Episode 47: Inside Code for America's Mission to Modernize Government

Episode 48: "We the Possibility" and Public Entrepreneurship ft. Mitchell Weiss

Episode 50: Do Deficits Matter? Ft. Steve McMillin

Here's to 50 and a Look Ahead

Episode 51: Talking Government Innovation with Beth Simone Noveck

Episode 52: Talking Infrastructure

Episode 53: Year in Review — The Pandemic Reveals Gaps in Citizen Trust

Episode 54: Revisiting Trust's Impact on the Role of Government

Episode 55: Inside the Russia-Ukraine War, with National Security Expert Troy Thomas

Episode 56: The Future of Cities, w/ Maura Brophy

Episode 57: The Supreme Court's Impact on Federal Regulations, w/ Stuart Shapiro

Episode 58: Gov Actually is Back, ft. Gov. Charlie Baker and a New Fill-In Co-Host

Gov Actually returns this week, after hosting its first guest Beth Cobert in episode 4, to address the forthcoming leadership changes with the transition of administrations and how a major driver of success for new leaders will be their ability to keep their workforce happy and engaged.

“Is part of your mindset I want to be the right director for these people?” Gov Actually co-host Danny Werfel questions, referring to the thoughts of nominee for Office of Management and Budget head, Mick Mulvaney. “In this case, these 475 people — I want to figure out what their needs are in a leader and what helps them be better at their job, and how the director can do that. Do I want to have that mindset as part of how I think about my aspirations.”

“Or do you divorce yourself from that and just look at it more through the lense of the broader macro of cutting the deficit and supporting the West Wing and the president in some way?” he wonders. 

“I can’t imagine there’s anyone who comes to a job like that who doesn’t” worry about how they’ll be perceived, “even if they would never outwardly admit it,” says co-host Dan Tangherlini.

In many cases, it comes down to being a likeable person, he says.

There’s a difference, though, between being liked in the short-term and being respected in the long-run, Tangherlini posits. Likeable leaders will let their employees out early on Fridays, whereas respected leaders “take their agency to a new place and a new level.”

Episode 5: Federal Leadership 101

Episode 11: How Regulation Works

Episode 12: Martin O'Malley on leading and managing the government of the future

Episode 18: Meet the 2017 Sammies Finalists pt. 3

Episode 25: Dan and Danny Are OPM Co-Directors for a Day

Episode 26: Procurement

Episode 28: Get Ready for Oversight

Episode 31: Media and the government, with James Rosen

Episode 33: The Federal Government's Role in Gun Control

Episode 34: The History and Importance of Whistleblowers

Episode 35: Gov Actually wraps up 2019 and the decade

Episode 37: The Government Response to Coronavirus

Episode 38: Reflecting on the Coronavirus and Reopening the U.S.

Episode 40: A Discussion on Race Through the Lens of Government

Episode 41: Inspiring Americans to Serve, ft. Congressman Joe Heck

Episode 43: Celebrating Federal Super Heroes with the 2020 Sammies

Bonus Episode: Live from the 2020 Sammies Gov Actually Watch Party

Episode 44: On the Transition, Hot Cocoa and Blankets

Episode 45: Inside the Vital Railroad Industry

Episode 46: OMB and Transition

Gov Actually

Popular tracks