A while back, a techie acquaintance shared an anecdote with me: that the reason the US government struggles to obtain the best tech talent is due to their strict rules on certain recreational substances. I can’t confirm how true his claim was, but what is obvious is that the government has a PR problem that risks our country’s future success. Unfocused leadership, unclear benefits and lots of red tape keep millennials away, yet many of the world’s most consequential jobs fall on the government’s payroll. Rebranding the government feels insurmountable, yet we somehow must make a plan to do just that.
The Hanford Nuclear Site, managed by the Department of Energy, has the potential to threaten millions of lives in Eastern Washington. Yet the current administration hasn’t seem to make nuclear waste management a priority. (Image: Vanity Fair)
Word count: 102
Editor’s note: For more reading about the risks the US government manages, and its many unfilled yet essential leadership roles, I highly recommend picking up Michael Lewis’ The Fifth Risk.