Foreword by Tom DavisPreface and AcknowledgementsIntroduction: Why This Book?1. Key Dimensions of Success2. Empowering Your Most Valuable Asset-Your People3. Managing the Complex New World of Technology4. Creating and Leading a Well-Designed Organization5. Communications-What's the Good Word?6. Getting Value from Contracting7. Risk-Based Decision Making8. The Wide Wonderful World of Innovation9. Tips for Living with Oversight Organizations10. Tips for Political Appointees Managing Civil Servants11. Tips for Civil Servants "Managing" Political Appointees12. Tips for Consultants-and the Feds Who Use ThemConclusion: Four Common ThreadsAppendix: Summary of Key TakeawaysIndex About the Author

Stories of government management failures often make the headlines, but quietly much gets done as well. What makes the difference? Ira Goldstein offers wisdom about how to lead and succeed in the federal realm, even during periods when the political climate is intensely negative, based on his decades of experience as a senior executive at two major government consulting firms and as a member of the US federal government's Senior Executive Service.

The Federal Management Playbook coaches the importance of always keeping four key concepts in mind when planning for success: goals, stakeholders, resources, and time frames. Its chapters address how to effectively motivate government employees, pick the right technologies, communicate and negotiate with powerful stakeholders, manage risks, get value from contractors, foster innovation, and more. Goldstein makes lessons easy to apply by breaking each chapter's plans into three strategic phases: create an offensive strategy, execute your plan effectively, and play a smart defense. Additional tips describe how career civil servants and political appointees can get the most from one another, advise consultants on providing value to government, and help everyone better manage ever-present oversight.

The Federal Management Playbook is a must-read for anyone working in the government realm and for students who aspire to public service.

Ira Goldstein is a founder and former director of Deloitte's US Federal Practice, providing consulting and advisory services to large federal agencies and departments. He previously held the position in the federal government of the US Assistant Comptroller General and Chief Operating Officer of the US Government Accountability Office.