Some people read articles I write and think I am advocating that government be run like a business. I'm not. But I do think we can adapt metaphors from the best in business. I spend a lot of my time trying to make appropriate translations of business methodologies to government work. So its been helpful to have spent about half my career in public service and the other half in the private sector.
The most fun I had was serving as Deputy Commissioner of Minnesota's Revenue Department. There I led the organization through deep and dramatic changes. Before that I served as the Deputy in the Department of Administration. Two of the innovations we developed there were subsequently recognized by the Harvard/Ford Foundation Innovations in Government Awards.
Yes, and it's good to have the opportunity to reflect on one's work. So I learn by teaching. People say I am a teacher to my core. I have taught graduate management courses at the University of Minnesota, Indiana University, and Metropolitan State University. A few years back I wrote a book with my friend, Michael Barzelay, who was a Harvard professor at the time. Breaking Through Bureaucracy argues for a new approach to funding and managing internal services - like data processing, printing, building maintenance, internal consulting and analysis, etc.
Along the path of life, I have been blessed, by one means or another, with four wonderful kids, and, as of this writing, three grandchildren. I do woodworking - tambour top bread boxes are my specialty. Wilderness canoeing in northern Minnesota and Canada is my favorite vacation. And then there's golf. Would that I could make a living while on the golf course. But alas my devotion to the game far exceeds my skill.
Since I failed to wear a school tie in the picture above, I should tell you I was educated at Grinnell College and did my graduate work at Princeton.
So, tell me about you. |
