Sex and the (Civil) Service

By Charles S. Clark

"The sexier news stories are about the failures," federal Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients told a crowd gathered on Thursday to hear about quality management at the Commerce Department.

But the failures are only about 1 percent of what happens in government, he said at the event, sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service: "It's an uphill battle because headlines about failure have appeal. But we need to get our message out."

Zients said that when he attends awards ceremonies for federal workers such as the Senior Executive Association's Presidential Distinguished Rank Awards banquet or the Partnership's Service to America Medals ceremony, it "brings tears to my eyes."