As anyone with federal experience can tell you, one of the biggest challenges our government faces is the fact that politics, not common sense, oftentimes dictate executive decision making in Washington.

Perhaps one of the most glaring examples of this unfortunate reality is in cases where an incoming leader — say the new federal CIO — comes in and completely scraps the work of his predecessor regardless of its merit or worth. In what is oftentimes nothing more than a yuppie’s way to mark his territory, the all too familiar mantra of “cleaning-house” frequently results in years of productivity, innovation and taxpayer-dollars being flushed down the toilet in order to start with a clean slate.

While there is no doubting that any transition of power will have some elements of a purge, IT leaders and Washington insiders have noted an alarming trend in recent years where sensibility has taken a back-seat to shows of superiority… all to the dismay of employees and the detriment of our government.

Thankfully, last month’s speech by Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel showed that it is possible for political appointees to look objectively at the work of a predecessor and develop strategies that build upon existing high-value concepts and initiatives of an organization. In his speech, VanRoekel praised the “Cloud First” initiative launched by former Federal CIO Vivek Kundra and then went on to expand the concept to a overarching “Future First” initiative designed to transform the way federal IT designs, builds and procures systems and networks for the future.

In doing this, VanRoekel is not only helping to defy the odds (and by odd’s, I mean the dozens of executives who directly told me that no-one would care about 25-point reform or “Cloud First” now that Kundra is gone), but more importantly is giving the federal IT community the support and validation needed to complete hundreds of existing initiatives and programs which began under Kundra’s watch.

Perhaps even more telling about VanRoekel’s leadership and personal style, his actions show us the confidence with which he leads.

We have all seen highly intelligent, well-intentioned leaders whose refusal to continue initiatives launched before their tenure conveys an almost childish message of “I am smarter than he/she was, and I can prove it!” The most effective leaders are smart enough to surround themselves with brilliant innovators, able to identify winning strategies (regardless of who developed them) and skilled at bringing it all together to develop a comprehensive, winning formula.

If this act is a precursor of what is to come, VanRoekel could truly help revolutionize Federal IT. That is, however, unless his inevitable future replacement is not as wise as he is.

Parham Eftekhari is co-founder of the Government Technology Research Alliance (GTRA), where he currently serves as GTRA’s director of research and curriculum development.