Sunday, November 29, 2009

We've Moved to GenShift.com

Greetings!

I have decided to move from Blogger to Wordpress. Please visit the new location at http://www.genshift.com.

Thank you - and please be sure to update the links on your website to reflect this change!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Your Friendly Steward of GovLoop Awesomeness

Originally posted on GovLoop.

Today is a big day in my life and I'm really excited to share it with you - the GovLoop Community. Mr. GovLoop himself (aka Steve Ressler) has asked me to join his team as the GovLoop Community Manager!

So what does that mean? It means I've resigned from the Graduate School and will dedicate myself full-time to making GovLoop THE place where people in and around government can connect and achieve new levels of awesomeness (that's in my contract, by the way - to use this word at least once in every conversation) beginning today. Think of me as your friendly steward to GovLoop awesomeness - hear at your beck and call working with you to make government better. READ THE FULL POST HERE -->

Monday, September 28, 2009

More Than a #Gov20 Moment

On Memorial Day 2008, Steve Ressler, a 28 year-old US Department of Homeland Security employee, launched GovLoop as the "Facebook for government." His goal was simple: create a space for the millions of government employees to connect and collaborate. I joined as soon as I learned about it and was struck by the energy and eagerness of people in and around government to share ideas and information regarding their common challenges and success stories. Right around Memorial Day of this year, GovLoop crossed the 10,000 member mark and the site has nearly doubled again in just four months to more than 18,000 members.
READ THE FULL POST HERE-->

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A Twitterfall in Congress?

I'm reading an advance copy of a great new book called "If We Can Put a Man on the Moon" by William D. Eggers and John O'Leary. The release date is set for November 19. Based on the first 100 pages, I'd compare it to the classic business books "Good to Great" or "Built to Last" - it's like "Good to Great" for government.

The main premise behind the book is found in this paragraph:
"There is indeed ample historical evidence that democratic governments can achieve great things. There is also ample evidence that democratic governments can fail in their attempts. The requirements for achieving great things are two simple but far from easy steps - wisely choosing which policies to pursue and then executing those policies. The difference between success and failure is execution."

READ THE FULL POST HERE-->

Saturday, September 5, 2009

"What Does Gov 2.0 Mean to Me?"' and Other Cool Video Projects

In advance of next week's Gov 2.0 Expo and Summit, Tim O'Reilly asked citizens to respond to a question: "What Does Gov 2.0 Mean to You?" At least a couple handful of folks have responded, with many of the videos being posted over at GovFresh.

SEE MY RESPONSE AND OTHER VIDEO PROJECTS HERE-->

Friday, September 4, 2009

Get a $2,000 Raise! Telework.

Results from Virginia's Telework Day were released this week. Some of the statistics that stood out:

- Teleworking one day per week equates to a $2,000 raise for each employee
- 69% of participants indicated that they accomplished more while teleworking
- If all interested employees engaged in telework, it would remove nearly 400,000 tons of pollutants from the environment
- 74% of participants indicated that their employers are more open to telework
- Biggest reported benefits of teleworking: #1 work/life balance, #2 productivity
- Most important factor in successful teleworking: leadership is on board

CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDE DECK-->

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

6 Competencies of a Gov 2.0 Leader

I was invited to participate in the Potomac Forum's "Best Practices Symposium" today in Washington, DC. Fortunately, the organizer Ken Fischer allowed me to appear by video since I was scheduled to moderate a panel this evening with two of my local congressmen here in Durham, North Carolina. You can watch the full presentation with accompanying slides or you can absorb the slides without the commentary.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDES AND SCRIPT-->