Page 16 - FCW, September 30, 2016

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29 UNOFFICIAL RULES OF FEDERAL IT
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In January, a new administration takes over. Although some political appointees will have served before, many will be first-timers who are trying to decipher the ways of government. And although there are plenty of bureaucrats who can cite the regulation number or executive order that spells out the official rules, insiders know that many of the most important guidelines cannot be found in the Code of Federal Regulations.
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Norman Augustine, who served in the Defense Department and as CEO of Lockheed Martin and other organizations, was a great believer in such unofficial rules. He published some of his wry observations as “Augustine’s Laws” in 1982. Among the favorites:
• Law Number XX: In any given year, Congress will appropriate the amount of funding approved the prior year plus three-fourths of whatever change the administration requests, minus 4 percent tax.
• Law Number XLVII: Two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.The other third is covered with auditors from headquarters.
There are lots of other unofficial rules about how
to play the game of government, so we asked a number of experienced executives from industry and government what they would offer as guidance to the new administration.
Here are some of their responses.