How consulting prepares you for challenges in the policy world

We caught up with Genevieve Rogers Buchet, a Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense through the Horizon Fellowship. Genevieve supports senior leadership on matters of biosurveillance, medical countermeasures, infectious disease, and assessing the financial impacts of policy. In her career, she aims to strengthen our nation’s health by shaping policies that keep people healthy and invest in medical and biosurveillance technology.

Genevieve, let’s start at the beginning of your career story. What drew you to study English and French in college?

I wish I could say it was a very strategic decision, but it definitely was not. I went into college saying I like English classes, but probably I'll change my major to something else – and I just never changed my mind. I love to read, and I think it is such a gift, such a privilege to go and just read for four years straight and talk with other people about what you're reading.

In hindsight, I'm very thankful that it provided me with a strong analytical skill set. I think Wellesley did a great job of teaching analysis – not just taking things at face value but questioning deeper: What does this mean? How does it connect to other things? And then, how can you communicate your new perspective concretely, concisely, and compellingly?

You've had quite a journey – from consulting to an MBA to startups and now policy. Which felt like the biggest transition?

I think consulting was by far the most fast-paced, high accountability, high-efficiency environment. If you can get comfortable operating in a space like that, it becomes such a superpower in the future. It also made me bolder - the only time anybody's ever yelled at me in a meeting was when I was a consultant. Those were some tough clients, but it's empowering to know I'm never afraid to go into a meeting because I just think, “I've already had the hardest meetings before, I can handle this.”

I am very thankful for my time in consulting – most of my clients were wonderful, no complaints – but certainly, that was the most rigorous job I think I've had. When you're done with that, you wonder how the rest of the world functions. You're so used to this highly efficient structure. I started asking, “What do you mean you don't have a morning standup? What do you mean you don't have three people review your data for the presentation?” You can carry some of that rigor forward with you.

How did you decide between getting an MBA versus a Master's in Public Policy?

I originally applied to public policy programs and MBA programs, with the MBA only as a potential add-on. But through the application process, I realized – wow, I think the MBA is the more rarefied skill set if I ultimately want to land in a government context. If I really think that new technologies are going to help solve the biggest problems, then I need to figure out how companies - who make that tech - work.

Getting an MPP and taking some MBA classes on the side wouldn't be as comprehensive as going 'whole hog' into an MBA to learn out how companies work. I figured after an MBA; I could then apply that knowledge to government or boomerang back to the business side and figure out how a technology company can work effectively with the government – understanding budgeting, government funding vehicles, and so on. I ended up at MIT Sloan and still took some classes at the Kennedy School. I felt like I got the best of both worlds that way.

What insights from business and consulting do you think are missing in policy work?

There are two big ones. The first is a product mindset – how do you view your constituency as your customers and turn your government program into a service they actually want and need? In business, you have to serve people well enough that they're willing to pay you for it. If you don't, they'll stop paying, and your company will die. The government doesn't always feel that immediate consequence – people often just have to deal with your messy systems.

The second is systems-level thinking. A good system is one in which everybody behaving selfishly still produces the optimal outcome for the group.  In business, your company needs to be strong enough to generate a profit that allows you to pay your employees well and meet your board's expectations while ensuring customers keep coming back. I wish the government thought more through that 'good system' lens, where we didn't just rely on people who care a lot working intense hours to make up for failures in the bigger system and ultimately burning out. 

Whether or not you can get the government to do these things, I don't know, but that's what I want to figure out.

What advice would you give to consultants looking to transition into policy work?

If your strength lies in systems-level thinking and creating well-oiled machines, then it makes sense to focus on the parts of government that need help operating efficiently. On the other hand, if you're aiming for a policy-shaping role, that's not typically where business professionals have the edge. In that case, you'll need to develop a deep understanding of the policy area and perhaps find areas that intersect with the world of business.

For example,  if you want to improve a process – let's say in biosecurity, improving the inspection process for produce coming into the country – that's a systems thing. You may be able to run that better because you bring a business mindset. On the other hand, if you're interested in AI policy and you're a consultant, you might consider trying to get on consulting projects related to AI. Then, when you try to come into the policy space, you can say, 'I've seen how these AI companies think and work. I understand where they're most likely to fail society because of profit pressures.' That perspective is immensely valuable when writing policy.