Urban Forum Book Club 2nd Meeting

During our second meeting we'll discuss chapters 1-4 of the book. Don’t worry if you have not done all the reading; many of our discussion questions will still be relevant regardless of how far you are in the book.

Here are some of the questions we’ll discuss during the meeting:

CH. 1-THE TOLSTOY TRAP (CONFIRMATION BIAS)

• Can you think of an instance in your organization or career when an implementation failed because its central idea, although popular, was fatally flawed?
• Can you think of a time where you confronted, or avoided confronting, information that made you uncomfortable?

CH. 2-THE DESIGN-FREE DESIGN TRAP

• What are some examples you have seen of ordinances or legislation that was able to be approved but not built?

CH. 3-THE STARGATE TRAP

• Does the stargate trap exist in local government, and if so, what does it look like?
• How can the stargate be successfully navigated?

CH. 4-THE OVERCONFIDENCE TRAP (EMBRACING THE POSSIBILITY OF FAILURE)

• Can you relate an example of an effort from your career where overconfidence caused failure?

Dysfunction and futility seem to epitomize government in the minds of many Americans. Authors William D. Eggers and John O’Leary reject the inevitability of this presumption in their engaging and actionable book, If We Can Put a Man on the Moon . . . Getting Big Things Done in Government. Join GFOA colleagues in an online book club to explore the book’s findings and connect them to member workplaces and experiences.