NASA CIO: How About Some Substance In Your Blog?

Nice points Keith, too bad the navel gazing isn't about to stop. Go look at how the NASA Blog has been taken over by NASA employees more interested in bragging about themselves with tales of world travel and personal exploration while exploiting the tax dollars and all done in the name of "Earth Science". These days it's more important that people feel relevant rather than be relevant.

Stories like this are precisely why I check NASAWatch every day. Thank, Keith. I completely agree with your points, as well as those of Mike Hilton. Government wastes our tax dollars in so many ways, and it always begins with the people we entrust to SERVE US. It always seems those people (most, not all) take their job as an entitlement, rather than a service function. And in my view, the highest proportion of such folks are the ones whose titles begin with "Chief".

Unfortunately, since taking over in November, Linda Cureton is all about the hype, very little substance. As NASA CIO she is in way over her head, lacking the skills and constituency to be effective agency-wide. Centers have already been pushing back on her lack of guidance and confusing messages. Not a leader.

Have you ever managed a large organization? You don't think there is value in a new manager communicating his/her leadership style? Partner, it is among the first things you do. If she posted "detailed progress reports, future plans, budgets, white papers etc", without even introducing herself, you'd criticize her for lacking a personal connection with her staff. And there are well-established organizational channels to discuss these topics. Btw, if she posted a budget on a blog, I'm guessing it would be her last.

If I were her, I would continue to use the blog for broad themes and use established reporting channels for the items you mentioned.

Linda Cureton was the CIO at GSFC for 3 and 1/2 years and didn't accomplish anything worthwhile. All she ever did was "talk" about leadership and how wonderful she is. She can talk the talk (and blog and Twitter about all things fluffy,) but she doesn't walk the walk. She was in over her head at GSFC and she is in way over her head at the Agency level. She wasn't interested in the real work at GSFC, only in getting her name in FCW and other publications. With the exception of a few butt kissers, folks at GSFC were very happy when she left. She has a bigger platform now, and the same amount of substance, integrity and leadership...NONE.

You're joking right? If she wants to connect to her staff she can use e-mail, besides the junk that she's blogged (40+ over the last 20+ months) reads like someone involved in anything but communication of a management/leadership style.

It's still self promotion (as one example, count how many times she uses CIO in her blogs) at the expense of real work. No wonder the agency is in deep Kimchi.

And yes I have managed an organization and it was done without me being my biggest fan, contrary to the example set by Ms. "CIO" Linda Cureton.

If this is what leadership looks like, we're doomed.