Episode 5: Federal Leadership 101

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.”