Procurement Through Technology – Why Not in Gov?
Implementing something like this is hardly a technical challenge any more. It just needs the agency to make it a priority and get it done.
How To Win At Job Interviews: A Cheat Sheet
Note: I did not write this, only edited a shared email down for brevity and flow. The credit goes to Nikki J. Thomas, my daughter’s mentor. What they want: capable, hardworking, team player Do this: Prepare answers to questions like: Why choose you, tell us about you, what are your strengths/weaknesses, why you want the job, whatRead… Read more »
Prohibition Yields Innovation
Perhaps the most popular example of average Americans resisting authority came during the Prohibition Era of 1920-1933. Putting aside the imagery of movies like The Untouchables, moonshine & home breweries took on bigger, albeit clandestine, role in American innovation. Also of note during prohibition, production of sacramental wine for churches rose by hundreds of thousands… Read more »
Everything You Need to Know to Build a Successful Analytics Program You Learned in Kindergarten
For several years, the Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center for The Business of Government have partnered to have Conversations on Big Data, a series of discussions designed to broaden the perspective about quantitative analytics and share lessons learned about what worked well and what did not. As I was reviewing the transcriptsRead… Read more »
My Parents Are on the Internet: Online and Aging
Mom’s battling it out with words, animals, and vegetables on her favorite game site. She’ll be reading the news again later this afternoon and probably paying the bills. I’ve noticed that she leans forward more often to see the screen. Dad’s balling and making it rain on his favorite computer parts site. He gets frustratedRead… Read more »
Top 11 Books (and 1 Poem) for Local Government Leaders to Read
If you’re one of the many in the grips of a cold, snowy winter, you might be looking for a good way to pass the time. And if you’re a local government employee or leader, I have a list of solutions. Here are my suggestions for 11 books anyone working in local government should readRead… Read more »
Heritage Months: Temporary Celebrations or Yearly Discussions
As feds, we are entering the heritage month season. January brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. February has ushered in Black History Month and March will soon deliver Women’s History Month. In my conversations with employees about these events, I sense a malaise has seeped into these celebrations that dilute their effectiveness in promotingRead… Read more »
Why We Need To Enhance Resilience
A few weeks ago I started reading Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free and began to think more than ever about the need to enhance resilience. Granted, miners accept the obvious risks of entering a mine so their need toRead… Read more »
Let’s Get ‘Appy
Everyone knows that app contests are exciting. Ideas, fueled by caffeine and youthful energy, combined with the prospect of an eventual payday paint a picture that most organizations can’t resist. And for the open government community, it’s even more enticing, since app contest are an opportunity to engage residents in ‘doing good’ by enticing developersRead… Read more »
Know Your Limitations and Live Within Them
I introduced this topic at the end of 2014 with the intent of having several additional postings to further develop it. While I had preconceived notions of how I would do that, comments, discussion, and recent events have helped me take future installments even further than I anticipated. I watch a lot of sports andRead… Read more »