Working with humans, in government and beyond
By: Dana Chisnell
Tags: Civic Design, Government, Govtech, Civic Tech

From Jennifer Anastasoff

Here are some notes from my experience and observations while working in government, particularly around building relationships to get things done.

Find, uplift, and support the people who have been trying to do this for awhile and have been shot down regularly. Thank them publicly when something goes right, invite them bowling, have someone they respect send them a note. There is always someone who has tried what you want to do and you can learn from them and get an ally.

Assume people are making rational decisions. People generally make rational decisions based on their perceptions — understand why something is hard and is perceived as hard, then try to solve it with those who are ready to help.

Understand the context of government. Sometimes democracy moves slowly because it’s been around for 200 years and people are trying to keep it moving based on laws, not one man or woman. That’s worthy of respect. (Note: Someone yesterday told me they found a record from 1860 probably entered in the 1950s. This is not a challenge most orgs have.)

Learn the hierarchy of government reporting structures. Part of respecting the hierarchy of government is about respecting the constitutional or governmental office itself. Whether or not you agree with someone, or have known them for years, they are still Secretary, President, etc, until they tell you differently.

Give credit. Take blame. You can get so much more done if you are generous with credit and willing to take the blame. True everywhere and especially good at reducing risk for others in government.

Find the truth, tell the truth. And build/invest in the relationships you’ll need to deal with the fallout.

The big decisions happen before the big meeting. So pre-wire. Sometimes there are many, many pre-wire meetings. Go to those if you can and add some thoughts that others perceive as bringing value. (The SV idea that all meetings are bad will be bad for relationship building and stop your progress pretty quickly. Part of the work is helping others understand the power of effective systems.)

Build with people, not for them. This is true not only for end users, but for everyone you partner with. Folks have a keen eye towards condescension. As do all humans. So:

If you write a memo and start sending it around for feedback, more people will consider it and more people than you are aware of might take your work seriously and respond to it.

Your effectiveness sometimes just has to do with timing. In fact, getting 70% of something decent moving right now — with supportive people — can get you much farther than trying to get 100% support of your 100% perfect idea. People have to implement your idea, so find the helpers and give them some agency.

Invest your own time. If you work on eight key deliverables during your time and one is effectively delivered or run, you will still likely impact millions more people than most leaders do in their lifetime. You just won’t choose which one gets traction. Be ready to move with the momentum and help build more.

Jennifer Anastasoff focuses on bringing together talent, innovation and social change.