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Customer Reviews
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The art of getting things done in a bureacracy - without marginalizing yourself, making enemies, or committing career suicide  2008-04-04
Richard Haas's small book (Amazon lists it incorrectly as 260 pages -- the 1999 paperback, including bibliography, is only 198 pages) packs a tremendous punch. It is a one-of-a-kind, pragmatic primer with but one mission -- to increase the effectiveness of an individual who finds himself working in a large and uncoordinated organization, the kind of outfit where persuasion is paramount but the mission is often unclear.
The author uses a metaphor, a compass, to organize each section. The points of the compass are used to describe how the indiviudal should interact with those around him: north = bosses, south = subordinates, east = colleagues, and west = outsiders (media, Congress, and others).
The metaphor of a compass may be somewhat cliche, but it is only framework onto which is hung a surprising amount of very sage advice. Short stories are used as to illustrate each piece of advice given, from bureaucrats and public figures, both famous and obscure. The advice in this book covers a shotgun blast of topics: how to be an inspiring leader; negotiation tactics; chairing an effective meeting; surviving transitions and reorganizations; how to write a persuasive memo; etc.
I've worked in DC for the federal government for over a decade, and this book is the first one I turn to for advice and reminders of both what to do and what NOT to do, every working day. I highly recommend it for any individual who works in a bureaucratic organization.
Required reading 2003-06-26
This would be an excellent book for those majoring in the business field to add to their academic studies. It is also a gifted preparation for what lies ahead in service for any line of work.
I wish this had been available decades ago.
A public good  2002-10-25
The federal government is a unique place to work. Most people agree that it is more difficult to fire subordinates there than in the private sector and, due to the government's arcane hiring process, it is often a challenge to put the right person in the right job. Add to this mix Congressional oversight, the occasional media spotlight, the lack of a bottom line, and the big-picture question (not asked often enough) "what are we doing and why are we doing it," and you have an environment foreign to many private sector employees.Enter Richard Haass's book the Bureaucratic Entrepreneur, an update of his 1993 primer the Power to Persuade. Haass has held a number of positions in previous government administrations, including at the NSC and the Defense and State Departments. His book is packed with words of wisdom for the harried bureaucrat who at the end of the day may wonder just what he accomplished. Although Haass's advice appears machiavellian (he argues that Machiavelli is often misunderstood) and the author does not have a firm grasp on whether his audience is the entry-level employee or the senior-level political appointee, it is worth putting up with these drawbacks for the original focus and insight on managing and leading in the public sector. The bibliography alone is reason enough to buy the book. Low-level or high, every public-sector employee should read the Bureaucratic Entrepreneur before starting his or her new government job. They should then re-read it every few years to ensure that they are on track and using the tools Haass lays out to be effective in one of the most "unruly" organizations around.
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