A bipartisan law passed in 2011 established a new management role within US federal agencies: the chief operating officer (COO),1 which is generally undertaken by agencies’ deputy secretaries.2 These officials are tasked with developing and implementing policies to promote operational efficiency, including managing personnel, formulating budgets, overseeing program design, and setting strategic priorities.3 As such, they are essential to advancing their departments’ agendas and sustaining momentum on core initiatives. But they also face unique institutional dynamics that make operational transformations challenging in the federal environment.
Our latest research examines the unique role that deputies play in linking an agency’s strategic direction to on-the-ground implementation. We spoke with 12 former US deputy secretaries to understand their management insights firsthand (see sidebar “A panel on effective federal management”). We also compiled input from federal appointees, previous research on setting up a federal front office, and best practices from McKinsey’s seven decades of experience in supporting federal and state government transitions.
In reflecting on the historical legacies of deputies, presidential scholar William Antholis, the director and CEO of the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, commented on our research by noting that “while the spotlight often shines on cabinet members, deputies keep the machinery of government running. That’s the case both within and across federal agencies. Without their indispensable work to bridge leadership goals with implementation, administrations would struggle to ensure that their priorities turn into lasting impact on day-to-day operations.”
Based on these insights, we’ve identified five core practices for newly appointed US leaders to prioritize as they navigate common management challenges in their first 100 days. These practices include aligning on the role, building an operating model, mastering the budget, assessing impact, and shaping culture. A focus on these five practices can help new executive federal appointees achieve success and tangible impact in their roles as public servants.
Align on your role
“Had I only focused on the stuff I had to do, I wouldn’t have had personal fulfillment and wouldn’t have made as big of a difference as I made.”
Deputies typically have less than 48 days between nomination and confirmation, and once appointed, their average tenure is less than three years (Exhibit 1). Given the tight timeline, they should establish a clear understanding of their individual role early in their tenure, ensuring alignment with the White House, the department secretary, the department’s leadership team, and Congress.
Our conversations with former deputies revealed three key management lessons for this preconfirmation window: master the agency’s management processes, synchronize with the secretary and chief of staff, and own your agenda.
Master management processes
Deputies have an array of tools for shaping the operations and culture of their agencies. With oversight of budget, personnel, IT, and procurement processes, they have considerable capacity to manage at scale and improve performance at the margin. By gaining early insight into how to implement policy and deliver programs effectively, deputies can better advance presidential and secretarial priorities.
Before aligning with stakeholders, public sector COOs may find it helpful to first gain familiarity with their department’s institutional history, culture, and management processes, as well as review the large-scale initiatives underway in the department, especially major procurements, IT system modernizations, cybersecurity efforts, and data management initiatives. If possible, deputies should also prioritize meeting with their predecessors and other leaders knowledgeable about the inner workings of the institution.
Synchronize with the secretary and chief of staff
Nearly all the former deputy secretaries we interviewed emphasized the importance of a strong partnership among the secretary, deputy, and chief of staff, or, as one leader put it, “the three legs of the stool.” Beyond statutory responsibilities, management of large federal departments requires constant calibration and syncing among these three individuals. That process begins with understanding the strengths, gaps, expertise, and stakeholder expectations for the individuals in these roles.
A particular area to focus on is understanding what the secretary needs from the deputy and where the deputy should show independent ownership. Broadly, secretaries rely on deputies to develop the mechanisms for achieving the administration’s goals. Alignment creates an effective dynamic where both leaders can focus their energy where it is most effective.
In the private sector, CEOs and COOs often clarify their leadership roles to avoid confusion. Similarly, secretaries and deputies may find it useful to document and share their responsibilities and priorities with each other and their top leaders. This alignment helps senior federal leaders understand everyone’s roles and priorities, allowing deputies to shield the secretary from operational surprises and ensure that they are informed about important matters. The volume of information can also become unwieldy without clear communication channels.
To maintain this synchronization, regular meetings, updated plans, and clear delegation are essential. Two daily interactions between the secretary and deputy are typical—one with other top leaders and another before evening commitments, which usually fill off-hour schedules for both leaders. To demonstrate alignment, one deputy recommended that leaders regularly greet employees at the entrance together and make joint appearances around the department.
Own your agenda
Deputy secretaries need to define and implement their own initiatives and personal priorities. Their days get filled with many “must do” items, with priority requests coming in from the office of the president, peer federal departments, and high-influence stakeholders. The COOs we interviewed told us that they were responsible for a wide variety of initiatives, ranging from pandemic response and special presidential projects to cybersecurity overhaul and agency transformations.
Several deputies said they focused on operational priorities for organizational modernization, while others zeroed in on select policy initiatives. Deputies should consider the initiatives they will personally own and move forward, not just to define their legacy but also because those one or two major passion projects could be a consistent source of energy and personal pride throughout a challenging period of public service. Our interviewees recommended that two major initiatives constitute a full plate of work, so selecting these carefully—and seeing them through to fruition—may amount to success.
Build your operating model
“A key aspect of being successful in the job is having the right technology, business systems, and data to understand how effectively the agency is working.”
