Politics has always been and may always be a blood sport with one goal: win, to gain and keep power. And I’m not suggesting that’s necessarily bad, you’ve got to get the job to do the job, but it’s different than governing which, in a democracy, usually means working for the greater good. We try… read more →
Greetings! Perhaps you’ve noticed the change in our new and improved, 100% organic, zero-calorie, gluten-free newsletter. It also now provides 13 essential vitamins and minerals. Okay, okay … we just reckoned it was due for a wash and wax … hope you like it. Stay curious, Godec How We’re Being Schooled Politics has always been… read more →
Greetings! It’s that time of year, for those of us living in the Arizona desert, when we keep our Charmin in the freezer for some occasional relief. But once again we, your public sherpas, are here with a few tips to make your work life and life-life a little more successful and, we hope, easier.… read more →
You might also consider that aside from the bot-generated posts and the active campaign to game the online world, real people like being mad. Really. We’re wired to … kinda get off on being angry; it’s a dopamine kick, a feel-good release of endorphins. And it works extra well online.
If you’ve ever wondered if one of your more extrupulent (Yeah, I know there’s no such word … but it’s my newsletter) meeting attendees might be suffering from a lack of oxygen to the brain, we now have the answer – possibly. A recent study says “small rooms can build up heat and carbon monoxide… read more →
Working with people and serving the public good isn’t for the faint of heart, especially these days; it takes true grit. That sounds like a funny description for what many people consider to be a soft skill, but it’s most certainly the case. Frankly, it’s easy to become discouraged when you deal with conflict all… read more →
So much information is exchanged online in some way; it’s how most people are connecting and how government agencies are increasingly communicating with their customers. We’ve never been able to reach so many people so quickly and so efficiently, but like everything else, there are always consequences and challenges. Most experts point to the fact… read more →
I just spent several days professing with the next generation of public servants at a major university recently and a hot topic of classroom conversation had to do with big changes made by their administration without engaging the students who would be affected – they weren’t pleased. The conversation was respectful but heated, which begs the question… read more →
If you’ve not yet read this, I’d encourage you to do so. Matt Leighninger and Quixada Moore-Vissing summed up the current state of affairs nicely in this paper from Public Agenda. As they said, “When citizens do not feel their voices matter, particularly when they have made the effort to consciously engage, it can breed… read more →
The changes in news, who and how it’s presented and how “news” is defined is top of mind if we’re interested in fighting disinformation and fakes. Most people now get their information from cable news and the internet. The Rand Corporation considered journalism facts vs. opinion and concludes that “cable programming today is highly interactive… read more →