Who Else Wants to Connect with Great Communicators?

At a recent professional networking group event one of the other members asked me if I could tell him about organizations like the Federal Communicators Network (FCN). By way of background, FCN is a listserv that communicators in the federal government use to exchange ideas about the field of communications. The group, which also hostsRead… Read more »

Perspective Matters: 3 Tips for a Better Attitude

Before my current state government position supporting AmeriCorps programs, I spent two years working as a community development consultant in Madagascar, the large island off the southeast coast of Africa. While living and working in Madagascar — a country and culture so different from our lives here in America — I learned a lot about perspective. And perspectiveRead… Read more »

Everyone designs!

Herbert Simon once said “Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” Before hearing that statement, I had a very narrow view of design. I thought design was for creative types or artists who made shoes, furniture or cool new technology products. I didn’t realize that design encompassesRead… Read more »

The Root of Low Morale is Low Trust

In my camaraderie series, I discussed declining camaraderie in my office, some of the reasons for the decline, and ideas to bring camaraderie back into the workplace.  But what if these events are already available, and workers choose to not participate? This is a symptom of low morale.  If your office suffers from low morale, it willRead… Read more »

TSP Talk Weekly Wrap Up

The weakness of August has now rolled into September, historically the worst month of the year. As the VIX sits near 30, which is a dangerous level, stocks are vulnerable for another panic-like sell-off. It’s possible we will see a bottom in September but first the market seems to want to test the August lows,Read… Read more »