On Friday, March 20, Jim Lientz, Chief Operating Officer of the State of Georgia, spoke to a larger-than-usual crowd at the OCA meeting.  He shared some of the challenges of organizational change in government, and offered tips on what has been done in the current administration to move toward the goal of being the best managed state in the nation.

According to Lientz, Georgia is currently the ninth largest state with 9.5 million people, with expectations of being the fifth or sixth largest in the next few years.

Lientz repeated many values statements, showing how these principles have been ingrained in the State’s employees since the Purdue administration began in 2002:

• Principle centered leadership
• Customer focus
• “Faster, friendlier, easier”
• “Teamwork, communication, accountability”
• Measurement and fact-based decision making

He shared many examples of the state becoming more well-managed.  He and his team implemented a number of new systems, such as fleet management, real estate management, and improved processes such as the accounting close.  Claiming that “it all starts with people,” Lientz shared his approach to leadership development and culture change.

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