Secrets of OPM

You can’t manage what you can’t measure

If you were running an organization – government, non-profit, or private sector – how would you decide what to focus on and how best to accomplish those goals? This is not a trick question by the way; the answer is very simple.

Why ask "why?"

Sometimes you just need to ask “why?” Why are we doing things this way? Why can’t we change it?

Open Season

If it’s fall, it’s health benefits open enrollment season – here at the federal government and in most private sector companies.

We’re Going Back … to the Mine (not to Abu Dhabi)

A few weeks ago, we took you 200 feet underground to the Pennsylvania mines where the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) manages retirement services for the roughly 2.8 million federal annuitants. Because we are now starting to see the first wave of new retirement applications(...)

You Had One Job – Spend the Money!

Most people know what the word “sweep” means, but I doubt most Americans know what “sweep” means to the federal government. In the words of the beloved Inigo Montoya (if you don’t know this movie reference, I feel sorry for you and urge you to correct your Hollywood illiteracy), “I do not think that word – “sweep” – means what you think it means.”

200 Feet Underground

Today, I want to take you two hundred and thirty feet underground into the former limestone mine that has processed federal retirement paperwork for decades (the Retirement Operations Centers in Boyers, Pennsylvania, or ROC for the cool kids) to share why it’s a symbol of the challenges we face across government, and to discuss how we’re working to modernize key aspects of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Sorry, Not Everyone Gets an A

Grade inflation is rampant on university campuses. About 80% of students at Harvard and Yale reportedly receive an A in every class. No doubt these students represent the best of the best – many of them were valedictorians of their high school classes, received a perfect score on the SAT, and probably never earned anything less than an A in any of their previous classes. They were the top students in their respective high schools.

Science Advances One Funeral at a Time

Max Planck was a German physicist known for his groundbreaking work on quantum physics in the early twentieth century. However, it took nearly 20 years from the introduction of his quantum hypothesis in 1900 for other scientists to begin to accept his work. Planck’s theory was initially met with a lot of skepticism, as it fundamentally challenged existing, seemingly settled precepts of classical physics.

What You Should Know About the Combined Federal Campaign

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) was started by President Kennedy in 1961and updated via a 1982 executive issued by President Reagan. Over the years, the CFC has allowed federal employees to donate to charities of their choosing, peaking in 2009 with about $282 million in donations.

The Rule of …

Blame (or praise) President Ulysses S Grant for the “Rule of Three” (ROT).

Yes, we have to go back to the 1871 Civil Service Act, championed by our then 18^th president, to trace the origin of ROT, which remained a mainstay in federal hiring officially for about 135 years. It was a great idea – at the time. The ROT aimed to replace rampant spoils in federal hiring, whereby the selection process was mostly governed by who you knew rather than by whether you were qualified.

Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome

Charlie Munger wasn’t talking about the federal General Schedule (GS) pay scale when he addressed a 1995 Harvard crowd on the critical role that incentives play in driving employee behavior, but he may as well have been. Because, unfortunately, 30 years later, his premonition remains true: how we pay federal employees remains one of the most critical – and backward – drivers of employee behavior.

Why Bother?

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.”

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

In 1977 Bert Lance, then Director of the Office of Management and Budget, coined the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Lance apparently – I say “apparently” because the source document no longer exists (or at least is not accessible in any web search that I have done) – was referring to calls for increasing the efficiency of government by streamlining bureaucracy.

Building Momentum Through Legal Wins

Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a legal nerd, so I might be the only one who finds this blog interesting. But bear with me, because as you’ll hopefully see shortly, when the law intersects with important policy issues, things get really exciting!

Supporting Agencies Through Change

One of OPM’s most important responsibilities is to support other federal agencies, not just by setting policy, but by helping them implement it effectively. That work has been front and center as we’ve continued rolling out key initiatives under President Trump’s agenda.

What They Got Wrong About the Deferred Resignation Program

This week, a Senate Democrat report took aim at OPM’s Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) – a voluntary retirement program that provided government employees with eight months of paid leave. Their argument? Our efforts to modernize the federal workforce somehow reflect poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Right-Sizing with Purpose

When I first joined OPM, I made a commitment to transparency— with the public and with our dedicated federal workforce. As part of that commitment, this week I sat down with members of the press for an on-the-record conversation about the future of OPM

OPM for the People.

This is the first edition of a new weekly blog I’m calling Secrets of OPM. Yes, it’s a nod to my old life in venture capital. But the point here is the opposite of secrecy. My goal is to open up the federal workforce to the people it serves – the American taxpayer. Every Friday (I hope), to share a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening at OPM, what we’re focused on, and why it matters to you.

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