If We Can Put a Man on the Moon

William D. Eggers is one of the country's best known authorities on government reform. An author, a columnist, and popular speaker, for two decades Eggers has built a significant following among public sector thought leaders in America and overseas. His columns in Governing and Public CIO and feature articles in Government Executive regularly reach more than 100,000 readers. He is a sought after speaker, giving close to 100 speeches a year. Currently Mr. Eggers is the Global Research Director for Deloitte's public sector practice and Executive Director of its Public Leadership Institute. He is the author of several books on government reform. John O'Leary has both government and private sector experience. An expert in business process engineering, Mr. O'Leary has been a Vice President of Operations at Scudder Kemper Investments, the Director of Business Process Reengineering at Lycos, and a consulting manager with KPMG Peat Marwick. He is a 1984 graduate of MIT and holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

"Eggers and O'Leary may have created a new genre--the Government Policy Thriller. We couldn't get enough of the stories--good policies gone bad, great ideas that flew off the rails, and, occasionally, the stunning triumph that gives us hope that we can get to the moon again." - Chip and Dan Heath, coauthors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die "A clear-eyed look at how to get the best out of our public institutions. Instead of easy answers, the authors offer practical suggestions for successful execution in a very challenging and complex environment. A must-read for political leaders." --Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson "As we sort out the cross-pressures in twenty-first-century government, this book is a useful and lively guide to how to make things work. Driven by practical cases and pragmatic lessons, it's an invaluable road map to the government of the future." - Donald F. Kettl, Dean, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland "If We Can Send a Man to the Moon is the rare book that made me both shake my head in disbelief and nod my head with possibility. Eggers and O'Leary offer a trenchant analysis of how good government intentions can go awry. But they also show how sharper thinking and keener attention to design can help governments at all levels serve citizens better. Pick up two copies--one to read yourself, the other to send to your favorite elected official." - Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind "After serving as a mayor, a congressman for twenty years, and as a secretary of two cabinet-level departments in two administrations from different political parties, I can attest that the challenges of executing successful government programs exist at all levels of government, in all parties, and in all locations. Eggers and O'Leary present exactly the most common traps that lead to a failure of execution, but more importantly they present ways to help avoid those traps. Their ideas should be presented to all government employees." - Former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta