Leading Former Peers: Navigating Authority, Trust and Boundaries
One of the most delicate leadership transitions is supervising people who were once peers. Navigating this shift requires clarity, consistency, and emotional intelligence.
Workplace
Why Good People Become Disengaged at Work
The most disengaged employee on your team may not be the one who cares the least.
What Law Enforcement Taught Me About Trauma-Informed Leadership
When an officer walked into a Featured Contributor’s training session straight from working a homicide, notebook open, fully present and ready to work, they unknowingly taught an important leadership lesson: The people on your team always carry more than you can see.
How to Become the Person Leaders Want to Promote
When the handholding stops, many mid‑career professionals mistake confusion for failure. Learn about the behaviors that quietly build real promotion readiness.
Rebuilding Trust From the Inside Out: Why Employee Engagement Shapes Public Confidence
In government, listening is more than courtesy — it’s a leadership skill. When leaders truly listen, constituent engagement becomes more meaningful, responsive, and effective.
From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: Rethinking Risk in Government
Risk management is often viewed as a compliance requirement rather than a strategic capability. However, as agencies face increasingly complex threats, emerging technologies, workforce challenges, and operational disruptions, executives must rethink how they identify, assess, and manage risk. This article examines how government leaders can transform risk management from a defensive exercise into a source… Read more »
Managing Invisible Performance: Emotional Labor
We can manage our emotional labor or it can manage us. Read on for practical tips about managing the invisible side of your performance.
From Individual Contributor to Leader: What New Supervisors Often Overlook
Stepping into a supervisory role requires more than new responsibilities — it requires a shift in mindset. Many new leaders struggle not because they lack skill, but because they underestimate the transition itself.
From Projects to Products: How Federal IT Is Putting Mission First
The federal government has long managed technology like construction projects, but that model routinely fails the people it’s meant to serve. Explore why the shift from project management to product management is one of the most important governance reforms in federal IT today, and learn from the writer’s own work helping establish Product Owner roles… Read more »
Subject Matter Experts Are Experts — But They Are not Always Trainers
Agency leaders often assume that subject matter experts can teach the information they know, by virtue of knowing it. But understanding and teaching are two separate competencies. It’s up to leaders to train SMEs so they can train other staff.