I have worked with a number of government agencies over the years and I believe there are three things government agencies can do better particularly in light of emergency situations like Hurricane Sandy. 

  1. Bureaucracy needs to be eliminated. Often you play telephone tag and you are sent from one agency to another in an endless loop and they seem to set up barriers to responding effectively and applying resources where they need to go.
  2. There needs to be clear coordination between government agencies. For example, inNew Jerseywith Hurricane Sandy one government agency sent people to a school one block away from the ocean. It got flooded and badly damaged because they didn’t coordinate well and effectively. One hand of the government has to know what the other is doing.
  3. Lastly they have to ensure that they apply feedback, their learnings and they have to be more nimble and quick to apply these learnings. They have to as Stephen Covey says, “Sharpen the saw before you chop the wood,” and be more proactive, less reactive, less like the tail wagging the dog particularly in emergency situations where quick and effective response can make the difference between living and dying.