b'InsightsHow has COVID-19 impacted your operations?I am proud to say that our financial operations havent skipped a beat. While the pandemic may have caught us off guard, our workforce adapted overnight. I think the key challenge was the transition of our mindsets for all OCFO staff, including myself. Moving to a hybrid or fully virtual environment impacted everyone a little differently, but the workload never ceased, nor did the productivity. There was no change in the quality of our products. Our people really stepped up to the challenge, despite the uncertainty the last two years presented.What leadership principles do you follow? Leadership is about creating a positive environment where people can be successful and authentically themselves. I like to characterize my leadership philosophy as the ABCs of leadership. The A is your attitudekeeping it positive.problem by myself and have to collaborate with other lines of Attitudes have the potential to build up or tear down thebusiness (LOBs) or even a component. success of teams. We all know a negative attitude can spread across an organization. You can build your teams with respectAlso, leaders cultivate curiosity. Again, dont be satisfied with by keeping things positive.the status quo. It is about asking the why behind somethingand not being afraid to ask. Leaders need to create an B is for be bold. Look for gaps, or places where you can beenvironment where people feel safe to try new thingswhere helpful, and take the initiative to fill those gaps. You need tofailure is a learning experience, not an embarrassing one. You step outside your comfort zone. Being boldlooking for gapswill create more curiosity because people will want to think of and not waiting for tasks to be given to youis probably onenew and better ways of doing business.of the characteristics that I value most in any employee.The 5 Cs of leadership are about building connections with people. Leadership is not about control, power, or jobTo learn more about the Department of Homeland Security,title. Its about building positive relationships with people.go to dhs.gov.Leaders spend 70-90 percent of their time in group or team interactions every daynot working on spreadsheets orTo hear the interviews from The Business of Government Hour, go to creating pivot tables.businessofgovernment.org/interviews.Communication and leadership are joined at the hip. TheTo download the show as a podcast, go to PodcastOne or iTunes challenge with communication isnt one of quantityits aand search for The Business of Government Hour.quality issue. The most important part of communication is listeninglistening with quality, which is extremely hard in the virtual environment. Collaboration is critical to create a shared understanding of issues, as well. This is foundational for future action. You cant stay stuck in a silo if you want your team to be successful. Problems today are multifaceted, so good leaders are skilled facilitators who focus on getting problems out of their workers ways. When my Director for the Joint Program Management Office (JPMO) comes to me and says that he isnt getting something he needs, I often cant solve the https://youtu.be/6q80S6ikolk2022 IBM Center for The Business of Government 59'