Government Agency Leaders

[greenmonkey51]

I will start this by saying I work for a state government agency in the environmental field. A daily discussion is about what qualifications should agency leaders have. Our little division has about 300 employees and a annual budget around 50 million dollars. Our head is a career scientist who had zero training what so ever in running essentially a multi-million dollar company. This has been reflected in lack of communication, budgets, and long term planning. I've thought about this when people complain about school administrators and also federal agency cabinet picks. What philosophy should we have? When do you want that big picture person with field expertise and when do you want the nitty gritty businessmen who could operate a large company.

[NUance]

I know what you're talking about. In a similar vein, the requirements of a particular position may change over time. It takes a certain type of person to be a successful entrepreneur. Steve Jobs, for example. But at some point, the company organizes and grows. And the risk taking entrepreneur is no longer the best person to organize, control inventory, arrange financing, and manage assets in the growing corporation.

 

If your scientist boss was wise, he would surround himself with a staff who could help him manage and organize the agency. Then again, since it is state government we're talking about, there is little incentive to manage and organize, or improve performance.