Results: Getting Beyond Politics to Get Important Work Done

(Hardback)

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A Leader's Guide to Executing Change and Delivering Results.

Governor Charlie Baker, one of the most popular governors in the United States, with a reputation for getting things done, wants to put the service back into public service: 'Wedge issues may be great for making headlines,' he writes, 'but they do not move us forward. Success is measured by what we accomplish together. Our obligation to the people we serve is too important to place politics and partisanship before progress and results.'

For the Governor and his longtime associate Steve Kadish, these words are much more than political platitudes. They are at the heart of a method for delivering resultsand getting past politicsthe two developed while working together in top leadership positions in the public and private sectors.

Distilled into a four-step framework, Results is the much-needed implementation guide for anyone in public service, as well as for leaders and managers in large organisations hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. With a broad range of examples, Baker, a Republican, and Kadish, a Democrat, show how to move from identifying problems to achieving results in a way that bridges divides instead of exacerbating them. They show how government can be an engine of positive change and an example of effective operation, not just a hopeless bureaucracy.

Results is not only about getting things done, but about renewing people's faith in public service. Empty promises feed disengagement when instead we need confidence in our government and the services it delivers. When a mob attacked the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, the very core of our democracy and our sense of government were threatened. Demonstrating that government can workthe goal of this bookis vital to ensuring the future of our democracy.

Reviews

"Charlie Baker, who just finished two terms as Massachusetts governor, and his longtime associate Steve Kadish have written a timely book on getting things done in the public sector. Their four-step process to move from identifying problems to achieving results while building consensus is a methodical and logical way to tackle problems." School Administrator (AASA, American Association of School Administrators)

"Republican Baker and Democrat Kadish share what they have learned over the course of their private and public lives by distilling an incisive four-step framework based on competence, fact-based decisions, and measuring of results." "will be incredibly useful to any business leader." Boston Business Journal

"Results: Getting Beyond Politics to Get Important Work Done is a powerful testament to what state government is supposed to do, and how that is best done." CommonWealth Magazine

"The bookwritten by Charlie Baker, governor of Massachusetts and Steve Kadish, former chief of staff for Bakeris a step-by-step manual that leads to sustainable outcomes, examining how to move from identifying problems to actually achieving things." Financial Times

Advance Praise for Results:

"Immense capability and personal decency are the hallmarks of Charlie Baker's leadership style, and they're why he's the kind of governor other governors listen to. Any aspiring leader, whether in the public or private sector, will learn [from this book] about the power of purpose and possibility, along with how to pursue real improvements in peoples' lives." Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona

"Governor Baker and Steve Kadish have written a road map to governing and 'getting stuff done,' with real-life examples of solving real-life problems. This book gives you a seat in the cockpit of government." Michael A. Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia; David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs

"This book is a master class on making things work better and faster in government. The thinking, methodology, and case studies are delivered at a pace to inspire and be immediately useful." Julie Lorenz, Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation; Principal Investigator, Transportation Research Board on Innovation Cultures and Scenario Planning Practices

"Results is a powerful distillation of what it takes to get things done. . . . Engaging and inspiring. At a time when people seem to have so little confidence that government can work, Baker and Kadish show how it can!" Nitin Nohria, former Dean, Harvard Business School

"With clear thinking and direct communication, supported by facts and stories, Governor Charlie Baker and Steve Kadish show how government can bring about change and deliver results." Sylvia M. Burwell, President, American University; former Secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services

"This book is a practical and wise source for our time. It can help public servants everywhere to make progress in improving public services that really matter for its citizens." Annette Dixon, Vice President, Human Resources, World Bank Group

"Charlie Baker and Steve Kadish share their approach to delivering results that has enabled Massachusetts to make impressive progress on seemingly intractable problems and made Baker consistently among the most popular governors in the country." Jeffrey Liebman, Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy and Director, Taubman Center for State and Local Government, Harvard Kennedy School

"This book should be on the must-read list of all current and aspiring executivesin both the public and private sectors. Results highlights how important thoughtful, commonsense problem solving is and provides a playbook to success." Phil Scott, Governor of Vermont

Author Bio

Charlie Baker is Governor of Massachusetts. He has served as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a top-performing health care insurance provider, and twice as Commonwealth of Massachusetts Cabinet Secretary leading the Executive Office of Health & Human Services and the Executive Office of Administration & Finance. Steve Kadish has served as CFO, COO, and in other senior leadership roles in health care and higher education in both the public and the private sectors. He served as Governor Baker's first chief of staff. Steve is a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Connect with Governor Charlie Baker on Twitter @MassGovernor, @CharlieBakerMA, and Mass.gov/governor.