Take Your Fed To Work Day

Private sector executives on Thursday let Obama cabinet deputy secretaries learn the secret behind their success: technology-driven operations.

The corporate chiefs of companies like Southwest Airlines met at the White House to teach the feds how to use technology to make the government more responsive to the people their agencies serve. People like veterans, retirees and students.

Afterward, federal chief performance officer Jeffrey Zients announced that the mentorships will continue. He asked the execs to take calls from the deputy secretaries next week and debrief them on the lessons they should have learned. And he said he hopes the feds will become comfortable enough with their private sector counterparts to call whenever they need advice.

Zients added that within 30 days the administration will post online an implementation plan to execute the ideas generated during Thursday's exchanges. The plan will include milestones and methods of ensuring accountability.