Overcoming Bureaucracy Burnout with Hannah Hunt

Defense Mavericks

This week, Ryan is joined by Hannah Hunt, Distinguished Technical Director at MetroStar, to talk about the challenges of navigating defense bureaucracy and how she’s overcome the inevitable burnout of government work. Hannah dives into lesson learned from Kessel Run and Army Software Factory and the leap of faith she took into the industry world with MetroStar. She shares her insights on agile, user-focused software solutions, leveraging the FAR to speed up procurement, and upskilling soldiers in software development. Tune in for a refreshing episode on learning how to balance mission impact and mental health.

TIMESTAMPS:

(0:47) Meet Hannah Hunt (1:51) Kessel Run’s agile acquisition strategy (3:37) Why user feedback is key to iterative development (7:06) The importance of security and accreditation in software factories (12:32) Lessons learned from Army Software Factory (18:39) Does moving to private sector cure burnout? (23:57) The secret to perfecting your craft as a government worker (29:20) 3 books that changed Hannah’s career development

LINKS:

Follow Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-connell-8413a03a/

Follow Hannah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-feldman-hunt-b8646a97

The Lean Startup: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898

Range: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214484

Making of a Manager: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Manager-What-Everyone-Looks/dp/0735219567

CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/

Tradewinds: https://www.tradewindai.com/