Structuring an effective team is one of the most critical early tasks for a deputy. While secretaries tend to have large staffs to support their policymaking, their deputies tend to have smaller teams with limited delivery capacity and may need to rely on teams outside their immediate supervision (Exhibit 2). Deputies need to balance a small, tightly knit core team against the broader structure of the agency and the secretary’s office. Finding cohesion and alignment, therefore, becomes a careful exercise.
Building a strong team in a federal agency involves three key actions: organizing the deputy’s office to ensure execution capability; uniting career and political team members; and setting stakeholder engagement routines.
Organizing the deputy’s office to ensure execution capability
Deputy secretaries often have lean offices, but they can draw on vast departmental resources. A successful deputy’s office typically includes:
- a chief of staff to provide operational oversight
- a senior career official to focus on management processes
- a senior policy adviser
- a dedicated administrator to support scheduling, briefing, and meeting preparations
Effective deputies avoid silos by collaborating with the secretary’s office, ensuring clarity and support for policy execution. By integrating their team with the secretary’s executive infrastructure, deputies can amplify their capacity to execute large-scale initiatives and respond to emerging challenges effectively.
Uniting career and political team members
Deputies need to be able to bring in top talent and ensure the agency’s people have the skills and capabilities to deliver on the organization’s goals. In-demand modernization skill sets, like data management, cybersecurity, or AI, require focused recruitment and retention efforts. The right talent can help the rest of the organization understand the administration’s priorities and increase the likelihood of successful delivery.
A successful deputy secretary also benefits from bridging the gap between political appointees and career staff, fostering a trusting and cohesive team. One of our interviewees emphasized the importance of “winning the building,” noting that credibility with career officials, particularly management function leaders, is essential to gaining the confidence and support of the broader workforce. Appointing a respected senior civil servant to the deputy’s core team may serve as a vital connection to career staff, helping to align operational goals with institutional knowledge. Clear communication with political leaders builds trust and ensures that the administration’s priorities can advance with the necessary operational support.
Setting stakeholder engagement routines
Deputies have a broad range of stakeholders, including leaders from Congress, the administration, and the private sector. They must regularly engage with congressional members and their staff, House and Senate leaders, and governors to address constituent needs and policy matters.
Within an administration, allies are essential to achieving significant policy goals, which may require interagency cooperation and collaboration. One deputy told us that she would have been more successful if she had figured out earlier that her counterparts in the administration could be helpful in making progress on major challenges. Another mentioned that without regular engagement, Congress may limit authority or add counterproductive requirements.
Each department also has an industrial base, including industry players, unions, and education providers, whose engagement can deter political or legal opposition. External stakeholders, such as advocacy groups and not-for-profit organizations, continually seek support and contribute to the agency’s mission. This array of stakeholders may sometimes feel like a drain on time—and they often come with support requests—but embracing these groups, who are invested in the mission of the agency, can have a catalytic effect. They can provide deep expertise, storytelling for the department’s work, political cover, and other benefits. When deputies embrace the strengths of their key stakeholders, they can create a powerful wind at their back.
Master the budget
“Just get to know the people. Make sure that you know who’s in what seat and that you have good working relationships.”
The budget is the key to strategy and the single most powerful tool that deputies have. The organization’s budget and financial information help all agency leaders improve outcomes, measure progress, and make informed strategic trade-offs. The budget also alerts deputies to potential issues like rising costs, declining fee revenues, and procurement shocks. By focusing on the budget, deputies can drive efficiency and better outcomes, as well as integrate priorities into the department. Workforce budget planning for salaries, expenses, training, physical spaces, and healthcare helps address key concerns of the federal workforce.
Focusing on budget procedures and management throughout the year ensures efficient resource allocation, helps meet strategic goals, and promotes effective, transparent department operations (Exhibit 3). This is crucial for performance improvements and achieving the department’s mission. Deputies can quickly master the budget by focusing on two areas: planning early and methodically and committing and delivering.
Plan early and methodically
Effective budget management enhances mission and operational success. A healthy budget organization includes a framework and standardized model for decision-making, routine management, and budget preparation support. Key roles like chief financial officer, business management director, and business optimization director can provide functional leadership and ensure deputy-level decisions get assessed and screened. An early pressure test of the budget function can help deputies identify “quick wins” that will establish momentum within the organization and signal priorities.
The leaders we interviewed suggested assessing the agency’s budget status and needs through bottom-up sessions with department subgroups, bureaus, and the agency. Deputies should ensure cohesion by having trusted advisers attend all sessions and maintaining alignment with the secretary by continually engaging the chief of staff. Adopting a clear structure and consistent cadence in budget building can support a comprehensive design process, clarify hierarchies and decision rights, and encourage consistent leader engagement.
Commit and deliver
Building trust with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) leaders is crucial for aligning objectives and ensuring a successful relationship. Deputies should prioritize strengthening these relationships early, as the OMB plays a key role in operationalizing the president’s priorities and preparing the White House’s budget (see sidebar “Deputies and the Office of Management and Budget”). Clear communication and alignment with OMB are essential, particularly to avoid confusion and shifts in priorities due to last-minute budget changes.
