The Path Towards International Aid Data Standards

Open data is more than just a national concern, as countries often share and compare information with each other. Thus, calls for transparency must also extend internationally. As you may recall from a previous post, one of the requirements outlined in out government’s National Action Plan (NAP) is that foreign aid funding be reported inRead… Read more »

For a Truly Open Parliament, Look to the UK

The UK Government has just released the alpha version of data.parliament.uk – – a site designed to host open data on the UK Parliament and its proceedings. (An Alpha for those who don’t understand the term is a first release of a software product that is usually tested only by the developers). The alpha releaseRead… Read more »

Digital DIY: Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?

For a host of reasons, many organizations have been taking a Digital DIY (Do It Yourself) approach to pursuing technology initiatives, both externally and internally. Though the motivations for these approaches are understandable and seem logical on the surface, more often than not they are suboptimal strategies that aren’t in an organization’s best interests. ARead… Read more »

7 Tips to Get Motivated — Using Your Personality Type

Motivation is tricky. Many great blogs like Doris Tirone’s post talk about the dangers of believing a supervisor alone can motivate someone to be more efficient. External (extrinsic) motivators like money or praise are helpful, but internal (intrinsic) motivators are stronger and salient. One of the tools I have found most useful to understanding intrinsicRead… Read more »

A Health System and Government Collaborate to Reduce Preventable Chronic Disease

Diabetes is a complex chronic disease, suggested to be caused by a combination of genetic, behavioral and environmental factors. According to the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (CDC), 8.1% of the adult population of Chicago is estimated to have diabetes, a trend that has remained relatively unchanged over the past ten years. In lightRead… Read more »

5 Ways to Develop Those Elusive “Soft Skills”

Your job requires a certain level of technical proficiencies and knowledge – “hard skills” that you’ve learned in school and on-the-job trainings. But how do you develop those harder to define “soft skills” like charisma, active listening, communication skills, time management, and optimism? Soft skills complement your hard skills, and are just as crucial anRead… Read more »

Book List

We are living in a time of social and economic reinvention. I think it will be remembered as an internet powered renaissance. Jack and I spend a lot of time figuring out what is happening, exhorting each other dig further. Often when we are talking to clients and tell them what we have learned, theyRead… Read more »

Where’s the Love? The #1 Reason Managers Aren’t Providing You Enough Feedback

How many of you are supervisors who wish you were giving more feedback and recognition to your staffs? How many of you are employees who wish you were getting more feedback and recognition from your boss? Whatever side of the question you fall on, manager and employee engagement through feedback and recognition is an essentialRead… Read more »

The Weakest Link & What To Do About Them

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain. William James To information security professionals, having a strong chain of policy, practice and architecture is indeed, life. The human factor is always the weakest link in any information security program. Why is that? People are our greatest asset!Read… Read more »