Employment Learning Innovations & Workplace Culture Blog

The Honor of Public Service and the Need For Civility

Stephen M. Paskoff November 19, 2013 No Comments

As federal workers struggle with the aftereffects of the shutdown, challenges to their organizations’ budgets – let alone existence, pay freezes, hiring freezes, and potential staff cutbacks – it’s a good time to recall what President John F. Kennedy said about government employment more than 50 years ago. Let the public service be a proud and lively career. And let every man and woman who

Jocks, Profs and Docs

Stephen M. Paskoff November 13, 2013 No Comments

There’s a locker room full of facts yet to surface surrounding Jonathan Martin’s departure from the Miami Dolphins. The second-year lineman claims to have been bullied, threatened, and harassed by Richie Incognito, a veteran teammate who played next to him on the offensive line. Martin is 320 pounds, a powerful man in a sport requiring mental grit and fierce physical demands. The publicly stated reasons

Engaged and Committed: Who is Responsible?

Tucker Miller November 6, 2013 No Comments

Last week I overheard a conversation between my two teenagers. My son told his sister that he was an A-student in Spanish these days. “Having a great teacher makes all the difference,” he explained. Preparing to insert myself into their conversation to point out that he had a great teacher last year when he was failing Spanish, my son independently corrected his initial statement: “Actually,”

How to Build a Healthy Website, Power Plant, Spacecraft or Workplace

Stephen M. Paskoff October 29, 2013 No Comments

Irrespective of party affiliation, I’m willing to bet that most Americans are irked, at the very least, over the failure of the ACA website to effectively launch after the government invested hundreds of millions of dollars to create it. Starting now and going forward, there will be many software autopsies performed (excuse the healthcare metaphor) to find out how this portal could have been launched

Can Ethical Behavior Be Taught?

Stephen M. Paskoff October 22, 2013 No Comments

Recently, I’ve found myself speaking to several professional groups about whether and how ethics and professionalism can be taught. The good news is that yes, these subjects can be — e.g., the content can be delivered to students through instruction. But, there’s more to consider than simply teaching these concepts. What we should be focusing on is whether ethical and professional training can be learned. And,

Will This Change Our Culture?

Stephen M. Paskoff October 2, 2013 No Comments

Changing culture is complicated and takes time, reinforcement, investment, and a daily commitment of everyone involved in order to make it last. Success is not linear – there will be quick accomplishments, setbacks, even some stalls or reversals. If you advise a leader considering a people-treatment initiative to build or enhance standards of civility, ethics, and inclusion, here are the questions he or she will

Resources

Blog

The Honor of Public Service and the Need For Civility

Jocks, Profs and Docs

Engaged and Committed: Who is Responsible?

How to Build a Healthy Website, Power Plant, Spacecraft or Workplace

Can Ethical Behavior Be Taught?

Will This Change Our Culture?