By Angela Nuñez

The big news in Washington lately is the looming threat—one that seems more certain with each passing day—of sequestration. Nearly every agency and most of the federal workforce would feel the effects of sequestration. So the question that begs to be answered is: How should government agencies deal with smaller budgets and where should the cuts be made? The fall issue of our magazine, Leadership Excellence in Government, features two Chief Human Capital Officers who know how to make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons. Sean Byrne, Assistant Administrator at the TSA and Jim Gill, president of TMG Government have a laser-sharp focus on human capital and access to learning. If you haven’t already checked it out, go here to download your own copy of this issue of Leadership Excellence in Government. In the long-term big picture, the agencies that will bounce back with ease are those that have made the smartest investments, and we here at TMGov have always believed that the most important investment is in human capital.

The question of where cuts should be implemented has different answers for each agency, but the question of where sacrifices should not be made has the same answer for every agency—human capital. Hiring the right talent is crucial; cultivating the skills of the current workforce is just as important. In the face of shrinking training budgets, innovation is key. We must take advantage of new technologies and new methods of training. One of our new communities of practice, Innovative Learning Models in Government, discusses new types of training and learning and features recent research on today’s best learning practices. Go here to check it out and become a member. Change is never easy, but it is inevitable, and, as Warren Buffett said, “In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”