Much has been written lately of President Obama’s desire to hold onto his blackberry.A battle which resulted in him losing the “old-fashioned” device we mere mortals are stuck with and acquiring the super stealthy NSA version.Many techies’ would risk running for public office for the opportunity to score one of those.I’ve also read a lot about Government 2.0 as referenced on ReadWriteWeb by Mark Drapeau.
What no one seems to be talking about is the impact a hi-tech administration will have on Government and the vendor community that supports them.For the first time, we have a White House staff that expects the use of technology to solve problems and contribute to the greater good.President Obama won the race for the Presidency by putting together a technology savvy staff and then using current almost cutting edge technology to reach a new generation of voters.That campaign has changed the world of politics forever.Facebook, twitter, YouTube and Web 2.0 are all terms that prior to 2008 belonged to the youth of America.Now they are mainstays of political and government sites everywhere.The venerable Saturday radio addresses of President’s past are now YouTube clips for the “new” America. Our President and his staff expect to communicate instantly and seamlessly with the American public.They demand transparency and are planning on technology to achieve it.Electronic Health records have been talked about for years, but now we may actually see considerable funds put behind it.Folks, things have changed.
In the past, Government officials everywhere looked at technology as a necessary evil that would eventually fail miserably and put them all in the news.Now in the long standing tradition of imitating a winner, politicians and therefore governments are jumping on the bandwagon and asking can technology actually solve problems and make me look good?I’ve been travelling on a tour of 17 states , talking with CIO’s, Governor’s staff and Budget Directors.The policy makers are catching on.Every component of the President’s Recovery Plan is dependent on technology to help deliver it.States and Cities are jumping on the bandwagon.
The conversation is changing.Now is the time to become part of the dialog.
Let me know how the new hi-tech President is changing your life!
Everyone is all a buzz about the Federal Stimulus package. Will it save the economy? Will it save my project? Will it save my job? The simple fact is nobody knows for certain. We do know a lot of the broad ideas. We are also starting to see a stronger emphasis on technology. It is pretty well accepted that funds will be targeted in a few key areas:
Tax Cuts
Direct aid to States
Infrastructure
Education
Technology
Healthcare
Every State CIO needs to realize that while few stimulus dollars, other than broadband and some education, will be direct IT funds. The opportunity is in the indirect spend that will follow. Even more important than the increased funding is the opportunity to reach out to the policy makers in your state and while they actually have reason to listen, demonstrate how IT is a part of all of these initiatives. It is your chance to claim or reclaim your seat at the table.
Don't miss out. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity! If you need some input on how to maximize your opportunity, feel free to drop me a line. Even better tell us how your state is gearing up for the effort.
If you want to keep up with the latest on the stimulus package check out our stimulus blog at http://nationalstrategies.com
Recently the book “The Secret” was released.Now in full disclosure I have not read it.My understanding is that it purports to give you the secret to being happier and wiser.I can’t speak to the accuracy of the book, but I can tell you there is a secret to being successful in providing service to the Public Sector.If you follow this simple rule you will experience success beyond your wildest expectations.
Do what you say you are going to do, for the price you said you would do it.
Of course, everyone says, “we all do that”.Yet, time and time again companies don’t.Usually, it’s not intentional.They start by not truly understanding what the public sector client is asking for, after all bureaucratese is a different language, then, they under quote the job in order to win the bid.Things really go down from there as they can’t figure out why the client is demanding so many changes and expecting them to eat the cost.It’s not long before we are reading about another failed government project and possibly another bankrupt government vendor.I am continually amazed at the number of large Fortune 500 companies that fail to grasp this simple concept.Of course there are some companies that have based their entire growth strategy on this technique.Tell them whatever they want to hear and quote them an unbelievable price.Then jack your revenue with change orders.
Before you can successfully do what you are going to do, you need to understand what they really need.It won’t be in the bid documents, they won’t be able to explain it to you, but they will know it when they see it.You have to understand their business.You need to literally “feel their pain”.Then and only then can you give them a winning and deliverable solution.Once you have that you can wrap an accurate price around it.The days of winning a government bid and then change ordering it into profitability are gone.Governments have become much more astute when it comes to project management, but their own rules often complicate the process of procuring the right solution.
If you are the one who deciphers the code, then you can be the one who gets to do what you say you will, for the price you quoted.But remember, shhhh, it’s a secret!
