Government needs to develop employees as much as the private sector does I came across this short summary of 20 trends in human resources put together by the Official Board. Although written from a corporate perspective, these trends are relevant to government reform efforts. I have long argued that managing in a government (federal, state or local) is more difficult than managing in most private sector companies. You have many of…
Arrogance, Youth, and Change The times they are a-changin Bob Dylan's song, "The Times They are a-Changin' " was the anthem for many of my generation. It captured my feelings at the time and the desire many felt to make the world a better place and to do it now. Civil rights, the Vietnam War, the environment, women's liberation -- so much drastic change was needed.We were confident in our…
I liked the recent New York Times column by Roger Cohen, Mow the lawn, for questioning the all too common advice to "live your dream" or "pursue your passion" as the path to happiness. He argues that sometimes it is more important to focus on what we need to do even if it is mundane. Dreams are important and can motivate people. The evidence is strong that doing what you are good…
I am a big fan of "The Americans" TV show on FX. Its an exciting cold war spy thriller with complex personal relationships and deep moral conflicts. So I was interested in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal (The Mystery of Loyalty, in life and on The Americans) that discusses one of the fundamental conflicts in the show. That is the conflict between the loyalty one feels to a group…