A while back I wrote a post on annoying coworkers and how to deal with them. It clearly struck a nerve – after all, spending 40+ hours a week with someone who drives you nuts can really color your overall work experience. If those annoying coworkers stand out most in our minds, at least we canRead… Read more »
This article was originally posted by Dan Chenok on the IBM Center for the Business of Government blog. In a recent event, the IBM Center for The Business of Government and the Partnership for Public Service added to a significant body of knowledge about how government leaders can leverage the power of analytics and data toRead… Read more »
Conflict is an inherent part of any workplace. A sharp disagreement or opposition of interests and ideas are part of businesses. However, when it occurs, the morale of the employees will be lowered. Absenteeism will be much higher and the production will decrease. Managing and resolving the workplace conflicts is one of the biggest challengeRead… Read more »
Walking in Two Worlds The biggest challenge is negotiating two distinct cultures. The federal government culture is heavily dependent on individual achievement and competition. I was raised in a Native culture with emphasis on group success and cooperation. Individual progress was measured on how well the group fared. One person’s good fortune should cause everyone’sRead… Read more »
Managing risk in contracting is about taking the downside into account. Both the agency and the vendor need to have a healthy understanding of what the worst outcomes are for their respective sides and to write the contract to address those outcomes. What happens if the vendor is unable to provide the service? How canRead… Read more »
Sometimes I wonder why good people suffer so in organizational life. For example: Messengers of doom are punished or ignored rather than rewarded. Computer glitches, safety lapses, ineffective leadership; employees who show every sign of endangering the workplace. All of these are routinely reported by attentive people, and frequently just as swiftly disregarded. StrategicRead… Read more »
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN’T GET FIRED? Don’t tell me that it’s never crossed your mind. When you become a tenured government employee, after around five years of service in most agencies, it’s natural to heave a great sigh of relief that you won’t be cashing unemployment checks any time soon. Urban legend says it’s impossibleRead… Read more »
Stocks resumed their downward slide early last week but finally stabilized on Thursday morning and rallied strongly into Friday. The week ended with losses, but it could have been a lot worse if not for the big reversal, and Friday morning’s better than expected jobs report helped complete what looks like a potential “V” bottom.Read… Read more »
By Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., Forrester Research When I was in high school – and admittedly that was quite a while ago – my neighbor quit his job as an insurance salesman to go into the car phone business. My mother couldn’t understand why someone would give up a good, stable job to sell something thatRead… Read more »
Every year on October 1st the Federal performance cycle resets itself. Combined with the Jewish High Holidays (Yom Kippur and the accompanying fast just ended) the amount of navel-gazing can literally make your stomach hurt, as well as your eyes. But it also helps you to grow. So, here’s to distilling some simple things-you-already-knew fromRead… Read more »