The Government Mechanic: Recent Episodes
Dr. Lynn S. Kahn
The Government Mechanic encourages everyone to look under the hood of government, diagnose the real problems and decide what actions will fix what problems. In each episode, discussion reveals the mechanics of fixing broken government agencies, including broken missions, broken goals, and broken measures of success. Our audience includes new agency leaders, change agents already working with agency leaders, or anyone wondering how to change a damaged, dysfunctional agency.
Reducing veteran suicide requires a national conversation about war and peace building in the 21st-century; a new way of welcoming our soldiers and veterans back into our communities; and a plan to transform the US Department of Veterans Affairs. My guest is Steve Sanson, founder of Veterans in Politics, International.
Peacebuilding is active behavior, such as agreeing on a cease-fire or even showing up for the conversations. Peacemaking is internal, a change of heart or a new point of view. Fixing government is deeply connected to the activities of peacebuilding and the dynamics of peacemaking.
Peacebuilding is active behavior, such as agreeing on a cease-fire or even showing up for the conversations. Peacemaking is internal, a change of heart or a new point of view. Fixing government is deeply connected to the activities of peacebuilding and the dynamics of peacemaking.
Multi–track diplomacy includes government to government negotiations, as well as all the different ways in which citizens work to solve problems and build peace. Peacebuilding is active behavior, such as agreeing on a cease-fire or even showing up for the conversations. Peacemaking is internal, a change of heart or a new point of view. Fixing government is deeply connected to the activities of peacebuilding and the dynamics of peacemaking.
Multi–track diplomacy includes government to government negotiations, as well as all the different ways in which citizens work to solve problems and build peace. Peacebuilding is active behavior, such as agreeing on a cease-fire or even showing up for the conversations. Peacemaking is internal, a change of heart or a new point of view. Fixing government is deeply connected to the activities of peacebuilding and the dynamics of peacemaking.
Episode 2: The Playbook, the overall plan, describes how to look at the 7 Layers of Government from different angles so you can see what’s really broken and know what to do.
The 7 Layers of Government
- Mission and Vision are the foundation of the agency. Mission is the purpose or prime objective of the agency. Vision is the north star, where the agency is headed. Together they are the engine that drives the agency. In government, the Mission is often distorted and the Vision is usually missing.
- Goals are the key objectives that will accomplish the Mission. In 1993, the White House wrote (with help from the Reinventing Government office) and Congress passed GPRA, The Results Act. GPRA requires every federal Department and major agency to publish an annual performance report with mission, goals, strategic activities, budgets and results.
- Programs, Policies and People: How is the Agency DIVIDED UP? What are the Offices and Programs? Which office gets what Budget and Staffing? Here’s where government turns into a BUREAUCRACY and writes really bad policy.
- Budgets are how government spends taxpayer money. It’s mostly all broken and wasteful.
- Measures of Success: Did you do what you said you would do? Is that what the American people want?
- Communication and Coordination happens within and across from agencies.
- Culture is the sum of an agency‘s beliefs, assumptions and values.
As my guest Kathy Monahan and I discuss in Episode 2: The Playbook, agencies can be broken in many different ways all at the same time.
Welcome to Episode 1 of my podcast The Government Mechanic. I’m going to describe my background, my goals, lessons from my 40-year career as an organizational psychologist, and what I saw and heard in 2015 and 2016 as an independent candidate for President of the United States.