NASA CIO Blog

lcureton
Here is the list of entries for NASA CIO Blog based on the selected criteria.

Farewell NASA: The Circular CIO Apr 02, 2013 08:59:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
So, I’m at the end again. Really at the beginning. What am I doing next? Just Google that. But, I sign off on my last NASA CIO blog saying that I am leaving and agency I love to start a new beginning again.
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Cybersecurity Awareness Month Oct 25, 2012 09:01:54 AM | Linda Cureton
 
Understanding and implementing the fundamentals of cybersecurity is a critical component of our ongoing success. I want to remind everyone in the NASA community to STOP – THINK – CONNECT, as NASA Leaps forward … in Cybersecurity.
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The Out of This World Reality of the Virtual NASA Sep 23, 2012 10:17:17 PM | Linda Cureton
 
As the CIO, I nearly had a nervous breakdown (occupational hazard) over experimenting with having an important meeting virtually. This collaboration technology was new to the participants and the headquarters wireless network was in a bouncy mood that day. But at the end of the day, we were one giant leap closer to implementing Administrator Bolden’s vision of an anywhere, anyplace, anytime organization.
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The IT Revolution Aug 18, 2012 09:46:10 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Yes, the IT Revolution is here. It calls for a new IT Governance that is of the end-users, by the end-users, and for the end-users. It requires CIOs to lead with courage, emotional intellect, and political resolve to give the people they serve what they really want and need.
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Mobility: Now That's Rocket Science Jul 07, 2012 04:07:37 PM | Linda Cureton
 
NASA Kennedy Space Center Office of Launch Services in partnership with the Center CIO Mike Bolger (pictured here) developed this cool little educational app that teaches kids (and old CIOs like yours truly) about rocket science.
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IT Reform at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jun 08, 2012 10:59:39 PM | Linda Cureton
 
The NASA IT community has worked diligently during the past year to implement meaningful IT reforms to better serve our Agency’s mission and the American people
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Sourcing Strategies and Innovation – Diversity and Inclusion Create Big and Strong Organizations Jun 02, 2012 08:09:14 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Whether you’re a Harvard Business School professor, a Mom, or a frequent cruiser, the value of the variety and capabilities that we apply to sourcing work in organizations is a key to success.
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International Space Apps Challenge: Carbs, Caffeine, and Coders May 12, 2012 02:00:53 AM | Linda Cureton
 
Challenges like these engage citizens in a meaningful way. It taps into the collective creativity of the crowd and fosters co-creation that quickly and cost-effectively helps agencies advance their mission.
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Geek Power Feb 19, 2012 05:04:10 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Have you hugged your Geek lately? Please do --they are important to your organization.
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The End of the Mainframe Era at NASA Feb 11, 2012 11:15:30 PM | Linda Cureton
 
This month marks the end of an era in NASA computing. Marshall Space Flight Center powered down NASA’s last mainframe, the IBM Z9 Mainframe
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Technology Divas Jan 22, 2012 01:50:04 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Ok, so I’m on a cruise and writing a blog about technology. I’m not weird; I’m a CIO – same thing, right?
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NASA Launches apps@NASA Nov 29, 2011 02:47:25 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Managing diversity like this is where CIO’s tread carefully. apps@NASA is a first small step for the mankind that work at NASA into a daunting world where customer expectations are measured in hours or minutes and not in 18-month software develop lifecycles.
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Week One: NASA on Google Plus Nov 17, 2011 12:40:13 PM | Linda Cureton
 
What's more interesting than the number of followers on the Google+ platform, is how active the community has been. In the first week of use, NASA posted 53 times to Google+.
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NASA on Google Plus Nov 14, 2011 04:23:43 PM | Linda Cureton
 
NASA is now on Google+. This is an exciting step for NASA and we have already seen enormous interest from the Google+ community - we had over a thousand new followers in the first hour! We look forward to exploring this new engagement platform and innovating how NASA shares information.
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Getting High on ACES Oct 30, 2011 02:39:42 PM | Linda Cureton
 
