Confessions of a Civil Servant

Confessions of a Civil Servant is filled with lessons on leading change in government and the military. Bob Stone based the book on thirty years as a revolutionary in government. It comes at a time when the events of 9-11 are sharpening America's demands for government that works at all levels. The book tackles fourteen overarching themes in government, developed through entertaining stories of Stone's own experiences as a civil servant. Among the topics Stone covers are 'tackling a job when you haven't a clue,' 'organizing for the mission,' 'dealing with difficult bosses,' and 'getting past the barriers to change.' This book is a must-read for anyone in, or considering taking, a leadership position in government, the military, or any large organization, public or private.

Stone shares interesting and often entertaining anecdotes about his long career in government, during which be became known as the 'Energizer-in-Chief' for his efforts to help the military and civilian agencies run more efficiently. Stone explains how he overcame challenges in his own career and ends each chapter with a section listing several lessons learned., Great concepts here for supervisors everywhere—in governments, in the military, and in the business world. Read and heed. You'll be happy you did., A handy how-to handbook about what managers can do to move the mountain that is the government. Students and scholars alike will find it a provocative guide for transforming theory into results., This is, simply, the best text ever on 'making it in government.' That is, getting BIG Things Done That Matter. This may also be the best text ever on large-scale organization change. Anywhere., Bob Stone has been there and done that. Yet he came away from 30 years of federal service not as a cynical ex-bureaucrat, but as an idealist, full of ideas for reinventing government, some of which he put into practice in the Clinton-Gore White House, and the rest of which he put into this book.

Bob Stone is a partner with the Public Strategies Group, a small consulting firm that advises governments around the world that seek to provide effective and efficient services to its citizens. During a 30-year career as a civil servant, Stone started a quality revolution at the Pentagon and later formed and led Al Gore's National Performance Review team at the White House.