Too often, what’s on the other side of the Government's "friendly front door" is nothing more than “innovation theater” lipstick slapped on the same old acquisition pig. Yes, we can scare up more new-to-the-DoD innovators with aggressive marketing and streamlined applications. Yes, our audience can gaze in wonder as the winning innovator signs a “one-page” contract with the Government. It’s audacious. It sets a tone. There’s some swagger here (at least there was the first 7 or 8 times DoD did it.)Don’t get me wrong, these are important and necessary steps to engage with the dual-use community, and the DoD Leaders who pioneered these concepts are amazing people. But, we’re not done. Not even close. If we want to do our part to win the Acquisition War with China, we must fight from the inside out. Fix what’s core. The lipstick needs a break.Decision-making. That’s fundamentally what acquisition is about.To keep pace and to win tomorrow’s digital wars requires an evidence-based, fast, inclusive approach to decision-making. Makes sense doesn’t it?What we have learned over the past ten years of working with government leaders:* Decision-making should have outputs beyond decisions. (Anxiety about potential protests should not be one of those outputs!)* Culture change is hard. But, it’s required to win. Inventing new activities for government employees is the surest way to fail. We must change culture by making the things we already do more efficient, more effective, and more fun. * You and I cannot fix the entire system. But, we can fix your program.If any of this makes sense/resonates with you, reach out to me here on LinkedIn.