training

As another government fiscal year comes to a close, agencies are moving to the execution phase. For contracts that involve cybersecurity elements, acquisition planning, and contract administration have become increasingly more complex with the recent laws and regulations governing cybersecurity. With October designated as National Cyber Security Awareness Month, this is a perfect opportunity to review current and new contracts and self-audit existing cybersecurity management practices.

As an organization that focuses on unleashing the potential of individuals, teams, and organizations, Management Concepts is continually striving to help students and client organizations get the most out its training courses, coaching engagements, leadership development programs, and other workforce initiatives. In past blogs, we’ve shared information about how to evaluate training, dispelling myths, and how to make training stick.

If you take a quick look at Glassdoor.com and their “50 Best Jobs in America” for 2017, you will notice that Data Scientist ranks at #1, among several other “data/analytics” titles in the list. Although this is evidently a highly desirable job, there appears to be a large talent gap in the field. Recent research by McKinsey Global Institute has projected that by next year, the US could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 professionals with deep analytical skills, i.e., advanced statistical training and knowledge of machine learning. What exactly is data science? While not an entirely new concept, the terms “data science” and “data scientist” have exploded in popularity in the past 5-10 years. At its core, data science is about using scientific methods along with new technology systems to gather insights from massive amounts of heterogeneous data.

Whether you’re new to your coaching role or have logged countless hours coaching many kinds of professionals, there’s always room to hone your skills and be more helpful to your employee, peer, or other person you might be supporting. The better you are, the better you can be.

These tips will help you adapt your approach and refresh your intentions for each person you coach, each time you coach them.

The government spends approximately $80 billion on Information Technology (IT) acquisitions. That equates to a lot of contract actions affecting the criticality of IT systems affecting our national health, security, and economy.

The likelihood that you will encounter procurements that have IT considerations at some point in your contracting career is high. So, how do you plan for these types of IT acquisitions, and how do you make decisions about your IT spending?

In just a couple weeks, I will be on my way to Italy for a two-week vacation! Che bella! When I was deciding where to go with my husband, I experienced a bit of work-related decision-making déjà vu. Every option we considered was very different from the next, but all were possibilities chosen based on the same exact set of data (number of vacation days available, budget, etc.).

I felt like I was back at the office working with a team, arguing about what decision to make, even though we’re usually reviewing the same data. The difficulty can be that different does not necessarily mean wrong in these situations.

Resilience is something of a hot-button skill in 2017, especially for folks with careers in public service. It carries a theme of overcoming chaotic, uncertain environments, but it also connects to opportunity and the (re)discovery of vital strengths for yourself, your team, or your organization.

In chaotic times like these, frustration and exhaustion creep up like a ninja if you don’t check in with yourself and revisit how you’re managing your resilience.

Ever hear the phrase, “The first step is the hardest”?

While it may be a common phrase for motivational posters, it also applies to the first step in making data-driven decisions: defining the problem you’re trying to solve.

Without a clearly or accurately defined problem, time and other resources will be wasted, and you’ll be left unable to make an effective decision. Often, nailing down exactly what you’re trying to solve is more difficult than the analysis itself.

Last week in Boston, over one thousand of the nation’s government financial management professionals convened for expert insights and networking (and CPEs) at the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) annual Professional Development Training (PDT) event.

Topics ranged from pressing issues such as cybersecurity and systems modernization, to always-important skill development in auditing, communication, leadership, and finding resilience and balance in the churn and turmoil of today’s rapidly evolving work environments.

Tag: training