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Results: Getting Beyond Politics to Get Important Work Done
A Leader's Guide to Executing Change and Delivering Results.
Governor Charlie Baker, one of the most popular governors in the United States, with a reputation for getting things done, wants to put the service back into public "Wedge issues may be great for making headlines," he writes, "but they do not move us forward. Success is measured by what we accomplish together. Our obligation to the people we serve is too important to place politics and partisanship before progress and results."
For the Governor and his longtime associate Steve Kadish, these words are much more than political platitudes. They are at the heart of a method for delivering results—and getting past politics—the two developed while working together in top leadership positions in the public and private sectors.
Distilled into a four-step framework, Results is the much-needed implementation guide for anyone in public service, as well as for leaders and managers in large organizations hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. With a broad range of examples, Baker, a Republican, and Kadish, a Democrat, show how to move from identifying problems to achieving results in a way that bridges divides instead of exacerbating them. They show how government can be an engine of positive change and an example of effective operation, not just a hopeless bureaucracy.
Results is not only about getting things done, but about renewing people's faith in public service. Empty promises feed disengagement when instead we need confidence in our government and the services it delivers. When a mob attacked the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, the very core of our democracy and our sense of government were threatened. Demonstrating that government can work—the goal of this book—is vital to ensuring the future of our democracy.
Governor Charlie Baker, one of the most popular governors in the United States, with a reputation for getting things done, wants to put the service back into public "Wedge issues may be great for making headlines," he writes, "but they do not move us forward. Success is measured by what we accomplish together. Our obligation to the people we serve is too important to place politics and partisanship before progress and results."
For the Governor and his longtime associate Steve Kadish, these words are much more than political platitudes. They are at the heart of a method for delivering results—and getting past politics—the two developed while working together in top leadership positions in the public and private sectors.
Distilled into a four-step framework, Results is the much-needed implementation guide for anyone in public service, as well as for leaders and managers in large organizations hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. With a broad range of examples, Baker, a Republican, and Kadish, a Democrat, show how to move from identifying problems to achieving results in a way that bridges divides instead of exacerbating them. They show how government can be an engine of positive change and an example of effective operation, not just a hopeless bureaucracy.
Results is not only about getting things done, but about renewing people's faith in public service. Empty promises feed disengagement when instead we need confidence in our government and the services it delivers. When a mob attacked the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, the very core of our democracy and our sense of government were threatened. Demonstrating that government can work—the goal of this book—is vital to ensuring the future of our democracy.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 9, 2022
Governor Baker and his former chief of staff have written an exceptionally dry book on public sector management, with case studies. Dry, but serious and useful. I am not a supporter of Gov. Baker but aspects of his tenure as Governor command respect. This book summarizes his obsession with managerial capacity and execution in state government.
It suffers from some of the same pathologies that afflict both political memoirs and management advice books (selection bias, overgeneralization, etc.) but is nevertheless (in my view) a valuable read for people in the space, particularly in Massachusetts.
I wish there were more books like this from serious public officials in executive roles. And I wish the co-authors had said more about how they view government competency as connecting up to democratic legitimacy. Much more to be said there.
It suffers from some of the same pathologies that afflict both political memoirs and management advice books (selection bias, overgeneralization, etc.) but is nevertheless (in my view) a valuable read for people in the space, particularly in Massachusetts.
I wish there were more books like this from serious public officials in executive roles. And I wish the co-authors had said more about how they view government competency as connecting up to democratic legitimacy. Much more to be said there.
July 2, 2022
Interesting insights into public service, which I actually knew little about.
Despite being a fan of Baker I didn’t find the “Results framework” he outlined anything groundbreaking or novel. It seemed rather basic, akin to any change model I have seen and experienced in the private sector. A lot of this is very vanilla; many of us will have seen something similar in PowerPoint pages of “how to embrace and implement change” from numerous consultants.
What is interesting, however, is that that Baker attempts to provide tools and tactics for others in public service to attain similar successful outcomes and this results in making the book much more tangible - more than just a recount of the trials and tribulations and successes of the Baker administration.
What stood out for me was the bipartisan approach he took - embracing all on the political spectrum ensuring representation of each voice, even those which dissented with his own “tribe”. It is a shame that Baker, who has such an enormous presence and personality, did not give more of himself and his own personal experience to the book, albeit I know that was not the purpose.
Baker provides 4 key examples of how he implemented the results model; from Covid-19 to “snowmangeddon” and the crumbling MBTA system and at times it felt somewhat exaggerated, especially as today in MA we still feel we are suffering from a crippling transport system and ongoing opioid and homeless / mental health crisis. In many of the examples provided, they are responses to an already clearly identified issue / problem, such as the RMV or Bridgewater Hospital. I would like to have seen the implementation of something novel and brand-new; I did not experience innovation in the approach he developed.
Despite all this, what comes through, is Bakers humanity; his single-minded focus on people, his humility and, today, despite the fact that I sit on a different political spectrum than he, my hope is that he will take these results and his approach to a higher platform like that of the Oval Office.
Despite being a fan of Baker I didn’t find the “Results framework” he outlined anything groundbreaking or novel. It seemed rather basic, akin to any change model I have seen and experienced in the private sector. A lot of this is very vanilla; many of us will have seen something similar in PowerPoint pages of “how to embrace and implement change” from numerous consultants.
What is interesting, however, is that that Baker attempts to provide tools and tactics for others in public service to attain similar successful outcomes and this results in making the book much more tangible - more than just a recount of the trials and tribulations and successes of the Baker administration.
