When working in complex organizations like the UN or federal government, don't try to master their internal language. Instead, find and partner with internal experts who can translate your goals into the organization's native operating system to achieve impact.

To be an effective intrapreneur in a bureaucracy, don't pitch your project as a separate, tangential effort. Instead, research the existing goals of potential partners and frame your initiative as a tool to help them achieve their objectives more efficiently, making you an ally rather than a burden.

To drive transformation in a large organization, leaders must create a cultural movement rather than issuing top-down mandates. This involves creating a bold vision, empowering a community of 'changemakers,' and developing 'artifacts of change' like awards and new metrics to reinforce behaviors.

Leading large-scale change requires motivating people you don't directly control, such as community partners. This "advanced leadership" skill also applies internally; even paid employees act like volunteers when asked to innovate. Sustained engagement depends on shared purpose, not hierarchical authority.

Effective government requires more than just budget and staff ("capacity"). It needs "dynamic capabilities": the agility to pivot, collaborate effectively, and learn from experimentation. Most public sector reform misses this, focusing only on reactive, market-fixing roles rather than proactive, market-shaping ones.

When building an initiative within a political or corporate structure, anticipate leadership changes. To ensure longevity, embed your team in a stable, nonpartisan part of the organization (like the General Services Administration) rather than a more transient, political office (like the White House).

To create lasting change in government, innovators must operate with extreme speed to "rip out old roots and plant new seeds." The goal is to replace entrenched systems and prove the value of new ones so quickly that they become resilient and difficult for a subsequent administration to undo.

In siloed government environments, pushing for change fails. The effective strategy is to involve agency leaders directly in the process. By presenting data, establishing a common goal (serving the citizen), and giving them a voice in what gets built, they transition from roadblocks to champions.

To improve federal efficiency beyond partisan politics, Oliver Libby proposes creating a Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. government. Modeled after the long-term, cross-administration tenure of the Fed Chair, this role would focus on making government work better for citizens regardless of who is in power.