Promising Practices

Breakthrough Technologies Offer Enormous Opportunity for Federal Leaders—If They Seize It

What Silicon Valley calls “exponential technologies” could transform agency operations and boost national security.

  • Dee Dee Helfenstein and Meroe Park

How to Make Better Decisions

It starts with empowering staff.

  • Scott Steinberg

Two Questions Every Leader Should Ask Repeatedly

We're mostly oblivious to how our actions are received, and that's a problem.

  • Art Petty

How Behavioral Science Could Improve Federal Programs

The private sector has been using psychological insight for years to promote certain outcomes.

  • John Kamensky

4 Ways To Move Beyond Gridlock In Touchy Debates

"We need to listen to other viewpoints and try to understand the other side. If we cannot talk and listen to one another, then there is no hope for change."

  • Angie Hunt, Futurity

The Reasons Your Change Initiative Will Fail

Most people focus too much on the results and not enough on the relationships that will yield the results.

  • Scott Eblin

Nine Ideas to Help You Lead Effectively in Pressure Environments

It should be a crime to sacrifice potential in the name of results-at-all costs.

  • Art Petty

Why Having Too Many Choices Makes Decisions Harder

Endless choices may seem appealing, but introduces a paradox. "You want to make a good choice, but feel like you can't."

  • Bert Gambini, Futurity

Demeaning Job Interviews And Bullying Bosses Are Still Far Too Common

The selection process should not be a Darwinian exercise in survival of the fittest.

  • Stefan Stern, The Conversation

Think Government Can’t Do Anything Quickly and Cheaply? Think Again.

Looking to build a “test, learn and adapt” culture, federal agencies have conducted dozens of rapid, low-cost experiments over the last few years.

  • Andrew Feldman

It's Time to End the 'Manel' Tradition of All-Male Speaking Panels

"It is not enough to give lip service to equality; leaders must demonstrate their commitment through their actions," says Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

  • Dr. Francis Collins

What is Fair Pay for Federal Employees?

Officials plan to do something they've never done before—develop a market analysis comparing the total compensation for federal jobs with their non-federal counterparts.

  • Howard Risher

Going to the Moon: Reflections on a Government Success Story 50 Years Later

“The real heroes of Project Apollo were public servants,” says historian Douglas Brinkley.

  • Mark A. Abramson
FEATURED EBOOKS
Using Data to Support Decision Making
Smart Cities: Beyond the Buzz
Future of the Army

Does Hitting The Snooze Button Really Help You Feel Better?

You are tired. Would nine more minutes really hurt? Is hitting the snooze button a good idea? Should you just get out of bed? Or is snoozing a sign of a more serious medical issue?

  • Steven Bender, The Conversation

Happiness Doesn’t Follow Success: It’s The Other Way Round

Success won’t make you happy – but happiness will improve your job.

  • Lisa C. Walsh and Julia K. Boehm, aeon

How to Promote Your Work Without Being Self-Promotional

Consider these seven questions to help you avoid sounding like a braggart.

  • Scott Eblin

Frigid Offices Might Be Killing Women’s Productivity

As their goosebumps have long suggested, women perform better on tests of cognitive function at toastier room temperatures.

  • Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

Women Take a Hit For Reporting Sexual Harassment, But #MeToo May Be Changing That

By chance, a sociologist started an experiment the day sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein became public. As the #MeToo movement gained steam, people's responses changed.

  • Chloe Grace Hart, The Conversation

How to Keep Communication Quality High When Things Head in the Wrong Direction at Work

Five approaches to getting things back on track.

  • Art Petty

One State's Proven Strategy for Civil Service Reform

Under the leadership of former Gov. Haslam, Tennessee succeeded in shifting to outcomes-based management.

  • Howard Risher

Just 16 Minutes Of Sleep Loss Can Harm Work Concentration The Next Day

The health dangers of not getting enough restorative sleep have been documented for some time. Now, studies are suggesting that sleep loss is not only bad for your health but also for your job.

  • Soomi Lee, David M. Almeida, Orfeu M. Buxton and Ross Andel, The Conversation