Workplace socialisation in the Public Service

In the course of examining data from the current Australian Public ServiceState of the Service of the Service Report the previous report. It contains an interesting chart showing employee satisfaction or engagement by length of service in the APS (see at the end of this post). What is interesting is the reduction in engagement overRead… Read more »

Ohio to expand medical corridor over new ultra-fast broadband network

Ohio is pushing forward on a ten-fold boost to its broadband network speeds. In an event today that included Governor Kasich and researchers from Ohio State, University of Cincinnati, Summa Western Reserve Hospital and Case Western Reserve University officials outlined the state’s plan to become a world leader in medical research. Ohio is launching theRead… Read more »

Career Management: What is Your Path?

At the most recent AFCEA Bethesda 2013 Federal Budget Review, the theme was “Doing More with Less”. The new Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel shared his plans for the Federal IT Budget followed by a panel of distinguished federal agency CIOs discussing the IT Budget in depth. But whenever we hear about flat budgets or doingRead… Read more »

Tighten Your Budget Belt, maybe but It’s Time to Change Your Financial Pants!

How many times have we heard the phrase “well, we have to tighten our belt,” or “do more with less”…it’s so yesterday. A number of government leaders today approach problem-solving with the same old tools they’ve always used, and guess what, they’re not having the impact they once did. Progressive and aggressive leaders are translatingRead… Read more »

Need a Usability Test on Your Government Website? Can’t afford it? Enter to WIN

All, If you haven’t grabbed your camera and shot a quick video to enter our ‘Win a Free Usability Test’ Video Contest, don’t despair! We’ve extended the deadline to March 9. All that is standing between you and a high-quality website usability test conducted by the GSA First Fridays team is a video explaining whyRead… Read more »

Making Frustration Work for You!

Government and Frustration go together like “F” and “G” in the alphabet. They are inseparable. Although this relationship is often blamed for crushing morale, high blood pressure, and attrition; it can be (and has been) transformed into fuel for action. In the right hands, frustration can be a powerful ally. Frustration with government is oftenRead… Read more »

How to Get More Women Hired for Technical Roles (More stats that social networking pays off)

This is a great article on: “How to Get More Women Hired for Technical Roles” by Joseph Walker, shared through the Wall Street Journal on Facebook. Note: “At IBM about 30% of the women it hires worldwide come from such referrals.” I agree the language in job announcements needs to be significantly improved, not onlyRead… Read more »

Good in a Room? How do you sell yourself?

This past weekend I read – and enjoyed – a book that a fellow GovLooper lent me (thanks, Andrew!), called Good in a Room: How to Sell Yourself (and Your Ideas) and Win over any Audience. The book, written by Stephanie Palmer, is an unconventional networking and pitching guide for those selling themselves, products, businessRead… Read more »

Washington state faces tough decisions on health care funding

Washington state’s health care system is facing dire cuts and is coming under fire from health care providers. State lawmakers are working to close a $1 billion budget shortfall and significant cuts to health services for low-income individuals have been proposed leading to an outcry from providers. The American College of Emergency Physicians issued aRead… Read more »