Be patient and tactical Attempting to make major changes in a dysfunctional bureaucracy is a much more difficult endeavor than I could have ever imagined. Just having the head of the agencies agree that our program should be done in no way makes it so. Not only can the director's priorities change, but even when we were still a top priority, the agency was unable to deliver what it had promised. All you need are friends Developing allies and collaborators early on in a project could have helped us to overcome some of the barriers. Don't require the collaborators to meet an artificially high standard for administrative competence.
Every project needs a balance of idealism with reality.
The most successful ones somehow nurture that balance over time leading to innovative but sustainable changes. Keep the staff fulfilled Always look for ways to keep members of the team fulfilled and feeling good about their jobs. When trying to make change, it is often difficult to see the benefits and frustration and discouragement are all too frequent. Helping team members to have something that is going well can go a long way toward employee satisfaction and improved moral. After all, the staff are the most important part of any project.