I have come to realize that having Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel broadcasting from your hometown is not necessarily a good thing.If you live in Florida and it’s during hurricane season, it’s a really bad thing. I live in Tallahassee, Florida and we spent last weekend with Tropical Storm Faye.Half of Tallahassee is under water and the other half is focused only on the wet half.No one however seems to be talking about disaster recovery.It seems to me that seeing many of your neighbors underwater and looking at pictures of kayaks floating down streets near your datacenter would prompt visions of hot sites and business continuity……..
It never fails to amaze me how little Government puts resources into disaster recovery.I don’t mean the front line technologists.I mean the policy and decision makers.Let’s face it; the public sector has to run lean.Budget cuts are the flavor of the year.Yet no one ever acknowledges how critical it is to have a business continuity plan.When I was CIO of Florida we constantly found agencies whose idea of disaster recovery was to put tapes in a non climate controlled mini warehouse, which happened to be located in a flood zone.Yes, a flood zone, in the State that seems to breed hurricanes.The few agencies that had an actual hot site were rarely budgeted for actually testing it.These are agencies that are responsible for peoples’ lives.It seems to me someone would wake up and smell the disaster.
If you have any disaster recovery horror stories waiting to happen or that have already happened, let me know.Everyone loves a good horror story, even Jim Cantore.
It’s the election season and we are inundated with headlines on the players, policies, perceptions, peccadilloes and politics. For my clients who sell to the public sector we have a recurring conversation that is focused on winning in a political world.
When you are in sales, even if you don’t get passionately wrapped around an elections cycle, you will be affected by the outcome. Many times I hear how someone rigged a deal or that it’s too hard to do business with government. Rarely is there any true corruption and government is no harder to do business with than any commercial sector. You just have to understand the language and know the rules. The people you meet with day-to-day, the government workers who serve as the implementers and practitioners of the solution, are keenly aware of the politics. In fact, often these are the folks who waved signs, worked in precincts and made calls for the political leadership in that territory. Politics matter, so you have to be attentive and sensitive. Selling to government is a relationship business.
The vendor has a role, which is best positioned as a partner to the government sector. Mr. and Mrs. Vendor should feel the public sector’s pain and be committed to the right solution for the right price.
The customer has a role, which is best described as the public servant who wakes up day-in and day-out knowing that it is imperative for them to serve their leadership and the public they represent.
The lobbyist has a role, and no, it’s not buying dinners and throwing parties. The lobbyist serves as a liaison to the customers and the vendors (i.e. their clients). The lobbyist is an interpreter, and advisor.
If you understand these roles and how they work together you will have great success. If you don’t understand or choose to ignore your role, you are in for a disappointing ride. When an effort goes off the rails, it’s often because of politics or perception. There’s many outside influences and even more outside influencers. Whether you are a donkey or an elephant, you can thrive, but you need to understand the rules of the game.
Tell me about how you used the rules of politics to crush your competition or how you became road kill to a savvier player.
Many times we have left a meeting and discovered everyone on the team interpreted the meeting differently. It’s as if we all went to a different meeting. Communicating and understanding effectively is difficult in the best of circumstances. When you are meeting with public sector officials, the results typically fall into the category of bad circumstances. In Government, they just speak a different language. Of course, it’s like that with most things.
For instance, at home, when my children were infants, my wife would ask – “Do you think we should check on the kids?” At first I was under the impression this was a yes or no question. Later, I learned that it wasn’t a question at all. What she was really saying was - “Please get out of bed and check on the kids.”
Now, imagine if your job in the private sector is to sell to government. Talk about challenges. Working your way through what Florida Governor Charlie Crist calls “Government Gobbledegook” can be a full time job. To overcome the problem the Governor issued an Executive Order in 2007 to adopt plain language plans. Even the Federal Government has a 10 year old mandate to ensure the use of plain language.
Still, it’s hard to make heads or tails out of what is being said. That’s why it’s necessary to have an interpreter available. Check out these speaking points taken from conversations with some of our nation’s CIOs (followed by the rest of the story):
We want to build a more efficient organization. (as long as I have the same staff and the same budget or less).
We believe in competition (as long as I keep my current provider at a lower cost).
We are ready to move on this (in about 18 months)
Learning to understand the language of government is similar to learning to understand your spouse. Either you invest a lot of years, or you get yourself a translator.
