FCW forum | Management 2.0  Forman: Political appointees must be
ready to lead  Political appointees have to gain traction
quickly to be change agents  Many political appointees find that
success or failure rides on how quickly they can gain the
traction needed to make the significant changes they’ve been
hired to accomplish. But change agents often run into
opposition, particularly in government, and appointees can often
become targets before they unpack their boxes.  Opponents often
look for an early misstep to knock an appointee off-message and
into a defensive posture or might try to associate the appointee
with fraud, waste, abuse or otherwise risky behavior. That’s why
it’s important for appointees who want to be real agents for
change to clearly articulate boundaries for risk-taking at the
start of their tenure.  But before they even take the job,
there’s the recruitment process, where presidential appointees
are told about all the power, resources and authority they will
have. Appointees often negotia