The finalists for this year’s Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards were announced in September and WashingtonExec is bringing you its annual series with the nominees.
The winners will be unveiled on November 7th at The Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (FCCC), the Professional Services Council (PSC) and Washington Technology magazine. With over 900 business and public sector leaders attending the event, our series will keep you up-to-date about all the finalists for this year–who they are, what they do, and why they are worthy of winning.
Today’s interview is with Kimberly “Kymm” McCabe, president and CEO of ASI Government. McCabe is nominated for “Executive of the Year” in the $25 -$75 million category.
WashingtonExec: As a leader in the community, how have you approached the government shutdown? What did you learn from the last government shutdown? If you were not in the business at that time, how has the industry changed since you first entered the sector?
Kimberly McCabe: The shutdown was a stressful and disappointing experience, but we discovered that crisis can define, support and strengthen character – organizational and personal. As hard as it was, I watched it bring out the best in ASI. The team proved we live our values by grounding every decision in two guiding principles: serving our customers and protecting our team.
In line with the first principle, we were determined to continue supporting our clients by maintaining availability of all of our client-facing knowledge and information services throughout the shutdown, and it was a good thing as we found that our clients used them at a very high rate during the closure. It was satisfying to know we provided much-needed information during that difficult time.
In care of our team, we worked tirelessly to keep everyone possible on the payroll, and ASI leaders communicated constantly so everyone was aware of the way forward and the rationale for that direction. Team members stayed connected to each other, and there wasn’t a single person at ASI who was willing to let a colleague slip through the cracks; many offered to take pay cuts or donate paid time off to help others during the shutdown and beyond. As a leader, I was humbled and proud of our team for their commitment to each other.
More broadly, there’s no arguing that we’re at a unique point in the history of our industry where the confluence of unprecedented cuts, demographic challenges and political deadlock requires us to be much more adaptive to our national fiscal and political situation. At the same time, groundbreaking technology, demographic change and new business models create possibilities beyond what we could have even imagined 18 years ago when the last shutdown occurred. We now live in an age with advanced technology and tools and where knowledge, power and leadership are widely distributed, so we can create exponentially more value than we did then. The truth is that the world has changed around us, and although the government continues to operate in an industrial age model, we have passed into an age of openness, collaboration, transparency and empowerment that can provide new solutions to long-standing problems. Our sector has the opportunity to use the gifts of this new age to not only survive the change but create greater value in this new environment. That is a good thing. It’s time and we’re ready.
“The truth is that the world has changed around us, and although the government continues to operate in an industrial age model, we have passed into an age of openness, collaboration, transparency and empowerment that can provide new solutions to long-standing problems.”
WashingtonExec: How does your organization engage effectively with all levels of employees, on and off site?
Kimberly McCabe: As a professional services firm, our employees work at a variety of sites, so cultivating and maintaining our corporate culture as well as consistent, responsive, innovative and high-quality delivery requires focused attention on staying connected through numerous means. We believe that it is important to foster steady, high-touch connections like business unit meetings, HR “road shows,” all-hands meetings, happy hours and other celebrations such as our annual ASI Celebrates Excellence (ACE) Awards.
We also value high-tech means such as consistent audio and video messages, intranet postings, bi-weekly executive email messages and internal newsletter communications, and we use those same channels to share thought leadership across the organization. Sources range from TED Talks to materials produced by our own ASI Government Research Institute™, which offers tens of thousands of pieces of content including daily acquisition-related news, legislative updates and research in the Virtual Acquisition OfficeTM. We also use anonymous and pervasive digital feedback mechanisms to promote direct and unfiltered two-way communication. Perhaps most importantly, we empower our managers to directly and regularly communicate openly and honestly with their teams.
Our distributed communication system was put to the test when the government shutdown impacted many of our employees – the Executive Team included. Keeping every employee fully informed became a mission for us. We communicated with every individual in the company every day of the shutdown with both corporate and personalized messages from leaders at every level using e-mail, phone calls, intranet and texts. Even if we had nothing new to share, our folks needed to know we were fighting for them, thinking about them and working to do whatever we could for them. I learned later that other companies, associations and even PR firms heard about our “communication quest” and praised the approach for its emphasis on continued connectivity and the people-focused philosophy. And the positive feedback we received from our team during and since the shutdown – including their unwavering dedication to country, service, company and team during a trying period – remains a source of strength for me as we move ahead.
For us, communications is really about a commitment to our team and a culture of openness, transparency, participation and…our favorite…fun!