ACES moves us one step closer to addressing one of OMB’s top 25 issues by positioning NASA to enjoy economy of scale relative to commodity desktop IT. This will also put NASA in a position to securely leverage trends in virtualization and consumer experiences. More than that, it gives the mission a way to get technology when they need it so that they can focus on their specialized challenges.
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Five Things That Scare a CIO Oct 22, 2011 07:53:24 PM | Linda Cureton
 
With Halloween right around the corner, some pranksters really get kicks out of trying to scare people. Do you want to know how to scare a CIO? Here are some things to try.
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Five Steps to Becoming a Trailblazer Oct 10, 2011 09:45:10 PM | Linda Cureton
 
How does one become a trailblazer? Here are five steps to get there.
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My Information Technology Ministry Sep 17, 2011 04:37:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I'm new to the role of Co-chair of the Federal CIO Council’s Architecture and Infrastructure Committee. But, I can see similarities between this and other roles I’ve had at church. Sure, some enterprise architects are zealots about what they believe, but the real similarity comes in leading volunteers when you have no direct control or authority over them. So, one of the best way to get experience as a CIO is to volunteer for leadership in the IT programs at church or in the community.
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The Leadership of the Horse Holder Sep 10, 2011 07:23:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
We can learn a lot about leadership from horse holders. They show us the importance of leading from behind.
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Alyssa Reflects on Shuttle's Legacy Jul 23, 2011 03:55:04 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Alyssa Watson, rising 6th grader from Wilton Elementary School in Creedmoor, NC reflects on the Shuttle Program.
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IT Reform at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jun 05, 2011 08:40:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the goals of President Obama’s administration as it relates to improving how IT is managed in the Federal Government. We support the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 25 Point Plan with many activities from NASA’s stellar IT program.
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Reaching for the Stars May 22, 2011 05:50:57 PM | Linda Cureton
 
While leaning forward to pick up my chips on the crap table, I thought how this is like leaning forward and reaching for the stars.
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The Five People You Meet in CIO Leadership Heaven Apr 17, 2011 04:23:02 PM | Linda Cureton
 
The movie of a similar title is about an old man who dies and meets five people in heaven who affected his life though he didn’t necessarily realize it at the time. In our personal and professional lives, we meet these people all the time. Here are some of mine from an IT perspective – names have been fictionalized.
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When Failure is an Option Apr 01, 2011 11:56:25 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Everywhere we look in these tough times it seems that things are so tough when we see failure all around us -- jobs lost, houses in foreclosure, bankruptcies, failed marriages, and hearts broken. But, we won’t grow as individuals unless we are willing to take risks, face disappointments, and yet maintain our resilience enough to learn and advance.
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Women in History: Holding Up Half the Sky Mar 26, 2011 08:26:59 PM | Linda Cureton
 
There’s nothing like getting yelled at by an 8-year old after you just gave them a dose of inspiration to cause you to examine your self beliefs about your own limitations.
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Women in History: Counting on Women in Mathematics Mar 19, 2011 09:11:45 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I’d like take the opportunity in Women’s History Month to talk specifically about some great contributions from some women in mathematics and perhaps to shout for joy about being a woman, a mathematician, and a part of the NASA civil servant workforce.
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Leadership of the Owl Mar 19, 2011 09:11:18 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Giving a hoot about leadership and learning about the vision, insight, and wisdom of the Owl.
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Getting Over Your Jitters @ Twitter Mar 19, 2011 09:10:45 PM | Linda Cureton
 
It’s going to be difficult if not impossible to develop a credible and effective organizational strategy that uses Twitter until we can, as individual leaders get over our jitters about Twitter. I'm sharing this will 2,243 of my closes friends.
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Information Technology Trenz Mar 19, 2011 09:10:02 PM | Linda Cureton
 
