Getting it Done

Book excerpt: From the Introduction to Getting it Done: "Simply put, Washington is a tough town. Succeeding in Washington requires not only hard work (which is clearly needed), but also a highly sensitive antenna about the environment surrounding your agency. "You must succeed with all 14 of the stakeholder groups described in this book. Any one of them can cause problems for you. Conversely, every one of them can serve as a key leverage point for you to succeed in Washington." Written for newly appointed government agency heads and their senior management teams, Getting It Done addresses the environment of government. Part I of the book offers a straightforward to-do list to guide officials in their new leadership positions. Tip includes how to act quickly on what can't wait, develop a vision and a focused agenda, and much more. Part II of the book provides short overviews of the fourteen stakeholders that government officials will most frequently encounter. These stakeholders include policy councils, Congress, unions, and the Government Accountability Office.