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Return to Article: Move over 'American Idol,' there's a new contest in town -- FedPitch

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  As a baby boomer Fed who's nowhere near retirement, I've read news coverage of the demographic shift in the government and private sector workforces with trepidation. It can be disheartening to read articles that imply that only younger, newer Feds (or middle-aged private sector recruits) can innovate or have what it takes to improve government. But excellence and mediocrity are to be found inside and outside government at all levels. Personal energy, youthful outlook, experience, and stamina are all valuable qualities, no matter how they're packaged or where they come from. Here's the deal, folks: this little contest was invented by a handful of gen x and baby boomer Feds over the winter on their own time. It doesn't involve a dime of taxpayer revenue. FedPitch good-government sponsors may have signed on for no other reason than to see what would happen next. In any event, we salute them for their willingness to take a risk on something new. If you look at the application requirements, you'll see that there aren't many. This project really isn't about "young" or "old" - it's about renewing one's outlook constantly, come what may; deciding to commit to work hard on things that are worthy of our precious life's energy; and willing oneself to risk the appearance of failure in order to create new possibility in public service.

  Kitty Wooley

  Kitty Wooley Posted April 5, 2008 12:28 PM
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  I think it's a great idea and plan to participate. I'm glad for the opportunity.

  Wes Posted March 31, 2008 8:58 PM
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  I don't mean to be rude but... who will be the acerbic judge in this show? If things can only improve by being hip, we must have our very own Simon Cowell - but then again, maybe there are too many of those in leadership positions already.

  HR Professional Posted March 31, 2008 7:54 AM
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  WOW! "Greener" employees; Younger employees; Millenials... has it occurred to anyone at 13L that there are plenty of 50+ year-olds in Federal Government who are tech savvy, brimming with ideas, may even have instituted them in their little pocket of the government...and will be sadly discouraged to read about this contest with its implication that the only "good ideas" are "young ideas" ? (Oh, yes,vetted by the people with PhD's in life)

  Middle Aged with Great Ideas Posted March 26, 2008 10:41 PM
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  Isn't this just another PR attempt to make federal employment look less futile? If you need a contest to come up new ideas because federal management hasn't got any, haven't you identified the problem in less than one minute?

  Robert M. Posted March 25, 2008 6:45 PM
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  One misperception of government employees - whether it be local, state, or federal - is that people think everyone is alike in their motivation for working, attitude toward the public, and dedication to doing a job well. As Dick so ineloquently surmises, all any government employee is after is the next promotion. While promotion is one motivator for doing a good job, for a lot of us, it's doing the job well that is the prime motivator. Customer service was a keystone during my career. My promotions were based on how well I served the public. Serving the public with knowledgeable information, helping them solve their natural resource problems, and improving their quality of life was foremost in my daily work life. Dick - and all the Dick's of the world - improperly assume that all government employees are like the ones they encounter in their dealings with government. Not so!

  As far as this contest goes, I think it is attracting absolutely the wrong audience for ideas on how to improve government service. Who knows better the ills of government than the long-time government employee that has had to put up with the same inefficient government processes and policies - often foisted upon the agency by an ignorant heirarchy of bureacrats.

  Number one on my list of government ineffectiveness is the political appointee! Without a doubt, most ills in government service arise out of some dolt of a political appointee that doesn't know his/her ass from a hot rock when it comes to the functioning of an agency that they have no idea what it is, what it does, or how it should function. Political appointees serve their political masters to the detriment of the fuctioning of the agency. Cases in point: FEMA during hurricane Katrina, EPA dealing with anything, Federal Highway Administration dealing with bridges, Meat Inspection Service dealing with downer cows, NASA dealing with climate change, and the intelligence agencies dealing with Iraq. All these are examples of political appointees screwing up the traditional functions of agencies and promoting the "company line" of their political bosses.

  I say go back to letting the professionals run the agencies and make the politicians deal with the facts of reality instead of the politicians trying to dictate political dogma to the agencies.

  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

  Ron Harben Posted March 25, 2008 5:11 PM
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  What a sad commentary on the intellectual bankruptcy of our 'good government' sector. I suppose if you can't come up with any original, creative solutions of your own, holding a contest like this makes sense in a warped kind of way. But I won't be holding my breath awaiting the winning idea.

  Innovation and reform reduced to show business farce -- what's next, Ryan Seacrest for President?

  Skepticus Posted March 25, 2008 3:24 PM
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  The biggest problem w/ government (and with big corporations, too) is the careerist whose every decision has one major component: "How will this help me get the next promotion?" The decision is always colored by personal gain, and the person's career is totally dedicated to moving up the chain. Everything else suffers and in the long run a collection of these creeps brings the organization down. How do we rid the governemnt of these creeps?

  Dick Posted March 25, 2008 12:49 PM
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  My suggestion is to make every manager read Dilbert daily. It would be helpful if the federal government could let go of bad ideas faster. Improvement cannot occur when the pipeline is clogged with really bad tools.

  JLB Posted March 25, 2008 10:59 AM
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  What is the point if there's no one in government listening anyway? And what exactly does "key federal employees" mean? If people are going to give their ideas and time, they should know who they are giving it to and to what end. Otherwise, it's just another way for feds to waste taxpayer money and for people to look busy without producing anything.

  Andy Posted March 25, 2008 9:52 AM