Introduction

Chances are a manager, senior leader or general counsel has told you what can’t be done and what’s not possible given current constraints. Maybe you’re the bearer of that news.

But what about limiting beliefs — those unwritten rules or assumptions — that aren’t found in policy? Or beliefs that have crept into the fabric of your agency because of a misconception? Maybe there’s a longstanding belief that you can’t manage employees without seeing them in the office or that innovation is too costly, time-consuming or unnecessary.

How do you break free from those misconceptions and help your agency embrace new ways of working and operating in 2021 and beyond?

Who better to answer that question than the government employees in the trenches, doing the work, challenging assumptions and leading from all levels and in both technical and nontechnical roles. In this guide, we clarify and correct limiting assumptions and common misconceptions often ingrained in agency culture. We specifically highlighted beliefs that are holding employees and organizations back from modernizing and advancing in key areas such as employee experiences, technology, product management, finance and budgeting, and leadership. For each misconception, we explore:

• What the misconception is and how it’s communicated

• What’s at stake if this way of thinking continues

• How to reframe thinking around this issue

• Talking points to lead constructive conversations that dispel the misconception

But before we dig into each of those bullet points, let’s take a quick detour to frame the conversations in this report.

Nicole Blake Johnson, Managing Editor, GovLoop