Is Your Agency Focused Enough on Developing Future Leaders?

When President Barack Obama talked about the need for modernizing government, he focused specifically on developing leaders from within the ranks of public service. The Obama administration has taken a lead role in this reform effort, most recently creating the White House Leadership Development Program, a program designed to give top civil servants an opportunity to participate in rotational assignments.

Right now, there’s a real need for growing and retaining qualified leadership in government, says Marie Brennan, Program Manager at Graduate School USA. Brennan is an experienced federal employee and has also taught instructional courses focused on government leadership.

“Today, only a small percentage of mid-level and senior government employees, those considered to be at mid-career or higher levels — GS-8 to GS-15 — actually enter the ranks of Senior Executive Service,” Brennan says. “With leadership development courses, agencies can help build the managerial and executive-level skills needed to grow and retain top talent.”

According to the Office of Personnel Management, the overwhelming majority of senior executives are career federal employees, half of whom fall between the ages of 50 and 59. Currently, only 126 career senior executives fall under the age of 40.

One of the main issues, Brennan says, is that executive leadership is growing older while retention rates for younger employees are dropping. “Many younger federal employees are leaving government for jobs outside of the public sector,” Brennan says. “In order to prepare government for the future, we must pay attention to keeping and developing future leaders.”

Federal employees rarely get an opportunity to select the courses that they’re most interested in. Oftentimes, the agency will set mandated requirements for leadership development rather than tailoring plans to individual employees. The end-all goal, Brennan says, should be to work with the employee and determine how their skills are best suited for a professional development opportunity. “What managers should be looking for are employees who have an interest in challenging themselves and building upon their previous experiences,” she adds.

In addition to building individual development plans for their employees, Brennan says executive leaders must also start to think and act as mentors themselves. Some federal executives, like the many who lead course offerings at Graduate School USA, are turning this vision into a reality and sharing their government experience with students every day.

“This method of teaching gives students a chance to learn from current or recent executive-level leadership,” Brennan says. “Largely, leadership development has to be considered as an opportunity to create a training environment where the instruction matches the needs of students.”

To learn more about customized training and how Graduate School USA can get federal employees started on a plan toward preparing future leaders, visit: graduateschool.edu

This content is made possible by Graduate School USA. The editorial staff of Government Executive was not involved in its preparation.