Shining Bright at the 2024 CWDA Conference
Highlands Consulting is providing strategic communication services on the CWS-CARES project. CWS-CARES stands for Child Welfare Services – California Automated Response and Engagement System. It replaces the existing statewide 30+ year old California Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) with a Comprehensive Child Welfare Information…
Read MoreHow to Succeed in Ambiguous Consulting Situations
Ambiguity is a common challenge in the consulting world, as our clients’ needs are ever-changing and often unpredictable. Ambiguity can arise from unclear goals, conflicting expectations, incomplete information, and/or vague outcomes. How do we cope with ambiguity? One way to succeed in ambiguous situations is…
Read MoreMaking the Most of a Professional Conference
Conferences for professional development can be fun and exciting. They offer an opportunity to get out of the day-to-day bubble, learn new things, meet new people, and shift one’s mindset. Ideally, the excitement from a conference translates back to the office routine. I recently attended…
Read MoreCreativity and Collaboration: How Improv Transforms Business
Improv, short for improvisation, is an art form that involves creating spontaneous performances without a script or predetermined plan. At first glance, it may seem unrelated to the business world, but I recently realized its profound impact on my professional growth. Here are three ways…
Read MoreA Rose by Any Other Name…
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare It’s that time of year when I check-in on all those resolutions, transformations, and brave goals that I set to achieve in the New Year. As a Change Consultant, I have a…
Read MoreLots of Good News
Part of my role at Highlands is to post articles that are meaningful to our clients and colleagues. However, researching industry developments and good news can be challenging sometimes. But as an eternal optimist, I’ve found some great sources including Good News Network and Beautiful…
Read MoreRediscovering the Value of In-Person Team Meetings
Since May 2020, I’ve been part of a large team working on California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over countless virtual meetings, chats, and emails, we’ve spent long days and occasional weekends “together” sharing many experiences and successes over the past years. Earlier this month,…
Read MoreCommunicating Scientific Information
Since the pandemic began, the vast amount of online information has been difficult to filter. We all seek “just the facts” but opinions win our attention (and are rewarded with clicks). Unfortunately, the most reliable sources are often the least visited, so they fall to…
Read MoreTactics for Developing High Quality Reports
One of the most common deliverables we produce as consultants are written reports. In public sector consulting, report types can vary widely, from open-ended “Blue Sky” reports (such as this program findings report) to more standardized, structured products (such as IT planning documentation). Each has…
Read More4 Reasons Why We Develop Custom Videos for Training
Video is a powerful and effective way to train staff and develop a team. Here are four reasons why: Videos are flexible You can customize videos for unique audiences. Different people learn and absorb information differently, and video accommodates everyone. You can make the video…
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