Innovation means doing something different to get a better result, to produce more value for a customer. Innovation solves problems that have eluded solutions. It can unleash commitment and change organizational cultures. So if innovation is all that, why not innovate? Government innovates every day. Legislation starts with a problem and ends with a solution. Then agenciesRead… Read more »
In the past year, state policymakers and Congress introduced nearly one thousand bills dealing with immigration. These bills cover a range of issues, from suspending deportations of legalization-eligible youth to proposing STEM green card programs for the employment of highly-skilled foreign workers in the information technology industry. Caving to pressure from the Democratic party, PresidentRead… Read more »
IT’S TIME TO RISE from your sleep in the rubber room. Today, you open the door and cross the threshold. It’s a big day. You will launch your product and its marketing campaign begins. You have a superb product—you—but some members of your audience have been turned off in the past. We’ll use the wordRead… Read more »
How do you learn? Do you take classes? Use Internet tutorials? Read books? Do you find useful tips and ideas on blogs and websites? Guess what? You have something to share, just like the authors of the blogs and sites that you gain new information from. Your experience, your perspective, your frustrations are all thingsRead… Read more »
Learning how to succeed in business can come from a variety of diverse sources. It may include mentors, managers and multiple teams of staffers that you meet during your career. Inspiration for solid business practices may also result from other life experiences, including sports. The three business lessons I learned from the batting cage coverRead… Read more »
…doggy in the window (arf! arf!) The one with the waggley tail (you’ll be humming that for the remainder of the day now, won’t you). Our focus in this post, though, is not on cuddly canines, rather it’s on the value of public services. Unlike private service whose value is often determined by whether theyRead… Read more »
Over the past few months, I have co-hosted Conversations on Big Data, a series of discussions about using analytics in creative and interesting ways. Today’s Conversation is with Lori Walsh, the Chief of the Center for Risk and Quantitative Analytics (the Center) for the Securities Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Enforcement. The SEC has severalRead… Read more »
Conversations on Big Data is a series of discussions with executive-level leaders about using big data analytics in creative and interesting ways to improve business outcomes. Today’s Conversation is with Gerald Ray, the Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Appellate Operations (Appellate Ops) at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Appellate Ops manages cases whereRead… Read more »
I know you must be thinking that my idea involves comedy. Since we normally see headlines that may as well shout: “Federal workers are bumbling fools.” But I don’t mean this as comedy at all. And anyway, we’re not. What we are, on the whole, is: Highly skilled Passionate about helping other people Caught inRead… Read more »
Before I dive into how important meetings are to your career, let me begin with an aside: I asked 10 people to give me their opinions about meetings. Here are their responses: Waste of time I have too many My parents told me if I don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything atRead… Read more »