Promising Practices

Segregation Policies in Federal Government in Early 20th Century Harmed Black Americans for Decades

President Wilson sanctioned segregation policies more than a century ago by targeting Black civil service workers.

  • Guo Xu and Abhay Aneja, The Conversation

Why You Should Turn off Your Camera During Zoom Meetings

It's not just to hide clutter anymore—leaving your camera off during your next virtual meeting could help save the planet, too.

  • Futurity

It’s Time to Reinvent How America Delivers Foreign Aid

We are facing a moment of profound change; we must prepare for—and make the most of—new realities.

  • Marcelo Giugale

Americans Have Unrealistic Expectations For a COVID-19 Vaccine

Two in five Americans say they don't want a COVID-19 vaccine, which is a problem. Finding out what Americans do want from a vaccine might help.

  • Matt Motta, The Conversation

What Is a Margin of Error? This Statistical Tool Can Help You Understand Vaccine Trials and Political Polling

Whether you are predicting the outcome of an election or studying how effective a new drug is, there will always be some uncertainty. A margin of error is how statisticians measure that uncertainty.

  • Ofer Harel

5 Strategies for Cultivating Hope This Year

A year of social disconnections, deaths, job losses and political violence may lead some people to feel overwhelmed and sad. A psychologist suggests ways to find and sustain hope.

  • Jacqueline S. Mattis, The Conversation

6 Lessons From 2020 Federal Leaders Should Apply in the Months to Come

As the embers of the dumpster fire that was 2020 burn away, important lessons provide light for the way forward in 2021.

  • Donald F. Kettl

Bringing Transparency to Administrative Law Judge Dockets

The deputy secretary of Labor explains how the department is using data to improve operations and allocate resources.

  • Patrick Pizzella

Looking Beyond the Federal Data Strategy

We may be entering a Golden Age of data sharing.

  • John Kamensky

Survey Shows COVID-19 Is Disproportionately Harming Women’s Mental Health

About 57 percent of women said their mental health had been negatively affected, compared to 44 percent of men.

  • Shefali Luthra, The 19th

Hang On for Three More Months

Some simple advice for anyone contemplating a holiday gathering: Wait until March.

  • Zeynep Tufekci, The Atlantic

Why Agencies Should Invest in Managers (and Pay Them More)

The pandemic has created an opportunity for government to change the way work gets done. Managers will be the key to success.

  • Howard Risher

How Your Brain Decides to Put in Effort

If you want more coffee, but the pot is empty, is it worth getting up and brewing some more? Researchers have figured out how your brain decides.

  • Futurity
Featured eBooks
Preparing Managers for Tomorrow's Government
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State CIOs in 2020

What Know-It-Alls Don’t Know, or the Illusion of Competence

The problem is that when people are incompetent, not only do they reach wrong conclusions and make unfortunate choices, they also are robbed of the ability to realize their mistakes.

  • Kate Felhaber, aeon

Lead Like Leo: Lessons From ‘The West Wing’

Those taking the reins in Washington could benefit from binge-watching the classic political drama.

  • Andrew Kleine

How (And Why) to Measure Your Own Happiness

Are you a Mad Scientist, a Cheerleader, a Sober Judge, or a Poet?

  • Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic

Your Brain’s Built-In Biases Insulate Your Beliefs from Contradictory Facts

Cognitive shortcuts help you efficiently move through a complicated world. But they come with an unwelcome side effect: Facts aren't necessarily enough to change your mind.

  • Jay Maddock, The Conversation

How One IRS Executive Harnesses the Power of Meditation to Meet the Mission

“It is unique for a leader to meditate with their people … it is odd, but then again my team was accustomed to me coloring outside the lines,” says Anne Shepherd.

  • Lee Frothingham

Americans Got Tired of Looking Bad on Zoom

The pandemic’s at-home workers are discovering what internet influencers have long known: If you want to be taken seriously, get good lighting.

  • Amanda Mull, The Atlantic

5 Ways to Create a More Inclusive Work Environment

Maintaining a culture of relentless curiosity, where employees are invited to challenge assumptions, is good for organizations and healthy for people.

  • John Wasson

Disasters Are Inevitable; Government’s Inadequate Response Is Not

New research analyzing the responses of hundreds of local leaders identified common obstacles and proven ways to overcome them.

  • John Kamensky