ABSTRACT
In today’s globalized world of permanent white water change, administering and leading within the federal government’s executive branch is arguably one of the most daunting assignments any executive, public or private, could undertake. More and more, leading in the public service is about handling challenges characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). And, in this context, the typical career federal executive must deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of staff and millions, if not billions, of dollars in budget that deliver extraordinarily diverse products and services to the American taxpayer. All of this is done within a highly charged and transparent political environment that punishes failures and rarely rewards quiet and steady success.
