Earnest Consulting Group

A Full Court Press on the Government Marketplace May Save Your Business

May 5, 2020 | Business Development, Government

Photo by Penn State on Flickr We have all see what the Coronavirus has done to our economy. No one, me included, saw this coming or understood the effects a pandemic could have on how we do business. While the states and Federal government continue to sort out when and how we should start opening up the economy, two facts remain: The Federal government is the largest customer in the world. Yes, the world! History has shown the Federal government spends more money than usual in hopes of reviving the economy during recessions. The CARES ACT shows this pandemic is…

I Don’t Do Mondays! Part 1

April 28, 2020 | Leadership, Self Help, Time Management

No, this does not mean I don't work on Mondays. What I don't do is the idea of Mondays. Remember the line from Office Space, "Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays." I think that line from the movie speaks more to the person who pines for the weekend and is sad it's over. I don't usually share that sentiment and look forward to my first day back after the weekend. Maybe that's sometimes why I tend to work a bit more on Mondays than other days. Chaos Rules I also have gotten a sense from many that…

BURNT OUT AT WORK? PART 4 OF 4.

April 7, 2020 | Self Help

Late last year, I began a series of posts about workplace burnout. At the time, my goal was to help those in my network enjoy a little more sanity in their work lives. Well, things have changed quite a bit in the past month, and we're facing very different challenges. RECAP We begin to experience workplace burnout when we lose sight of any of these four pillars of workplace wellbeing: Setting Boundaries Gaining Perspective Connecting with my Mission Practicing Self Care. While this is always a challenge, these topics are perhaps more relevant than they’ve ever been in the midst…

GAO Report Mandates DHA To Implement Required Elements of the Current TRICARE Contract

February 18, 2020 | Business Development, Government

Currently, the Military Health System (MHS) is operating in the TRICARE 2017 (T-2017) contract. Recently, a report was released from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). This release indicates that DHA has only partially implemented six of the 13 elements required by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 (NDAA 2017) for T-2017. A full copy of this report can be found here. Partially Implemented Elements As a result, the GAO found six partially implemented elements which are as follows: Provider Networks Medical Management Telehealth Value-Based Methodologies Prevention and Wellness Incentives Beneficiary Involvement. Elements Not Yet Implemented However, the GAO found…

Burnt out at Work? Part 3 of 4.

January 8, 2020 | Leadership, Self Help

If you have just joined us, I have been writing down some thoughts that I have shared in-person with groups about workplace burnout. Transforming a presentation into a blog post has also allowed me to expand on some areas and share more experiences. Recap To recap, my experience has shown that I begin to experience workplace burnout when I'm not taking time to take care of my workplace wellbeing. I have also been able to break down four areas, which I call the pillars to workplace wellbeing. They are: Setting Boundaries Gaining Perspective Connecting with my Mission Practicing Self Care.…

Burnout at Work? Part 2 of 4.

December 23, 2019 | Leadership, Self Help

If you are starting to follow us, we are presenting a series of posts that discuss workplace burnout. As discussed, burnout has affected almost half of the current workforce at some time in their career. Nearly one-quarter of the workforce is currently experiencing burnout. I have shared my experiences with some groups recently and decided to put some of these ideas to print. Quick Recap As currently stated, my successful way of working through periods of burnout is to work on my workplace well being. My experience has broke workplace wellbeing into four pillars: Setting Boundaries (With Others AND Yourself)…

Burnout at Work? Part 1 of 4

December 16, 2019 | Self Help

Photo by Phil Robinson on Flickr As defined by healthgrades.com, burnout is "a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place." Specifically, workplace burnout can have devastating effects on your company but, more importantly, on a person as well as your people, their family, and their friends. A recent survey by Gallup found that 23 percent of workers…

You Gotta Swing the Bat!

August 5, 2019 | Business Development, Government

Photo by Erik Drost on Flickr I've just started to follow baseball. My oldest daughter plays softball and loves to watch the Yankees so I've found myself watching more softball and baseball. I often hear her coaches say, "That was your pitch. Why didn't you swing?" I assume they are also implying, "you may not see the 'perfect' pitch so you must take some chances when the ball is delivered to the strike zone". Another obvious message is if you want to hit the ball, you gotta swing the bat! Doing My Homework I thought about that a bit and…

Pigheaded Discipline or Flexibility?

February 6, 2019 | Leadership, Self Help, Time Management

Photo by Mark Cooke on Flickr As I have posted before, I am in the midst of re-reading Chet Holmes: The Ultimate Sales Machine. While the book talks about how to increase sales through better prospecting and scripting, it first addresses time management and how to plan out your day. A Life Long Student I have long been a student on how to best manage time. I don't believe tools such as google calendar, google tasks, or Microsoft Outlook are time management strategies. They are just tools. Since being in the workforce, I have used Franklin-Covey's Planner and David Allen's Getting Things…

Not All Government Customers Are Created Equal

January 4, 2019 | Business Development, Government

Photo by dpbirds on Flickr When I first started doing business with the Federal government, I assumed they were one customer. Since they all followed the same rules, why wouldn't the process of winning business be the same, right? However, after I participated in some procurements, I found this not to be the case. Even each agency has different customers within their organization. In my experience, they are not all equal in the sense of being a good fit for the goods/services we were selling or our company's vision. I have listed below some experiences that showed me we were not a good…

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