Get Smart – From Wearable Technology to Talking

“Get smart” means paying attention to co-workers, friends, family, spouse, or a partner. Nothing brings more stress to interpersonal relationships than carrying frustrations home after work. Get smart means getting smart. Being aware of all this takes work. Being smart about the law, political motivations, and social context is part of our job. It is… Read more »

The Formula to Human Achievement

How often do you ask yourself the following question: Am I reaching my full potential? Thought leaders Marcus Buckingham, Dan Pink, Geoff Colvin and Malcolm Gladwell have. They all recommend different roads to the ultimate goal of maximum human achievement. For Buckingham, the key is playing to your strengths. He suggests we should be askingRead… Read more »

3 Tips for Designing Better Forms

This is the second installment of “Build Better Forms,” a series in which we review online government forms and suggest some improvements. As we discussed in our first post, a clear and intuitive form reaps many benefits: lower data processing costs, fewer support requests, higher completion rates, and greater citizen satisfaction. Let’s run through threeRead… Read more »

Where Do You Find Inspiration? An Interview with Marathon Finisher Harriett Thompson

Concert pianist Harriett Thompson, 92, became the oldest person to run a 26.2 mile race when she crossed the finish line at the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on May 31, 2015. She stole the record from Gladys Burill, now 97, who finished the Honolulu marathon in 2010. Burill was 92 years, 19 daysRead… Read more »

Can We Focus on What Works?

Can we shift the conversation in Washington from “waste, fraud, and abuse” to “what works and let’s fund it, instead?” Recently, I attended a Senate hearing on wasteful spending in the federal government.  Some of the witnesses pointed to examples such as the legislative requirement that the Defense Department ship coal to Germany to heatRead… Read more »