Gamification is the use of game elements in everyday activities. The idea is that it brings in an aspect of fun, therefore making the activity more engaging. The main use of gamification has been for consumer marketing purposes on the Internet and on mobile devices. The desired end result has been encouraging certain behaviors or [...]

What is motivation and how are we motivated? As a basic definition, motivation is what drives us to accomplish goals. Motivation determines where we direct our behavior. There are many, many different ways we become motivated to act.

Money is clearly a universal motivator, since it provides means to obtain food, maximize comfort, and avoid unpleasantries. [...]

I’m currently hiring for a policy analyst position. In the stack of applications, we’ve received several from people who have significantly more work experience than I do. Any suggestions for how to decide if they’re worth considering? What interview questions should I be asking if I do interview them?

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the holiday shopping season has officially begun. But deciding what to buy for all those close to you can be downright paralyzing with all the choices that are out there. It can be even more difficult to shop for those we know professionally but maybe we don’t know [...]

This Thanksgiving I am making three desserts – a chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake, layered pumpkin cheesecake brownies, and white chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies. While I do love to bake, this is above and beyond even for me. It’s in the spirit of [...]

Previously, I wrote a blog post on how to identify your company’s HEROes and how to manage your company’s HEROes. As a quick recap, HEROes are Highly Empowered and Resourceful Operatives; employees who feel empowered to solve customer problems by acting resourcefully, including using any type of technology necessary, whether it is currently sanctioned by [...]

In my last blog post, I defined the term HEROes (highly empowered resourceful operatives) and I wrote about how you can identify who your current HEROes are as well as create an environment which encourages new ones to action. As a quick recap, HEROes are your employees who go above and beyond the [...]

New technologies that can help companies be more effective, productive, and efficient are being created every day. This is faster than most companies can evaluate and implement them. But while companies may be slow to innovate, a highly select few of your employees are not. Ted Schadler and Josh Bernoff (authors of [...]