If I had a nickel for every time I heard the comment that there is no requirement for iPADs or similar tablet devices in the workplace, I’d ...well ... I’d have my own iPAD. Well, people knew better and the market is exploding. So, maybe I shouldn't talk about technology trends. But, I’m sure no one would object to a discussion about something else – maybe technology trenz!
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Life in IT Flatland Mar 19, 2011 09:09:31 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Those of us in IT Flatland have two-dimensional thinking where we don't look "up" to customer needs or "down" to end-to-end well-integrated solutions. We need to open our IT "third eye" to get ourselves out of IT Flatland.
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Yin and Yang Leadership Mar 19, 2011 09:08:58 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Yin and Yang describes opposing forces which flow in a natural way and always seek balance. The two opposing forces flow in such a way that they become merely two aspects of a single reality. Sometimes the two opposing forces move you to where the problems get solved and where the impossible becomes possible.
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No Stupid Ideas Mar 19, 2011 09:08:02 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Well, I thought a lot about this and have concluded that there are no stupid ideas, just stupid people.
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Managing Your Online Reputation Mar 19, 2011 09:07:22 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Concern about reputation is a barrier for many organizations and individuals preventing them from fully harnessing the power of Web 2.0 technologies. If you care about your online reputation, this blog is for you.
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Reflections of a CIO’s Grandmother Mar 19, 2011 09:06:19 PM | Linda Cureton
 
My first CIO blog of the New Year was supposed to be about IT strategy and looking forward. I planned to pen that blog this weekend. But, I got diverted by family obligations related to celebrating my grandmother’s 96th birthday. I made her favorite Sweet Potato Crescent Rolls and Baptist Pound Cake. I would do my blog later, but Mama came first last night. She died today. I would rather reflect on leadership lessons I learned from her.
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Women in History: A Girl’s World Mar 12, 2011 08:56:09 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Yeah, I was proud of my new cute pink leather jacket that I got 40% off plus an additional 30% off with a coupon. And yeah, I talked about it during a meeting and apologized. But, maybe Womens' History Month is a good time to stop apologizing for being a woman!
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Women in History: The IT Legacy Grace Hopper Mar 06, 2011 12:34:55 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Taking the opportunity to pause for a few nanoseconds during Women’s History Month to acknowledge the contributions of Vice Admiral Grace Hopper. Note: This is my 100th blog. Thanks for reading.
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Holding On In the Face of Doom and Gloom Feb 20, 2011 02:09:08 AM | Linda Cureton
 
Decimated budgets, endless scenarios, hiring freezes, questions from the press, an employee with bad news, and another one with total nonsense -- how do you hold on and keep your head above water?
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Be My Technology Valentine Feb 13, 2011 08:50:32 PM | Linda Cureton
 
One Valentine’s Day I got a wonderful present from my husband – 256M of memory. That was a great gift when memory cost a little over a dollar a megabyte. I had a fast processor, but what really needed was fast memory.
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Cliff Makes His Move: Planting Leadership Seeds Jan 15, 2011 07:08:47 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Our beloved integration manager and NASA’s universally-acknowledged expert on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is moving on to better position. He got a fine send-off that would be the envy of most geeks – submarine sandwiches, cookies, and soda. Napkins are for wimps, that’s what shirts are for. But Cliff is no wimp.
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My Winter of Discontent 2011: NASA CTOs at CES Jan 08, 2011 05:41:46 PM | Linda Cureton
 
CIOs need to remember that people in their organizations – their customers -- are all consumers. CIOs shouldn’t be content in their ability to rule their world as expectations of consumers continue to creep into the workplace
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CIO New Year Resolutions: Release 2011 Jan 03, 2011 05:07:49 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Don't you just hate these things ... New Year resolutions.
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A CIO’s Letter to Santa Claus 2010 Dec 19, 2010 06:41:53 PM | Linda Cureton
 
