The Power of Intellectual Curiosity w/ David Reeves

Today’s guest is David Reeves, President of OpenGov — a Silicon Valley company that offers cloud based services to local governments so they can achieve better performance and ultimately create better outcomes for the public.

Put another way, they're applying the practices and standards developed by private industry to the public sector … and if you’ve ever waited 2 hours at the DMV to update the address on your drivers license, you know that it’s not a minute too soon.

David has had a long career in the tech industry and has been fortunate to work alongside a number of successful entrepreneurs and innovators during his career - gaining many valuable lessons from their experiences.

We discussed what he sees as the most critical trait for success in an entrepreneurial organization and he said:

“You need intellectual curiosity. Top notch people have an innate intellectual curiosity about what they are doing. They are more capable of being adaptable and learning new things”

We also touched some of the unique challenges of pursuing innovation in a public-private partnership, the pros and cons of accelerators like Y Combinator, and the power of relationships in business and life.

You can follow the podcast and host Chuck Swoboda on Twitter for further exploration and discussion on innovation.

The episode is also available wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!