“We’re helping to assemble the brightest minds and most visionary leaders from across government to ignite a spark and shine a light on the art of the possible.”
WashingtonExec: What trends are you seeing that are important to your customers?
Kimberly McCabe: Our clients energize me, so I meet with them constantly. I am awestruck by the dedication and determination our public servants bring to their roles. We’re at a point in our nation’s history in which they are expected to do so much more with so much less – and yet they continue to make it happen. This is just one reason why every person at ASI is so passionately committed to supporting them.
During conversations with customers, we talk about approaches for realizing current and future year savings and efficiencies, emerging methods for realizing improved programmatic outcomes and innovative ways to develop the government workforce. Our favorite conversations, though, turn to the incredible potential for real change through acquisition, which stewards half the discretionary budget and houses the “front line behind the front line.” Our clients recognize that acquisition is one of the most powerful and underutilized levers in the Federal Government for finding efficiencies and driving results. So even in the face of the Federal Government’s crisis, our clients have tremendous passion and hunger for something better. A consistent trend is their ever-increasing awareness that the current challenges present an opportunity for substantial and meaningful change in the field of acquisition.
In response to this passion and interest, we are involved in a movement called Acquisition of the Future™ that envisions the “Big A” Acquisition function embracing emerging technologies, innovative business models and a new generation’s dynamism. We’re helping to assemble the brightest minds and most visionary leaders from across government to ignite a spark and shine a light on the art of the possible. It really is an exciting moment in the world of acquisition, and it’s a moment where incredible potential can be realized to change the industry. I could not be more energized by the possibilities and our public servants.
“We believe that one of our biggest accomplishments in the past year has been building our clients’ appreciation for their ability to meaningfully affect government outcomes, including the use of a variety of levers they can apply during this time of fiscal austerity, and helping them identify and use these tools.”
WashingtonExec: What is your company’s biggest accomplishment in the last 12-18 months?
Kimberly McCabe: In terms of clients, we’ve focused on elevating the acquisition function by feeding a growing recognition that acquisition offers real power and opportunity in addressing our toughest challenges. It is not an overstatement to say that “Big A” acquisition can help the government survive and even thrive in the current environment. With this in mind, we are making real progress in re-positioning acquisition as a truly strategic function. We believe that one of our biggest accomplishments in the past year has been building our clients’ appreciation for their ability to meaningfully affect government outcomes, including the use of a variety of levers they can apply during this time of fiscal austerity, and helping them identify and use these tools.
Internally, I’ve seen ASI transformed from a team of acquisition revolutionaries into a potent professional services firm with a soul. Our team has built strongly differentiated offerings and unparalleled products. In the past year, we have completely redesigned our Virtual Acquisition Office™ including launching a mobile app and, to support our clients during a time of declining training and development funding, expanded the availability of online courses provided through that service. The team also invested in the expansion of our acquisition workflow tool called the Tailored Acquisition Portal™ and developed the first-ever serious gaming capabilities for acquisition. The team has instituted fierce business development capabilities and a client-centered innovation process while significantly decreasing costs so we can be more competitive. These efforts have allowed the ASI team to enjoy results ranging from increased retention and win rates to creating a book-to-bill ratio that was three times the industry average. Most importantly, we’ve delivered these outcomes without changing our core values or loosening the fabric of our cherished culture. I am so fortunate to lead an incredible team that has delivered amazing results in this challenging environment.
WashingtonExec: How is your company involved in the community (corporate citizenship)?
Kimberly McCabe: ASI is rooted in the principle that a good business partner also must be a good community partner. In fact, we believe so strongly in community outreach that we offer employees an additional paid day off per year to volunteer. Many teams spend their day of service together, making it a team-building event as well.
In October 2012, we provided emergency management and contracting authorities with free access to the Hurricane Sandy Emergency Contracting Toolkit. We distributed the toolkit for free as a public service so federal officials could respond quickly to those in need after the storm while staying in compliance. The toolkit included a comprehensive guide to emergency contracting, frequently asked questions, step-by-step checklists and more. We facilitated thousands of downloads and subsequently received a Fed100 award for the efforts. ASI has a strong history of providing critical resources in national emergency situations, and we were grateful to have the opportunity to make this contribution following this historic event.
Additionally, we continue to contribute to and participate in philanthropic programs that support both local and national communities. ASI Involved, our employee-led community relations committee, sets priorities for our community outreach program, identifying opportunities to contribute financially and in-kind to nonprofit partners including the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health, Fisher House Foundation, Operation Jump-Start and Toys for Tots.