And Santa, as I said, I’ve been a very, very good girl this year. I ate my vegetables, my proteins, and didn’t eat too many of those yucky carbohydrates and sweets. But Santa, even though I got two speeding tickets this year and checked email on my smartphone way too much, I didn’t do them both at the same time! I think that’s ok, right? So, can you give me the things on my list?
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Impossible Leadership Dec 12, 2010 05:45:53 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Have you ever seen anyone perform the impossible? We’ve all heard stories about the impossible; about superhuman strength during time of duress; about Cinderella stories; and of course, leaders that accomplish the improbable and the impossible. What can leaders learn from this? How do we harness this magic?
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Grateful Leadership Nov 21, 2010 09:14:26 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Leaders should always remember the value of expressing gratitude. Now is the time to go on a rampage of appreciation for all you have, all that you are, and all that you observe.
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Information Technology: Trick or Treat? Oct 31, 2010 11:43:37 AM | Linda Cureton
 
The trick or treat here is not that technology is bad or good. But, if we ask for the treat from our technology “candy”, we might get tricked into some unintended consequences.
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Leadership Versus Management Oct 23, 2010 06:51:22 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I threw the concept out about the differences between leadership versus management and got this strange quizzical look from a few of my strong managers in the room. I’ve seen that look many times over the past decade from some executives on my team. But, what is the difference really? And why does it matter?
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Finding the Sweet Spot for Disruptive Innovation Oct 08, 2010 07:50:53 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I was having a healthy debate with my CTO for IT Chris C. Kemp. I’m not sure who won the CTO v. CIO debate. But, the true winner can be found somewhere in the sweet spot for disruptive innovation.
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Coping with Reduced Resources: Lessons from a Thief Oct 03, 2010 07:36:06 PM | Linda Cureton
 
An Anonymous Sneak uses a pathetic act of thievery to demonstrate a timely lesson of how to cope with reduced resources.
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Our Insecurities or: How to Stop Worrying and Love Compromised Cyber Environments Oct 03, 2010 07:35:37 PM | Linda Cureton
 
My Deputy CIO for IT Security, Jerry Davis recently asked if I thought he was paranoid. I assured him that he wasn’t really paranoid if we really are operating in a compromised environment.
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Leading Through the Tears Aug 20, 2010 05:22:45 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I was mortified this week when I cried in front of a big crowd. But, in the end, I learned a valuable leadership lesson.
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The Summit Aug 15, 2010 02:18:15 AM | Linda Cureton
 
We all need our summits … places we must climb, heights we must reach. Furthermore, the purpose of leadership is to help others reach their summit. We must nurture within ourselves and our organizations the courage, confidence, and stamina needed to reach our peak and wrestle the mighty Titans of life.
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Resilience! Aug 07, 2010 05:42:26 PM | Linda Cureton
 
My trip to Stennis meant more than getting my fix from high-fat, low glycemic index carbohydrates from the Rocketeria. It meant being reminded by The Mighty that getting their way isn’t as important as knowing which way to go; that clouds have silver linings; and that potential set backs are prospective opportunities. Indeed, I got my leadership fix of Resilience!
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Breakthrough Leadership Jul 24, 2010 04:08:37 PM | Linda Cureton
 
So now I’m grateful for July, for my runny nose, and for my low grade fever. I know why now. I saw it this month. I saw it this week. And I saw its reflection in my mirror this morning. It looked like Breakthrough Leadership.
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Five Things a CIO Hates About Information Technology Jul 17, 2010 01:30:28 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Two pieces of technology that got man to the moon -- a slide rule and a pneumatic tube cylinder. How cool!
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Creating a CIO Team That Rocks! Jun 13, 2010 02:21:05 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Had a meeting with NASA CIOs which by my own self-imposed performance measures was good – that means I didn’t cry (though I got close) and I didn’t have a headache (though I had a sore throat from a 15-minute agenda item that turned into 2 hours). I found myself spitting out some words that I would later eat myself – they tasted Sweet.
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The Bossy CIO May 04, 2010 01:26:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Everyone is asking me about the latest reorganization in NASA. In particular, the Center CIOs now report to me. They ask, so it must be great that all the Center CIOs all belong to you. The reality is that there’s not much truth to that. The reality is that I now belong to all of THEM.
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The Connected CIO Apr 17, 2010 11:20:19 PM | Linda Cureton
 
