Countless blue-ribbon panels, reports and training classes have addressed methods to discipline wayward feds. But much less airtime and ink have been devoted to rewarding prized employees. So, to help even the score, here are descriptions of the most common types of awards you may give to honor your star players. • Grade increase: Most grade increases for General Schedule employees are computed under the “two-step” rule: First, determine the salary two steps higher than the employee’s current step; then, at the next higher grade, find the two steps in the GS range that straddle the employee’s “two-stepped salary”; the…

There’s an adage for public speakers: “Tell your audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said.” A similar principle holds true for change managers. If you plan to steer your staffers into new territory, you should initially tell them about their new destination or goal, repeatedly describe it as they approach it, and then applaud them once they reach it. Some ways to help you do so: * Present a compelling case for your new goal — whether it is changing your office’s procedures, rearranging your office’s division of labor, adapting new technologies or…