Structure in Threes: Process Value

About two decades ago I was fortunate enough to collaborate with several brilliant people in IBM working in manufacturing research. One of them Dr. Arno Schmachpfeffer had coauthored a paper in the IBM Journal of Research call Integrated Manufacturing Modeling System. One of the key aspects of the paper was a taxonomy of activities inRead… Read more »

PRIME Leadership – Trend 2: Risk

This article was originally posted by Dan Chenok on the IBM Center for the Business of Government blog. It is part of a series called “PRIME Leadership,”* examining six trends driving government. Given budget austerity and increasingly complex challenges facing government executives, managing risk in the public sector has increasingly taken on new significance. RisksRead… Read more »

5 Ways to Avoid Federal Burnout

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” – Audrey Hepburn 5 Ways to Avoid Federal Burnout: Take on new projects…for instance, if you are interested in social media and you want to learn more about it, ask your boss if you can work on optimizing your company’s social media presence. That’s what IRead… Read more »

Veterans Day: Fighting for America Means Not Having to Fight for Jobs

This Veterans Day there’s good news on the job front for vets. As our nation comes together to honor the many sacrifices of our courageous veterans, OPM reports the following: “In Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the Executive Branch of Government hired the highest percentage of military veterans in over 20 years, surpassing the previous highRead… Read more »

What Federal Employees Can Learn From the Failures of Abraham Lincoln

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln’s life story at a glance: Failed in Business – Bankruptcy, 1831 Defeated for Legislature, 1832 Sweetheart/Fiancee Dies, 1835 Nervous Breakdown, 1836 Defeated in Election, 1836 Defeated for U.S. Congress, 1843 Defeated againRead… Read more »

Coffeeneuring #5: Peregrine and the Perils of Grad School

Cappuccino at Peregrine on Capitol Hill #perfection After last week’s episode of bad coffee in Bethesda, for this week’s coffeeneuring adventure, I was determined to get a good cappuccino. I knew exactly where to bike to: Peregrine Espresso on Capitol Hill. And not only was it delicious, it was artistically perfect, as you can seeRead… Read more »

FEVS 2013: job satisfaction declines again; how did your agency fare?

In case you missed it, the 2013 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) was issued by OPM on Friday. Federal Times reports: “Federal employee job satisfaction ratings dipped again this year across a broad array of yardsticks.” “Of 77 areas measured by the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, 53 showed declines in satisfaction and most of theRead… Read more »

Is Training Airport Security a Dirty Word?

It seems the Transportation Security Administration or TSA does not train its agents in any of the soft training skills. Is “nice” a dirty word? It is a four letter word, but come on! I’m not being insensitive. I know the TSA has had a rough time of it, especially recently when they lost oneRead… Read more »

TSP Talk Weekly Wrap Up

We saw a breakdown in the stock market on Thursday that seemed to be a topping turning point. That is until we got the October jobs report on Friday morning and investors did an about face and bought on this news. The stock indexes improved their technical picture but they are not out of theRead… Read more »