This is a scary blog to write. We marvel at the amazing capabilities that these Web 2.0 tools give us. As the so-called “social CIO” I lamented that blogging wasn’t as interactive as I thought. I found the reason why in a mirror.
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Women and Technology Leadership Mar 14, 2010 09:24:30 PM | Linda Cureton
 
March is Women’s History Month. As NASA aspires to encourage the interest of young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, I reflected on Sydney, a young girl that I am tutoring in 6th grade mathematics.
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Imagine a CIO Feb 09, 2010 12:57:21 AM | Linda Cureton
 
I remember telling my grandmother about our adventures at Kennedy Playground in the Shaw Neigborhood of Washington, DC. She smiled and said, “Tootie Baby, imagination is the greatest nation in the world”. I didn’t really get it then. But, I get it now. Imagination.
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Aloha Goddard Space Flight Center,Aloha NASA Jan 26, 2010 10:43:22 AM | Linda Cureton
 
This will be short and sweet…so here it is. Today, September 26, 2009, is my last official day as the CIO of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Tomorrow I start as CIO of NASA.
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Transparency and Naked Leadership Jan 26, 2010 10:41:30 AM | Linda Cureton
 
Transparency means more than just putting data up on static websites. Leading in a transparent way has the atomic advantage of being able to be exposed to a huge set of diverse ideas thus hastening innovation and creativity. However, the cultural challenges associated with leading in this environment requires a new kind of personal leadership – Naked Leadership.
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A CIO in Love with Her PDA: Please Don’t Tell My Husband Jan 26, 2010 10:36:06 AM | Linda Cureton
 
Cellphones: They really do drive us crazy. I reflected on a little quip that my husband for some strange reason does NOT think is amusing – I LOVE my Blackberry, and I’m having an affair with the iPhone! Maybe we should all bow our heads and send a text message to pray for deliverance.
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CIO Time Jan 26, 2010 10:33:05 AM | Linda Cureton
 
I must admit that I’ve always had a problem with time. I hate time actually. Colleagues who know me well will laugh out loud when they realize that I had the audacity to write about Time Management. I guess those who can … do; those who can’t … well, they blog about it.
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More Things My Mother Taught Me About Being a CIO Jan 26, 2010 10:31:25 AM | Linda Cureton
 
It’s appropriate as we enter Mother’s Day weekend for me to reflect that I don’t have to look back too far in the past to learn from my mother. I’ve blogged about this topic before and the calendar warrants further reflections on some more of those CIO learning moments.
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Leadership Lessons from a CIO’s Hairdresser Jan 26, 2010 10:19:15 AM | Linda Cureton
 
I had to get a security clearance and the special agent doing my background investigation called me up and asked for the phone number of my hairdresser. I paused … and told him … that’s a low blow dude. He said you’d be surprised what you can learn from a person’s hairdresser. You’d be surprised indeed – even leadership lessons.
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California Dreaming NASA-Style Jan 26, 2010 10:15:33 AM | Linda Cureton
 
Resilience, resourcefulness, and transitional leadership -- in California getting leadership lessons from a Joshua Tree.
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A CIO Thanksgiving Jan 26, 2010 10:14:09 AM | Linda Cureton
 
A CIO Thanksgiving means planting seeds of leadership. It also means having a vision, a plan, and a cornucopia of results. Finally, but most important, we need to give thanks for the people who help us deliver the harvest to the organizations we serve.
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Freckles and Fruit Trees: Things My Mother Taught Me About Being a CIO Jan 26, 2010 10:10:06 AM | Linda Cureton
 
I guess I love my freckles. It’s what my mother gave me. And what I have – the total of my experiences, learning, DNA, and heritage – make me the freckled CIO that I am.
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Moving Information Technology Mountains with Mustard Seed Innovation Dec 29, 2009 12:29:35 PM | Linda Cureton
 
