Confessions of a Civil Servant

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. -- Amelia Gruber * Govexec.Com *
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. -- General Bill Creech, author of The Five Pillars of TQM
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. -- Donald F. Kettl, University of Wisconsin, Madison
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. -- Tom Peters, from the foreword
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. -- James Pinkerton, former Deputy Assistant for Policy Planning to President George H. W. Bush
When I got to the Pentagon and met Bob, I found that this 'nerdy engineer' made great sense and what he was advocating was not heresy but a healthy dose of common sense. I became a fan of his and vowed that I would do everything possible to support his crusade for eliminating dumb regulations. No one I know understands the issues of transforming the military better than he does. If you are a military professional who truly cares about troops, then this book is especially for you. -- General Dennis Reimer, former Army Chief
For any officer who aspires to senior leadership in the military services one of the things to be learned and mastered is to understand how bureaucracies work and how to unleash the creative power of both the civilian and military workforces you will be called upon to lead. Bob Stone's book is a compelling first-person account of the work that has been done over the last eighteen years. It is an excellent primer. In an era in which transformation is the big buzzword, it is useful to see what has and has not worked in the past. I highly recommend this book to officers, government civilians, and academics who want to expand their understanding of the military and the government. -- General Ron Fogleman, former Air Force Chief of Staff
Stone's entertaining memoir also offers practical lessons in large-scale organizational change drawn from his 30 years in government service. * The Business Reader *
Stone's entertaining memoir also offers practical lessons in large-scale organizational change drawn from his 30 years in government service and his tenure as head of Al Gore's Reinvent Government initiative. * Baltimore Daily Record *
Each chapter presents entertaining stories and offers a summary of practical managerial lessons that individual public servants can learn. * Public Administration Review *
Stone's book demonstrates that bureaucracies are not immovable and that with persistence and good humor a public servant can make a real difference to improve our government and our democratic society. Several of my students reconsidered their career paths after reading it. -- Catherine Burke, University of Southern California
Why does a chemical engineer embedded in the Pentagon wage guerrilla warfare against bureaucracy? How does he do it? Read this candid, engaging, and funny account to understand—and to join the ranks. -- Richard Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy
A 'must-read,' hard to put down. The lessons Bob learned can be applied almost anywhere. A refreshing, instructive addition that will be of value to those who simply cannot live with the status quo. -- David Luther, former chairman, American Society for Quality and former senior vice president, Corning Incorporated
Bob Stone's work in Reinventing Government broke new ground in managing big change. This valuable book captures what Bob learned. -- James Champy, co-author of Reengineering the Corporation and chairman, Perot Systems Consulting Practice