The recent media frenzy over the latest social media offerings introduced at SXSW last week demonstrates that collaboration is one of the app themes for 2011. This isn’t the first time collaboration software has been the “next big thing’” I remember back in the early 90’s when computer-supported work applications were all the rage (rememberRead… Read more »
This week we’re honoring Vicky Marquez, who began her career in public service via the HHS Emerging Leaders Program. She’s got some great ideas for improving government, as you’ll see below, and I hope she gets the chance to implement some of them in a future role. Here’s her story. 1 – What was yourRead… Read more »
Continuing on a prior post about whether to pursue additional graduate school, here are some basic questions you should ask before applying to a graduate program: What are the employment outcomes of their graduates? Can they point to specific successes? Beyond the nice success stories, what is the average grad doing—what percentage got jobs inRead… Read more »
This piece was originally published for Bloomberg Government on 03/11/2011. The Obama White House announced plans in December to transform the way federal information technology projects are managed and executed. Its 25-point implementation instructions to federal agencies include many good ideas, from the adoption of light technologies and shared services to aligning the budget andRead… Read more »
We’ve all been there. We have all been in terrible meetings or run terrible meetings. I know I have. I catch myself even now doing a poor job at planning and managing a discussion well. It’s so simple to do it well. Why don’t we do it more often? Why do I forget the basicsRead… Read more »
Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one. Trust: firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, and strength of someone or something. One need only turn on the news for a few moments to be overwhelmed with the human drama playing out in the world right now. Revolutionary movements attempting to topple dictatorships, naturalRead… Read more »
Like anything, we often have the best intentions in our creative initiatives and miss the mark. Hence, the fail fast concept. Sometimes we get so excited to unveil a new idea or experiment, we have laser focus and don’t see the big picture. I’ve noticed a few of these blunders and faux pas lately, andRead… Read more »
Early one morning, during my state tenure, I watched the departmental file and e-mail server disappear in the company of some state security officers. Its contents were at the center of an investigation into how and why a lucrative tax credit was passed in my state. This was a first for me. Previously, I hadRead… Read more »
Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration FHWA Social Media Web 2.0 Mgmt Par. What is the purpose of this directive? Is this a new FHWA directive? What is the background of this directive? What is the scope of this directive? What authorities were used in writing this directive? What is the definition of Social Media/WebRead… Read more »
The long awaited budget cutting efficiencies promised by Secretary of Defense Gates were outlined in a decision memo signed on Monday, 14 March, 2011 and now making its way around the Pentagon much to the chagrin of many in the building. I did a quick pull of the specific hits in the public affairs andRead… Read more »