Here’s the thing about me, I am a sucker for a pull at your heart-strings type of story. Videos of soldiers coming home to surprise their families routinely reduces me to tears. So, I knew I needed to mentally prepared for the keynote address by Staff Sergeant Keni Thomas during NASCIO’s Annual Conference. While I hadRead… Read more »
From garbage trucks to vacant lots, cities and states are often tasked with the thankless job of cleaning up a community’s mess. These are tasks that are often overlooked, but are critical to keeping a community vibrant. But even in these sometimes thankless jobs, there are real innovations happening. Take Miami-Dade County where they areRead… Read more »
Leaders must be learners and last week I completed the Healthcare Leadership Development Program. It was great program focused on each of us as individual leaders, the healthcare environment we operate in and leadership in crisis. As a wrap-up, each participant was asked to share a three minute success story. Not quite Ignite style (wouldn’tRead… Read more »
2014 saw the lowest federal job satisfaction numbers from feds and an unusually high separation rate, but what those numbers don’t tell you, is there are still passionate and determined federal workers who dedicate their lives to federal service. That remarkable work done was recognized Monday night in the annual Service to America Medal awardRead… Read more »
Hello, my name is Emily and I have a problem – I can’t say no. If you ask me to help on a project my default answer is an univocal yes. I can’t help myself and it is a problem, because if you stretch yourself thin you can’t give your 100 percent to any oneRead… Read more »
Suppose you are an IT decision-maker (and who in IT doesn’t have to make decisions regularly?). For that matter, forget the “IT”. What drives your decision-making? Let’s assume that you would like to consistently make decisions so as to have the maximum positive (or least negative) impact on your own personal well-being. Does this soundRead… Read more »
I’m going to keep this quite short considering this is post about obedience, public sector managers, the nature of evil and social media. I’m going to argue how findings of a few psychological studies suggest the modern communications person needs to be more in touch with ‘the people’ avoid being complicit in evil acts. ARead… Read more »
With great power comes great opportunity for criticism. Every leader, from the first-time manager to the head of the organization, will face criticism along his or her path – it’s inevitable. What separates great leaders from mediocre ones is their ability to face their critics with grace, and deal with them in a productive way.Read… Read more »
It’s time to roll out the red carpet, put on your black tie, and say thank you to your public servants. It’s time for the Oscars for federal employees – aka the Service to America Medals (the Sammies for short). The event hosts its annual awards ceremony this evening. Every year the Partnership for PublicRead… Read more »
There were times when I thought I knew more than anyone around me: fresh out of college with a diploma that said I was educated, reporting for my first assignment with a shiny 2nd Lieutenant gold bar that said I was in charge, or stepping into an HR Director role with years of experience alreadyRead… Read more »