Chapter 7: Exchanging Cacophony for Congruence: Lessons From the Public Sector

You arrive to work early today, stop by the break room to start a fresh pot of coffee, say good morning to Paul, who also arrived early, and hit the lights as you get to your cubicle. Getting to the office early allows you to pick back up the project you were working on yesterday so that you can finish a few details before giving the customer a call to let them know that not only are you finishing ahead of schedule, but you are able to solve the issue related to integration of the new performance enhancement they requested. In addition to speed of delivery and a capability upgrade, you and your team negotiated tremendous supplier contract rates that will result in the entire project coming in at a cost much lower than expected. Yes, today is going to be a great day, and getting in early allows you to take the time necessary to thank your teammates, complete the delivery notification information, and check in with the boss to find out about the next project in the queue for you and your team to begin.