There are six “go to” topics in the IBM Center’s Resource Center for incoming new political appointees as well as for veteran career executives preparing for the new year ahead Topic 1:  Helping New Leaders Succeed.  The IBM Center has updated its two most popular books for new leaders in government:

Background Twenty years ago, federal agencies typically did not have senior executives leading key mission support functions such as finance, technology, acquisition, or workforce.  Over those two decades, Congress created a series of “chief” positions, reflecting trends in the private sector – chief financial officers, chief information technology officers, chief acquisition officers, and chief human capital officers.  They recently added performance improvement officers but without the “chief” title.

Our aim is to produce research and analysis that helps government leaders more effectively respond to their mission and management challenges.The IBM Center is named "The Business of Government" because its focus is the management and operation of government, not the policies of government. Public sector leaders and managers need the best, most practical advice available when it comes to delivering the business of government. We seek to “bridge the gap” between research and practice by helping to stimulate and accelerate the production of actionable research.

The transition from campaign to governing requires that presidential policies be transformed from rhetoric into an actionable agenda and then into concrete results. Neither good policies nor sound investments are likely to work, let along succeed, if undermined by poor implementation. Too often, however, federal management issues are considered somewhere between “uninteresting” and “a waste of time.” The reason: Washington is a policy town. If you are focused on politics or policy, “management” is often ignored or simply left for someone else to figure out.

The Guide: Helping the New AdministrationSucceed in Washington

The IBM Center launched this blog in April 2007 to spark a dialogue on the 2008-2009 Presidential Transition and to identify the toughest management challenges facing future government leaders. As background to this on-line dialog, the IBM Center sponsored two thought leadership forums, one in 2005 and the other in 2006, to explore these issues. Drs. Donald Kettl and Steve Kelman shared their insights with the forums. We subsequently published them as "Reflections on 21st Century Government Management." Dr.

  Transformation of the Department of Defense's Business Systems (2009) Jacques S. Gansler and William Lucyshyn Performance Management Recommendations for the New Administration (2009) Shelley H. Metzenbaum

A "twofer" is when you get two of something at once - sort of two for the price of one. That's what you would have gotten if you were at the National Press Club yesterday morning.