Jeffrey Levy

Credits below; takes blame; coaches, inspires awesome.

First, I agree with what Mark Hammer said.

But really, there’s no such as thing as “the” government with stuff like this, meaning there’s no universal answer. Different agencies, and even different parts of the same agency, can have different cultures around employee communications and what I’ll call “management forthrightness.” And even within…[Read more]

I think your evolution from Twitter to social media to citizen engagement is normal and healthy. Now you’re in a position to help others make that trip even faster.

When people come to me and say “I want to launch an X,” my usual first question is “why?” Then we get into all the various tools that might help them achieve their goals. And most…[Read more]

Oh, I LOVE this! When I speak about social media strategy, I ask people ‘what’s the first thing you should say when your boss says “go get me some of that social media!'”

My answer: why? If you don’t know why, you shouldn’t start yet.

Social media is free like a puppy is free.

I didn’t make that up, but I use it constantly! I think it might have come from Chris Dorobek …

Dannielle, I didn’t see the question as being “should we abandon social media?” Where did Andy or his colleague ask that? I mean, as you can imagine, I agree wholeheartedly with you arguing the answer is emphatically “no.”

But I think the answer to the question he did ask (“should we keep doing this podcast”) is rooted in, you know what I’m…[Read more]

One last thought: here’s an OUTSTANDING GovLoop post that relates directly to your question:
Ten Things You Should Be Saying to Your Boss

And on the flip side, another post by the same person covers Ten Things Your Boss Should Be Saying to You. If your boss isn’t saying them, bring them up yourself.

And keep in mind: all of this (everything…[Read more]

Oh, one more thing your manager is responsible for: helping you grow.
Any time you spot an opportunity to increase your skills, speak up: training, conferences, webinars, or even meetings that interest you.
On that last one, for example, I brought a junior staff member to a briefing for our deputy administrator. He learned more about how senior…[Read more]

Hmm. I agree that all the things everyone has said are good to do, but they don’t fall into my definition. Ok, Andy’s point about helping your manager know when you need more work does meet my definition.
I coach my team pretty frequently on managing up. To me, it’s a set of actions under the umbrella of getting your needs met by meeting your…[Read more]

Commenting on your questions:
1) I’ve been to, and organized, many conferences. Every one of them was worked over 100 times by contracting officers and attorneys making sure everything was legal and appropriate.
And I just attended a briefing for senior managers at EPA all about the rules for providing food at conferences.
The rules are byzantine…[Read more]

Andy, please don’t spread the overblown claim that any agency paid $16 for muffins. That was a totally made-up thing so reporters could cry “scandal:”

• Quick from the New York Times The $16 Muffin That Wasn’t
• Detailed from the Washington Post: Another look at Justice Dept.’s …

Please edit your post to remove that claim – it just does…[Read more]

Anthony, I don’t even know what a term position means, but your HR office is your best bet. I suggest calling them and asking for help.