Showing mission alignment and building trust is predicated on a willingness to dig into tough problems. As former deputies pointed out, one expression of this is the avoidance of overdelegation; some tasks are better done by the deputy secretary as a show of buy-in and collaboration.
Assess impact
“By using a management document that everybody knew, and saw updated every two weeks, there was complete transparency.”
Under the GPRA Modernization Act, agencies must set performance management goals, with deputies playing a key role in defining success metrics. Although challenging, these metrics are crucial for measuring progress and ensuring accountability. Generally, metrics include goals that are measurable, repeatable, and visible to the public. Deputies should review OMB memoranda to understand top management issues across the US government, covering topics like cybersecurity, FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) modernization, organizational health, and citizen experience. Establishing an internal process will help deputies respond quickly to future directives from the OMB.
Our conversations with deputy secretaries surfaced two main lessons on assessing impact: learn from all levels and standardize accountability.
Learn from all levels
Effective deputies know the value of understanding their department’s impact from various perspectives—internal and external, political and career, national and local. One former deputy emphasizes the importance of a 360-degree assessment, reaching out to key stakeholders such as state leaders and department heads early in their tenure. These conversations may provide insight into priorities and frustrations that might not surface in Washington alone. For example, state-level agencies often make critical implementation decisions; understanding their goals and pain points can reveal hidden roadblocks and opportunities. At the same time, deputies have outsize capacity to “break the constraints” for middle tiers of their organization.
Internally, deputies should ensure that they are engaging with leaders across all levels of the organization to gather valuable insights into the department’s operational health and areas for improvement. One deputy spoke of the value of “getting lost” in the building to find opportunities to speak with colleagues at all tenures; those walks helped him get a pulse on morale, priorities, and culture. That deputy found particular value in eating at the cafeteria because it allowed for relationship building and camaraderie.
Standardize accountability
To ensure progress, deputies need clear accountability, often established through meetings like one-on-ones, management councils, and cross-functional sessions. A structured approach, like a regularly updated strategic plan, helps track progress. Defining objectives, key metrics, and timelines keeps leaders focused. Beyond the legal requirements of the role, some deputies told us that they found value in setting “North Stars,” such as Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores or “best places to work” rankings. Regular reviews foster transparency and keep teams on task to ensure that projects get completed.
Accountability also requires follow-through. One former deputy described how bureau heads who fell behind on commitments were held to account in reviews with the deputies and secretary, creating a sense of urgency and a results-oriented culture. This level of rigor motivates teams to focus on execution.
Shape culture
“If you don’t bring in the career staff from day one and include them in the thought process, in the decision-making process, in getting their candid input, you are not going to succeed.”
Federal workplace culture typically persists across administrations due to ingrained values, established norms, and long-standing practices. Career civil servants provide continuity and stability by safeguarding organizational culture, which gets reinforced by training, promotion boards, internal communication, and an organizational identity.
Deputies significantly shape organizational culture through strategic leadership and oversight, particularly in administration, gatekeeping, and implementing priority initiatives. They promote efficiency and responsiveness by overseeing performance and encouraging risk-taking. In large agencies, deputies integrate functions and regions, fostering cohesion and collaboration to tackle critical challenges.
Build workforce trust
A strong culture begins with open communication and active listening; this, in turn, fosters inclusion. When deputies actively seek balance in their approach to challenges—such as ensuring a strong distribution of career and political appointees in key meetings—they demonstrate a genuine concern for the unique voices and experiences of their team members.
An inclusive approach integrates the team’s goals and skills into the department’s ambitions. When individuals feel valued and secure, they are more likely to communicate openly about operational issues or uncertainties, enhancing trust and organizational cohesion. This empowers employees to contribute more effectively to the mission.
Empower the workforce
Deputy secretaries can enhance their effectiveness by empowering staff through delegation, professional development, and recognition. Entrusting employees with significant responsibilities helps foster ownership and accountability.
Providing learning and development opportunities ensures that staff members are well equipped to tackle complex challenges and innovate within their roles. This is especially important when thinking about enabling greater productivity through technology, AI, and digital tools.
Recognition is a major management tool in government. For example, writing support letters, recommendations, and award nominations can boost morale, engender loyalty, and motivate colleagues.
Finally, creating moments for connection—such as informal gatherings, small group meetings, or agency-wide events—can build connection and provide employees with meaningful access to leadership. According to some former deputies, group coffee chats and listening sessions proved especially effective in forging cross-team relationships. These actions not only strengthen organizational alignment but also reinforce a culture of respect and motivation.
Federal deputy secretaries play a pivotal role in steering their organizations toward operational excellence and strategic success. Sound management ensures that the agency’s day-to-day operations align seamlessly with its long-term goals. By implementing efficient processes, optimizing resource allocation, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, deputies can drive department cohesion and collaboration. Ultimately, the COO’s leadership in operational management not only enhances performance and stability but also builds a resilient organization that can thrive in a dynamic and changing environment.