We can learn a lot about innovation by looking at lessons taught to us by the tiny mustard seed. This tiny seed blossoms into a large sprawling plant and has many uses. CIOs can reap bountiful crops of capability by sowing small seeds of innovation.
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The Small But Mighty Stennis Space Center Nov 08, 2009 01:27:50 PM | Linda Cureton
 
As leaders, we should never overlook the contributions of the small and humble. Leadership success relies on those contributions.
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How to Rule the World of IT through Enterprise Architecture Oct 27, 2009 10:43:57 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Well … deep breaths … using Enterprise Architecture to rule the world … hum. I better cut this short; I need to go and come up with a name for my country and commission a flag.
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The Smell of Future Sep 07, 2009 12:11:36 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I love the smell of September in Washington, DC, it smells like the future.
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In Search of the Lost Art of IT Management Aug 20, 2009 06:14:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Today, just about everyone has a camera on their phone. So now anyone can be a photographer. With blogs, everyone is now a journalist. The same situation exists with IT. The proliferation, the ubiquitous nature of it, and the increased ease of use forces IT, as well as cameras, to be considered merely tools. It is because of the notion that IT is merely a tool that we have lost the Art of IT Management.
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The Betting CIO Aug 09, 2009 02:36:12 PM | Linda Cureton
 
By some strange confluence in the universe, I found myself in a casino for two consecutive weekends. Leadership lessons in a casino? You bet!
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Inspire or Expire Jul 31, 2009 04:13:47 PM | Linda Cureton
 
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center got an inspiring first visit from our new Administrator Charlie Bolden. One thing he said stuck in my mind and in my heart. He said that NASA should ... inspire. What do organizations need to do in order to inspire?
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Footprints in the Sand: Innovation at Goddard's White Sands Complex Jul 28, 2009 04:41:48 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Innovation is all the rage these days. Ironically, we talk about innovation like it’s never been done before. I had the pleasure of visiting Goddard Space Flight Center’s White Sands Complex in Las Cruces, New Mexico. But innovation also includes getting new life out of old things. As I stowed my 2 PDAs, cell phone, laptop, and two iPods, I was about to see how these heroes of technology maintain and support a very mature infrastructure with scarce resources.
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Problem Solving and Personal Leadership Jul 13, 2009 08:12:40 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Not surprisingly, some of the same characteristics of a good problem-solver can be found in a good leader. Courage, creativity, focus, tenacity.
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The Poor Strugglin’ CIO Jul 02, 2009 05:30:08 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Sometimes you have good days and sometimes you have bad days. As you look backwards on bad days, these leadership lessons always seem clear. Wouldn’t be great if we could look forward to them or at least learn these lessons in real time? It would make you almost embrace these so-called bad days. It could improve your learning as a leader.
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Girl Power for CIOs Jun 23, 2009 01:18:50 PM | Linda Cureton
 
So, I guess the conclusion is whether you are a male or female executive; or a CIO or regular person, you should focus on your strengths, be prepared to stand out in a crowd, and watch out for alligators.
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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Launches Spacebook Jun 18, 2009 01:47:23 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I’ve often said that this NASA CIO gig is pretty tough. But, there are many times … like now … where I am proud to be the CIO of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. We launched Spacebook this week. Woo-hoo!
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Quality in the Web 2.0 World Jun 05, 2009 11:40:44 PM | Linda Cureton
 
The Director of the Facility, Dr. Butch Caffall, took me on a marvelous journey with his pen and a legal-size yellow pad about quality. But, he got me thinking about quality in a Web 2.0 context. Does it really exist?
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The Goddard CIO Blog: One Year Later Jun 01, 2009 10:16:21 PM | Linda Cureton
 
One year today, I made my first blog post. Today, I want to pause and discuss my experience, my learning, and my path forward. This is a lengthy post. It will not be a sterile reflection of the efficacy of this Web 2.0 technology, but rather, this will be an expression of what this experience meant to me as a CIO, a leader, and as an individual.
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How Extraordinary Golf Leads to Extraordinary Leadership May 23, 2009 02:25:37 PM | Linda Cureton
 
