Read more »

Who Wants a Leadership Coach?

In a conversation with a colleague recently, we discussed the difference between needing and wanting. Needs are those things that are essential and important and, in truth, our needs are quite simple—food, shelter, water. With those basics met, we have everything we “need” to survive. Wants, on the other hand, are desires or wishes forRead… Read more »

The “Traps” to Successful Implementation

A guide to avoiding these five traps, and successfully implementing public initiatives. by Russ Linden Implementation… is, ultimately, what government is all about,” wrote Gordon Chase, a civil servant, in How to Manage in the Public Sector. But implementing programs is filled with speed bumps and landmines. How does one negotiate them successfully? Authors BillRead… Read more »

The Federal Coach: Federal Coaching Lessons: A Q&A with Felícita Solá-Carter

Felícita Solá-Carter is the president of Conexiones, a nonprofit that advocates for the educational needs of Hispanic students, and a Center for Government Leadership development coach. Previously, Solá-Carter served as assistant deputy commissioner for human resources and deputy chief human capital officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Solá-Carter was the first Puerto Rican womanRead… Read more »

Cloud and Big Data – Ajay Budhraja

There is a data explosion occurring in the world. Data that is being created is not just transaction oriented and is not structured. Such data cannot be managed effectively with some data management systems since traditional systems cannot process such data.Data sets are being gathered from a variety of data sources and the volume, velocityRead… Read more »

The Reorg Rag (with apologies to no one)

It can’t happen here, I have too much to do…Who took my desk and chair, my computer, too?They can’t replace me — the Branch Techno-fileWhat do you mean I’m still in denial? Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,Why does it feel I’ve been fragged?Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,Maybe I’m just on a jag.Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,I’m still onRead… Read more »