Journal: People Science - Human Capital Management & Leadership in the public sector Volume 1, Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 27

Introduction
To meet the complex challenges facing our government,
agencies need to develop their senior executive cadre.
Investing in a leadership strategy allows agencies to harness
the experience, intellect and leadership to achieve competing
priorities. A report from the Partnership for Public Service
and McKinsey & Company, Building the Leadership Bench,
examined the current state of talent development for building
and sustaining senior executives. The report found that
agencies pay insufficient attention to identifying, developing,
recruiting and selecting individuals for senior executive
positions—leaving our government’s bench all too weak. In
the next five years, nearly two-thirds of the senior executives
will be retirement-eligible. Are federal agencies prepared for
the potential turnover? Are agency leaders taking the steps to
shepherd aspiring executives?

Recruiting Top Caliber Executives
“In addition to developing and cultivating leaders from within
their ranks, agencies also have to attract leaders, according to
Mary Lou Lindholm, former associate director for employment
at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). To do so
requires a formal recruiting strategy and hiring practices that
evaluate whether candidates have demonstrated leadership
qualities/core leadership competencies in previous positions
before they are hired.

Tools for Development
In addition to building robust recruiting strategies, agencies
now recognize the value of cultivating and developing senior
executives from within. Agencies are incorporating more
diverse programs into their leadership development strategy
and implementing techniques like:
• 360 degree evaluations
• Executive coaching
• Leadership training and alternative techniques

360 Degree Evaluations
360 degree evaluations provide anonymous feedback from
the people senior executives work closely with, such as
supervisors, peers, and direct reports. Respondents are
encouraged to provide written, qualitative feedback along with
their ratings. Responses are kept anonymous and are shared
only with the person receiving the feedback. A self-evaluation
is also commonly included in the feedback process with the
employee answering the same questions as other raters.
Once respondents have completed their ratings and written
feedback, results should be provided to the employee. The
results of the assessment can be used by the employee as a
tool to identify areas of development and are often shared with
an executive coach to help establish a coaching plan.

People Science

360 degree evaluations must be carefully planned, monitored
and implemented to be well-received and successful. When
this method is utilized in the wrong environment, the results
can be detrimental. With close consideration and evaluation,
the decision to employ this tool, or another, should be
made carefully. Organizations administering 360 degree
programs must first ensure the environment is one that
fosters individual development and growth. They must also
engage in a communications strategy and training to make
certain those participating in the program know the purpose,
benefits, and how to provide feedback. When a 360 degree
feedback program is properly implemented, organizations can
experience an overall positive effect.

Executive Coaching
Executive coaching is also becoming more prevalent within the
Federal government as a tool to cultivate and develop senior
executives. Executives have limited opportunities to devote
time and energy to their own professional growth. Many
executives struggle to fulfill the responsibilities of their positions
and are too busy and too stressed to step back and learn
from their experiences or to implement changes to satisfy best
management practices. The intent of executive coaching is to
identify and prioritize career issues and goals with an action
plan. The coach also supports the executive in addressing
and focusing on the strategic issues of the organization, while
simultaneously addressing personal developmental issues.
Brian Crew, the associate director for human capital planning
and solutions at the Department of Tran