The “90 in 45” Campaign
Trusting employee ingenuity to achieve breakthroughs
“We were operating like an assembly line—everyone focused on their task, no one seeing the whole picture. No wonder disaster victims felt lost in our system.”
—Elsie, a loan-processing supervisor
Chapter at a Glance: Our closing story fittingly shows how the principles behind Ideas to Action scale to transform even the largest organizations. Through the SBA’s breakthrough story, learn how 2,500 civil servants, guided by an exceptional leader, revolutionized disaster loan processing by combining enlightened leadership with structured methods. The narrative alternates between Steve Preston, who led the effort as SBA Administrator, and Rick Tucci, who helped implement the transformation. Subheads have been added.
Steve Preston: Crisis mode at the SBA
STEVE PRESTON’S PERSPECTIVE: The year 2005 will forever be linked to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In its wake, I took the helm of the Small Business Administration (SBA)—the federal agency responsible for providing disaster recovery loans to both businesses and homeowners. The unprecedented demand for federal loans had overwhelmed the agency’s operations. A year after the storm, aid had barely trickled out, leaving individuals and communities stranded in their efforts to rebuild.
The SBA faced significant challenges on many fronts. Over 160,000 loan applications had piled up, employee morale was the lowest among thirty-one large federal agencies, and public trust had eroded. We were also drowning in negative press, facing harsh criticism from political leaders and the media. Congressional leaders had demanded my predecessor’s resignation, and the media was relentless.
Simply put, disaster victims continued to suffer, communities remained devastated, and faith in our government dwindled. To turn the tide, we needed a complete organizational transformation. I drew on my prior business experience and focused on three key building blocks.
Learn how Steve applied the principles and practices shared in Ideas to Action to achieve remarkable results and transform the organization in just ninety days.
