b'Conversations with LeadersOn Key Takeawaysscans for the most important problems, finds solutions that The first takeaway is recognizing China as a strategicsave us the most money, and delivers new capabilities that competitor and that this competition, amongst other things,save the most lives. centers on technology. We must make sure that our country does not fall behind. Our technology lead is eroding today.How robust are the different types of available commercial This underscores a sense of urgency not only about the workcapabilities? The sweet spot we look for is very high-impact that were doing at DIU but what the Defense Departmentand a robust set of commercial vendors. Thats the area that and the whole nation needs to be focused on in terms ofwe want to be targeting. making sure that were making the right investments to be preeminent in science and technology for decades to come.On Leading Leadership principles are transferable across sectors. We must Another key takeaway is understanding that DoD is not aunderstand what we are trying to accomplish. What I call first mover anymore with respect to a lot of the technologiessetting the agenda. If you dont have that vision in mind, a we need like AI, cyber, autonomous systems, etc. Therefore,destination for where you want to go, then all roads can take we have to be a fast follower to incorporate technologiesyou anywhere. A leader must have that vision and agenda developed by commercial companies (instead of DoD) andfor where the organization is going. Once you have a vision, field this more quickly.then its all about executing on it. Having the best possible staff and talent working alongside you to achieve that vision The third takeaway is speed. Speed is absolutely criticalis key. This is true across industries. to making sure weve got a Defense Department that is competitive and possesses the capabilities it needs. ItIve been very impressed with the caliber of talent that we needs to adopt new warfighting concepts at the speed ofhave at DIU. I feel very fortunate. A leader must give staff the relevance, as Secretary James Mattis used to say. Were notproper tools and resources to be successful. This also involves an agile organization at DoD but we need to become one.developing processes and fostering a culture that allows staff to do their best work. We want to make sure that we have These are some of the key areas that were focusing on atan environment where staff can do their best with access to DIU every day. I was heavily influenced by Secretary Mattis,all the tools they need to work collaboratively to realize the who hired me. He impressed upon me that DIU is a changevision and mission of this organization.agent. We have a dedicated part of DIU that continuously To learn more about the Defense Innovation Unit, go to diu.mil/.To hear the interviews from The Business of Government Hour, go to businessofgovernment.org/interviews.To download the show as a podcast, go to PodcastOne or iTunes and search for The Business of Government Hour.https://youtu.be/OIwj00c0GHQ2022 IBM Center for The Business of Government 15'