“I truly believe that the experience working with our Army made me a better leader, citizen and person. It was a profound experience – one of the most challenging and significant of my life.”
WashingtonExec: What would you say was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
Kimberly McCabe: If I had to pick one inflection point in my career, it was when I left the private sector to serve as Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Business Transformation within the U.S. Army. Now keep in mind, I’m a pacifist vegetarian, so I was a bit concerned about cultural fit with the organization, and yet I was compelled to serve and, thus, found myself in the Pentagon reporting to the Chief of Staff and then the Under Secretary of the Army. At the time, the Army was engaged in two active conflicts, in the midst of the largest BRAC in the history of the Army, facing an economic decline and in the process of a political transition. The odds were stacked against us to say the least. But our soldiers’ deployments were too long, and so we were laser focused on getting our troops what they needed and then getting them home and in preparing the Army for the austerity that is now upon us.
My position allowed me to see our incredible military from the inside out and to witness their amazing efforts and accomplishments in the name of our nation and our soldiers. At the end of my tenure, I felt overwhelmed by our soldiers’ courage and civil servants’ dedication, in awe of the Army’s capabilities and leaders and deeply grateful for our military. I truly believe that the experience working with our Army made me a better leader, citizen and person. It was a profound experience – one of the most challenging and significant of my life.
WashingtonExec: What book did you read this summer?
Kimberly McCabe: I am fascinated by the nexus of the hard and soft sciences, so I was excited to read and then begin using Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina in our work and as a leader. The author is a molecular biologist, and the book presents a huge body of research-based results about how the brain works and the effects on work, school and home. It informed the way I think about organizational behavior, leadership and parenting by illuminating research on the effects of stress, sleep, memory, physical activity – everything. SO cool!
“To me, leadership is first and foremost about courage and humility. It’s about having a vision of and passion for the art of the possible and a laser-focus on execution and rewarding advances. It’s about building a trusting, open and participatory environment and being willing to ‘make the first mistake.'”
WashingtonExec: What makes a good leader? How would you describe your leadership style?
Kimberly McCabe: I asked my son, Sky, this question when he was six years old. He looked up at me with his cherubic face and without hesitation said, “A leader goes first and takes care of the other kids.” I think Sky was right on the money.
To me, leadership is first and foremost about courage and humility. It’s about having a vision of and passion for the art of the possible and a laser-focus on execution and rewarding advances. It’s about building a trusting, open and participatory environment and being willing to “make the first mistake.” And it’s about being unyielding with your values and using them to ground and guide every decision and action. At the end of the day, I hope I demonstrate that I am willing to go first and I hope that I am taking care of the other kids.
WashingtonExec: What three pieces of advice would you give your kids?
Kimberly McCabe: If I had to distill a lifetime of parenting to three pieces of advice, I’d select these: 1) believe in yourself, 2) lift other people and 3) take a stand.
Believe in Yourself
Growing up, my parents told me bedtime stories including Russian fairy tales from a book that had been in our family for many years. One story was the tale of a princess held captive by an evil czar. She was trapped in a castle high among the clouds, and her true love was told he could only rescue her by climbing the immense staircase to the castle without looking back. The catch was that under each stair was the soul of someone who had tried and failed to climb the staircase to the czar. With each step, the trapped soul exclaimed words of discouragement and tales of disappointment. However, his desire and faith drove him on. He persevered and rescued the princess.
This left a deep impression on me and, over time, I found the story and its moral to hold true in my own life. As a result, I hope my children will believe they can accomplish anything they set their minds and hearts to, and will have the strength and confidence to persevere through adversity. In fact, I value this so deeply that the fairy tale gave rise to my son’s name.
Lift Other People Up
Hope, joy and inspiration are powerful juju. I believe they are threads in the fabric of healthy cultures, creativity and happiness. I want my children to know that they will rise by lifting others and I hope they will delight in helping others dream, learn, do and become all they can.
Take a Stand
Having been raised in a Jewish family, I came to understand the profound impact of prejudice and malevolence. In reference to the holocaust, my parents urged us not to be “train-watchers” – not to stand by while others are suffering, even if it doesn’t directly affect you, and to intervene when your gut tells you something is wrong. As a result, during my childhood, I was less burdened by what others thought than about the impact of inaction. To this day, when I believe something is unjust, I feel compelled to get involved. I hope my children will believe that following the “rules” is important, but that it’s vital – a moral imperative – to break the rules if they believe it is the right thing to do to take care of or protect others.
