Steve Goldsby
Agentic AI: The Invisible Workforce You Didn’t Know You Needed Imagine This: You wake up one Monday morning with your coffee in hand, and—miraculously—all the nonsense of modern work has vanished. The inbox? Cleared. The reports? Drafted. The tasks? Sorted, assigned, and underway. You haven’t even looked at Slack yet,
The C2 Balancing Act: Balancing High-Tempo Operations and High-Reliability Systems Supporting mission critical Command & Control (C2) systems that directly impact warfighter safety and success demand the highest levels of reliability, resiliency, and performance. These platforms, which enable military leaders to direct forces and coordinate complex operations across vast distances,
In the world of innovation, deadlines are common. But rarely are they as intense as the one I faced during the first Gulf War. At the time, I was a Senior Systems Analyst for Unisys, supporting the U.S. Air Force. Our team maintained a Unisys mainframe stationed in Langley, Virginia,
© 2024 Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc.
According to Logan, organizations are made up of tribes – natural groups of 20-150 people within which work gets done and societies get built. He describes five tribal stages:
1. Stage 1 – “Life sucks” – Undermining and unproductive. (~2% of tribes)
2. Stage 2 – “My life sucks” – Apathetic victims (~25% of tribes)
3. Stage 3 – “I’m great (and you’re not)” – Lone warriors, individual achievement (~48% of tribes)
4. Stage 4 – “We’re great” – Tribal pride, group identity, shared values (~22% of tribes)
5. Stage 5 – “Life is great” – World-changing innovation, values alignment (~2% of tribes)
*** We were stuck at Stage 3 for several years and struggled to overcome it. ***
Today, I’m proud to say that we have achieved the coveted status of a Stage 5 tribe. Over the past 5 years, we’ve worked tirelessly to reinforce our culture and core values throughout our business, down to every team member.
At ICS, our core values are the foundation of our Stage 5 culture:
1. Uncompromising Integrity – We don’t lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those that do.
2. Excellence – We under-promise, over-deliver, on time, and under budget. We are continuous learners.
3. Grit –We never quit, never accept defeat.
4. GSD (Getting Stuff Done) – We work smart AND hard. We set S.M.A.R.T. goals.
5. Selfless Service – We are dependable and reliable. We never let a teammate fail.
These values are more than just words on a wall. We use them as a filter for every “people” decision we make – hiring, promotions, discipline, and even retirement. This ensures that every member of our tribe is fully aligned and committed to our shared purpose.
The results speak for themselves. By cultivating a Stage 5 tribe, we’ve been able to attract and retain top talent, foster innovation, and consistently deliver exceptional results for our government customers.
So, my question to you, fellow GovCon leaders, is this: How are you building your tribe?
Are you intentionally shaping your culture and values, and reinforcing them at every level of your organization? Are you empowering your teams to connect to a purpose greater than self-interest? Are you nurturing relationships and collaboration across tribal boundaries?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Leave a comment below or reach out directly – let’s start a conversation about building exceptional tribes in GovCon.