How to Boost Your Team’s Brainpower
Many federal agencies, states and municipalities are eagerly hosting hackathons to share information and improve operations. Air Force Material Command, for example, developed its Knowledge Now site to educate employees, the City of Oakland, Calif., created Oakland Answers to better serve its ... Read & React
Bursts of Productivity Are Key to Getting Things Done
There’s a reason people find email to be such a drag on their productivity. It is. More to the point, it’s a treasure trove of distractions. Each new email represents an escape point, an entreaty to deviate from the task at hand. We accept this burden, thankful for email’s “convenience,” and slog ... Read & React
Finding Common Ground at the FAA
Listen to the story: Download this episode | Subscribe on iTunes In 2009, the stakes were high for the Federal Aviation Administration as it worked to modernize the nation's air traffic control operations. The agency was facing looming deadlines to implement the Next Generation Air Transportation ... Read & React
A Record-High Number of Young People Are Still Living With Their Parents: Why?
Another month, another record number of young people living at home long after their teenage years are over. This time, it's the Wall Street Journal reporting that, despite the improved economy pulling unemployment down for the last three years, the share of young adults living with their parents ... Read & React
Why You Should Stress Your Employees Out
When was the last time you felt truly accountable for something? A quick look at the old Merriam-Webster dictionary shows that accountability, by definition, means “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility…for one’s actions.” It’s shocking how often we’re part of projects for which, by ... Read & React
Study: People May Naturally Be Lovers or Haters
Problem: People like things, and they don’t like other things. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology aims to explain the difference between lovers and haters by examining whether people are just innately predisposed to dislike or like things, depending on their ... Read & React
Don’t Even Think About Reading This Post
It’s maddening when people do the opposite of what we tell them to do. Remind your boss to look at a report, and he puts it off longer. Discourage a friend from taking a job, and she accepts it. Nudge a colleague to drink less, and she pours herself another drink. Tell a child not to touch a hot ... Read & React
Surveillance is Not the Office Management Tool of the Future
New York Times reporter Steve Lohr recently reported on a new surveillance technology that was tested in almost 400 restaurants throughout the US. Three researchers measured the impact of software that monitors employee-level theft, before and after the new surveillance technology was installed. In ... Read & React
How I Lead: A Former ATF Exec Talks Listening and Learning
Melanie Stinnett is a recently retired member of the Senior Executive Service with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). She retired in June of 2013, ending an extensive career of 34 years of federal service. Stinnett didn't stay still for long because in July she joined ... Read & React
How to Promote Yourself Without Being Obnoxious
Is it possible to genuinely be interested in the needs of others, and still promote yourself? Absolutely, otherwise all the good people would be starving in the streets. But doing so requires that you skip the sort of “me first”, self-centered promotion that many utilize. Here are some tips for ... Read & React
Many Feds Face Furloughs Twice
Lawmakers Push Retroactive Furlough Pay
How Long Has the Shutdown Lasted?
In Focus: Who Faces Furloughs?
No TSP Contributions During a Shutdown
How Contractors Might Weather a Shutdown