What stood out for me was the bipartisan approach he took - embracing all on the political spectrum ensuring representation of each voice, even those which dissented with his own “tribe”. It is a shame that Baker, who has such an enormous presence and personality, did not give more of himself and his own personal experience to the book, albeit I know that was not the purpose.
Baker provides 4 key examples of how he implemented the results model; from Covid-19 to “snowmangeddon” and the crumbling MBTA system and at times it felt somewhat exaggerated, especially as today in MA we still feel we are suffering from a crippling transport system and ongoing opioid and homeless / mental health crisis. In many of the examples provided, they are responses to an already clearly identified issue / problem, such as the RMV or Bridgewater Hospital. I would like to have seen the implementation of something novel and brand-new; I did not experience innovation in the approach he developed.
Despite all this, what comes through, is Bakers humanity; his single-minded focus on people, his humility and, today, despite the fact that I sit on a different political spectrum than he, my hope is that he will take these results and his approach to a higher platform like that of the Oval Office.
June 7, 2022
This book should be read by all elected executive officials at the state and municipal level of government, as well as by any public sector senior executive or manager. I think everyone in the business of government - specifically the delivery of services portion of government - will find something that they can learn and/or just be (re)inspired by the wisdom contained in this book. The author's enthusiasm for problem solving is contagious (slight pun intended).
My read of this book will have been a little different than most, as I know both authors, am generally familiar with all of the issues that they present, and I am especially familiar with the transportation issues (I was one of the many people interviewed by the panel investigating the MBTA after Snowmegadon). So, I can attest that this book is a fair and realistic recollection and treatment of the issues. The painful details are included, they are neither sugar-coated, nor glossed over. In fact, the book was really a reminder of the incredible breadth and depth of the enormous challenges that the Baker/Polito Administration faced over the past eight years. We were lucky to have such a large group of dedicated, talented people available and willing to tackle these problems day after day.
My read of this book will have been a little different than most, as I know both authors, am generally familiar with all of the issues that they present, and I am especially familiar with the transportation issues (I was one of the many people interviewed by the panel investigating the MBTA after Snowmegadon). So, I can attest that this book is a fair and realistic recollection and treatment of the issues. The painful details are included, they are neither sugar-coated, nor glossed over. In fact, the book was really a reminder of the incredible breadth and depth of the enormous challenges that the Baker/Polito Administration faced over the past eight years. We were lucky to have such a large group of dedicated, talented people available and willing to tackle these problems day after day.
May 31, 2022
If you consult to Federal, State, or local government, RESULTS is a must read! As they grind through their careers in public service, Baker/Kadish made me laugh, cry, cheer, and cuss when illuminating the successes and failures in BIG system implementations, child protective services ops, people at the MBTA, or partisan politics surrounding COVID. Seasoned experts from the best consulting firms across the nation will relate to all the policy, legal, process, systems, data, organization & staffing, and financial management battles these two warriors have survived and conquered. Hooray for the good guys.
July 29, 2023
A decent entry in the improving government performance category. It actually acknowledges some of the extra challenges faced by government agencies regarding legal constraints, public scrutiny, budget challenges. Their solutions often involved bringing significant extra resources to bear, which is not always possible.
One thing missing was examples of problems where there are strong advocates on multiple sides. For example local development where neighbors don't want something to happen, the developer and maybe a local government want it to get built, state laws that minimize impacts are challenged, etc.
One thing missing was examples of problems where there are strong advocates on multiple sides. For example local development where neighbors don't want something to happen, the developer and maybe a local government want it to get built, state laws that minimize impacts are challenged, etc.
May 15, 2023
Somewhat redundant but probably necessary to cement in the reader’s mind the importance of framework AND implementation when attempting to make government work for the people it’s meant to serve. The author, a Republican governor, continuously demonstrates his ability to work across party lines to identify things not working in his state, but then to quickly fix them in a manner more familiar to successful private businesses. That more of our government leaders would adopt this approach provides hope that there is a positive way forward in our grand experiment of American democracy.
December 3, 2022
This book mainly answered my question if politics has anything in common with business. There are tough points and most valuable was the framework on tips, tools and tactics. The interesting thing that approaches to handle situations may have similar frameworks for both business and politics as well as may be same efficient. I liked the spirit of the book and nice examples that are people focused with democracy in mind.
August 24, 2023
Charlie Baker is the type of leader we need more of in the USA. His focus was on results, not party. His pragmatic approach to finding the right people, figuring out the how, setting deadlines, measuring results, and adjusting according to feedback may seem vanilla, but it works. This may not be a page-turner, but it provides an excellent framework for managers in any field.
April 24, 2023
A rare republican slay
August 11, 2024
A well-written walkthrough of a political project style. Baker draws on years of experience as governor of Massachusetts and relays a number of grounded, useful stories that illustrate his concepts. Worth a read if you gravitate toward structure, process, and project management.
September 2, 2024
Great advice for any working with or for goverent.
October 9, 2025
Super helpful guide to organizing large scale issues and projects in the public sector
April 30, 2024
This is such a great read, especially as someone who works in state government. I read this book for a class with Steve Kadish and just loved it. I find a really hard time connecting with textbooks but when written like a book I can actually take in this information. I really felt like a gained a lot from the material. I can honestly say that this was my first review on a “textbook”. I have already recommended this book to many colleagues and my team at work.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews