In “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World,” General Stanley McChrystal explores the challenges he experienced while commanding the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq. I won’t provide too much detail, as I don’t want to call “spoiler alert” or prevent you from reading the book yourself, but Gen. McChrystal […]
One key attribute that makes leaders successful is having a point of view. You are being paid to be a great thinker and make decisions. However, many make the faulty assumption that they have to come up with all the answers on their own and end up doing more talking than listening. While I agree leaders […]
I recently had a discovery call with a new client. I asked my contacts, directors in a medium-sized service business, about the issues they were facing and what outcomes they’d love from the proposed culture initiative. We learned that changes in their market now require very different behaviors from company staff. The old ways of doing business […]
Everyone dreads the boot that come flying out of nowhere. I’m not just talking about a flying shoe in the air. I’m talking about termination, pink slips, bye-bye letters, or whatever you want to call it. I hardly believe that anyone would be “pleased” when and if (God forbid) that happens. Layoffs are difficult to […]
In a job interview, the majority of the questions are directed at you. Interviews can seem very one-sided and intimidating at times. However at the end of each interview, most employers will leave some time to ask you if you have any questions for them. Some candidates get taken aback by this question or are […]
Deciding to change career is a significant rite of passage. The process can be time-consuming, confusing, scary, frustrating, liberating, energizing and life changing. How do you go about it? What mindset helps? One approach is the planned and systematic route. The mindset is one of reducing risk and uncertainty. It involves in-depth research of new […]
Working in the cubicle farm of an office means that you are going to have to spend 40 hours a week (or more!) in close proximity with the same group of people, all of whom come from different backgrounds and who have different belief systems. By their very nature, cubicles just aren’t very private. If […]
The energy renaissance is a common label awarded to the nation’s recent increased productivity of shale oil and gas. The costs and benefits of this upturn pose numerous implications, which affect not only the energy industry, but consequently local government, economic development, and the labor market. Let’s Talk Energy The most obvious implications of the […]
We recently celebrated the 4th of July and I couldn’t help but think back to my years in local government where I learned Americans disliked paying taxes – any kind of taxes – Federal, State and Local – but especially local property taxes and that so many candidates who ran for local office proclaimed – […]
State agencies of every order use their power and budgets to contract others to do their work. These budgets shrink considerably when they are used for services like behavioral healthcare for children. In the case of adult services, the struggle as a state contractor is even greater. Laura (name changed for privacy), a veteran social […]
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