We all have our purpose for playing golf just as we have our purpose in life. We confuse performance with purpose. Are we committed to looking good with the perfect drive? Or to enjoying golf? We do this in the workplace as managers and leaders. Are we committed to the purpose of the project? Or have we lost sight of the organization’s target because we are overly focusing on performance? Now certainly performance is critical, but we don’t want a successful operation and a dead patient!
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ITIL We Meet Again May 17, 2009 11:08:42 AM | Linda Cureton
 
I first met ITIL in the 1980s. This was in the good-ole-days – when programmers wrote real code; 5 nines didn’t mean 6 sigmas; and Data Centers weren’t on people’s desks. Who knew we'd meet again? These critical practices are essential to providing quality service and promoting collaboration across diverse service providers in today's learning IT organization.
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What’s IT Got to Do With It? May 02, 2009 11:19:38 PM | Linda Cureton
 
This week, my mother announced to me that she heard on Oprah what Twitter is and didn't need her CIO daughter to explain it. Well, if that isn't a wake up call for CIOs to become relevent in the advent of Web 2.0 technologies then CIO really does stand for Career Is Over!
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Implementing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) in the Enterprise Apr 18, 2009 06:46:53 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Yeah, SOA what! I like neat technology just like the next girl. It’s cool and snazzy, but if it is not solving a problem, we’re probably implementing technology that may not have mission value. The potential here is great, but first we have to pause and reflect on what particular problem we are trying to solve. And finally, we need to implement approaches that address the people, process, and technology dimensions.
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NASA CIO Meeting: Connecting with Dot Apr 11, 2009 12:43:01 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Johnson Space Center Deputy CIO Dot Swanson reminds us of the key critical attributes for having critical conversations -- confidence, humility, and skill. Connecting with Dot during a meeting of NASA CIOs was an inspirational reminder of the importance of this for an organization like ours.
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The Art of Change Followership Mar 22, 2009 01:54:32 PM | Linda Cureton
 
These soft or people-centered skills may appear to be an inadequate substitute for outcome oriented leadership and followership behaviors – especially in an engineering culture as NASA. But it can make a real difference to outcomes and productivity during today’s turbulent times.
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Cloud Computing in the Federal Government: On a Cloudy Day How It Will Astound You Mar 14, 2009 11:53:43 PM | Linda Cureton
 
It had the privilege of tutoring someone in Algebra this week. The number one error that the Algebra student makes is ignoring signs of integers. The number one mistake that IT Leaders make is ignoring signs of disruptive technologies.
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Partnerships in Space Mar 06, 2009 10:01:55 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I was excited about hearing from NOAA and from Department of Energy. We have a lot in common and have the potential of forming strong partnerships.
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108: Preparing for Glory in NASA’s Information Technology Program Feb 21, 2009 05:55:02 PM | Linda Cureton
 
You may want to skip to the next item in your RSS Feed because this blog is for me – for my selfish purposes. Perhaps no purpose and perhaps no value to you … but of value to me and maybe to the 108 men and women of Goddard Space Flight Center's IT and Communications Directorate.
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Being Stung By Leading Organizational Change Feb 17, 2009 12:15:32 AM | Linda Cureton
 
So, I’ve dried my tears, sobered up, and didn’t hit the jackpot, but I learned a lesson from bees and was reminded of something I learned about change leadership. It stings.
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The Learning Organization: CIO as Paleontologist Feb 08, 2009 07:00:34 PM | Linda Cureton
 
I ran into someone who worked for one of my colleagues. He was a Paleontologist. I thought of the dinosaurs, and how we can learn from them and their inability to learn and adapt and subsequent extinction. Such is the future of organizations that fail to do likewise.
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Did You Hear the One About the NASA CIOs? Feb 01, 2009 01:54:05 PM | Linda Cureton
 
Q: How many NASA CIOs does it take to change a light bulb? A: None, it’s a hardware problem. If you like that, here’s a better one. Q: How many NASA CIOs does it take to change NASA? A: All of them
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