TheBridge profile: Michael Madsen
Name: Michael Madsen
Current city: Washington, DC
Current job: Director, Strategic Engagement and Operations, Defense Innovation Unit
Past job: Executive Director, Congressional Advisory Panel on Streamlining Defense Acquisition
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Compass Coffee & Commonwealth Joe Coffee
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? To effectively bridge the gap between politics / tech & innovation/ regulation requires understanding of the others’ culture. We don’t want defense procurement to look exactly like the tech ecosystem or vice versa, but rather ensure each side understands the other and the best way to collaborate or integrate.
Specifically, we seek to lower barriers to entry to the defense marketplace for tech companies by helping to navigate the complex regulatory landscape of defense procurement.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Public service values and a deep understanding of mission-oriented work
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? The way to build good things quickly—how to iterate quickly and put continuous learning/adjustment into regulation. The way to assess and mitigate risk. Resist the urge to build organic custom solutions instead of leveraging existing solutions.
Q. Why are you part of TheBridge community? Exciting things happen when you pull together different groups. This is why national security and commercial technology has been a critical area for our nation's success...and I'm excited to be a part of this today as so much is happening. There is a significant amount of energy spent observing the difference in culture between government entities and the tech ecosystem. It is important for TheBridge community to provide a platform for the two worlds to collide in a collaborative sense. That is not to say, either side should adopt the other’s culture, but rather to gain a sense of awareness for the points of collaboration and force multiplication.
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. Two skills I learned in previous jobs have helped throughout my career: attention to detail and public speaking.
Attention to detail. In my current position one of our critical actions is to curate problem statements with our Department of Defense partners. Attention to detail through the curation process is critical to develop accurate and precise problem statements. Often attention to the details of the problem itself are where new ideas can be found.
The ability to build a narrative to connect with people and explain things is particularly useful in my job. Engagement is not necessarily about the product as much as the stories you tell.
Q. Job advice in three words? Make yourself indispensable.
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? I'm really focused on the intersection of national security and commercial technology, so for a book I recommend "Kill Chain" by Chris Brose, now of Anduril, formerly with Senator McCain and the staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee. And for a podcast, my organization just started a new series: Defense Innovation: From Tanks to Teleportation, interviewing some interesting folks.
Q. Everyday is probably different, but can you describe a "day in the life" of your job? DIU operates at the intersection of government, the tech industry and academia, so there never is a dull moment. Bridging the gap between the hierarchical defense structure and the flat, agile environment of the tech ecosystem always brings challenges.
Working in the Pentagon, there are always short-notice requests for information. But as a startup within the Department, it is constantly busy, briefing senior DoD leaders on emerging technology, doing speaking engagements with industry partners to help remove some of the mystery of working with DoD, briefing Hill staff, learning about interesting companies, listening to speakers from our internal team/external groups, and engaging international partners. Every day is different, bringing new challenges but always interesting.
Q. What's one piece of advice you are still trying to master? Taking time for myself to recharge. Blocking an hour to read or exercise in the middle of the day with COVID-19 has been a goal....I achieve it once or twice per week. In the environment of working remotely it takes deliberate effort to balance work and self-care time.
Q. Favorite under the radar company? We see a lot of these at DIU.....watch our website for updates!
Q. Most underrated virtue in an employee? A positive attitude to do the work that needs to be done. In the start-up mentality, there is no task beneath a member of team. Most other things are teachable.
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