Integrating the Competencies into Your “Leading People” Narrative

by Barbara Adams, President and CEO of CareerPro Global, Inc.

With very few exceptions, almost every Senior Executive Service (SES) position you apply for will require you to submit Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) narratives. While it is obviously important to ensure the examples you provide match the ECQ titles of Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, andBuilding Coalitions, that’s actually not enough. The best way to write ECQs is to first select a topic that makes sense for that particular ECQ, and then look at the specific competencies and ask yourself whether you can address most or all of them effectively.

For example, let’s talk about Leading People. Imagine a senior military officer who is retiring after 20 years of distinguished service and trying to enter the SES. Now, imagine that he/she is writing his/her Leading People narrative. This individual is clearly a strong leader, and had led organizations of more than 1,000 people and provided executive oversight to 12 different organization comprised of more than 100,000 people stationed around the world.

Now, let’s say this individual provides a great description of all this leadership, but focuses purely on leadership philosophy and the complex missions the organization had to accomplish. Shouldn’t those folks in the Qualifications Review Board (QRB) still be able to tell what a great leader this person is? Maybe, but maybe not. Even though this individual is clearly a seasoned leader with worldwide experience in a variety of field and office environments, the ECQ likely won’t pass muster and the board will deny it.

Why?

Because the competencies were not addressed. The important thing to remember here is that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been very specific about HOW it wants examples presented. So, even though every example is different, every career is different, and there is no “cookie-cutter” way to write an ECQ narrative, there are certain criteria that a strong ECQ should meet. First, OPM wants specific examples presented in the Challenge-Context-Action-Result (CCAR) format. However, more importantly, OPM wants the examples to be expressed through the “lens” of the competencies. If these criteria (along with a few others) are not met, the board will probably reject the applicant’s ECQs.

Let’s get back to our example. It’s not enough that this individual provided an example that clearly “proves” his/her leadership experience. Unfortunately, this applicant failed to tell the story though the lens of the competencies. In other words, while providing this great story of leading large organizations through major challenges, this individual failed to describe how he/she built the team, developed individual members of the team, leveraged diversity, and managed conflict (the four competencies required for Leading People).

One of the best ways to ensure you address the competencies in any ECQ is to turn those competencies into questions, and then answer those questions in the “action” section of your narrative. Regardless of what a great leader you are, and how logical it seems that your Leading People examples demonstrate your leadership, go back to the competencies. If you don’t weave those into the narrative, you are at serious risk of being rejected by the QRB. Here are some of the questions you might ask when writing up your Leading People narrative:

• What did you do to specifically build a more cohesive team environment? Did you hold weekly meetings or social gatherings, or provide incentives, awards, time off, etc.? (team building)

• Did you have to handle conflicts between two or more employees or offices? What did you do to resolve the situation constructively? (conflict management)

• Did you provide opportunities for or encourage staff to enroll in professional development opportunities or extend anyone’s responsibilities to a higher level of job description or expectation? (developing others)

• Did you encourage female candidates in a traditionally male-dominated field or recruit to minority groups? (leveraging diversity)

• Did you select teams for projects that included a diverse mix of individuals—professionally, educationally, culturally, etc.? (leveraging diversity)

• Did you utilize intern programs, fellowships, or other professional development programs to recruit young talent? Did you then arrange for them to be mentored into the mainstream? (developing others/leveraging diversity)

You can find job-winning, OPM-approved samples of SES application packages and a complete set of ECQ builders in our book, Roadmap to the Senior Executive Service. Get your copy today by clicking on this link or searching the title on Amazon.

 

Barbara Adams is the President and CEO of CareerPro Global, Inc. (CPG). She has been on the leading edge of SES application development for decades. Committed to providing world-class service, she has also built an SES writing team that has assisted more than 2,500 clients develop their application materials. Ms. Adams has been featured on TV and radio and as a presenter at numerous career conferences. CPG recently sent a team to instruct senior officials at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, in best practices for developing their SES application materials. She is the co-author of the new book, Roadmap to the Senior Executive Service: How to Find SES Jobs, Determine Your Qualifications, and Develop Your SES Application.

ALJ Hiring Update

The 1954 musical Brigadoon featured a mystical town in the Scottish Highlands that appeared to mere mortals only once every hundred years for one day, thereafter to disappear into the mists of time for another century. Similarly the ALJ register opens only for brief periods, then to close again, sometimes for years.

Attorneys who aspire to join the ranks of Administrative Law Judges will have to be prepared at the moment that the “town” appears. With no exam since 2009, many ALJ aspirants are awaiting the opening of this much anticipated event. The ALJ hiring process begins with the establishment of a register of qualified candidates which is maintained by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Names of qualified candidates are added only when the examination is announced, an event that has occurred about every 13 months in the last few years. The opening of the exam is long overdue by this standard, and it leaves those anticipating its arrival guessing about the next steps. Unlike Brigadoon, the exam’s appearance does not occur at regularly scheduled intervals. Another large unknown in the process is the uncertainty of Congress’ budget dealings. No examination or hiring can occur until the budget for 2012 is set.

Hiring reform aimed at eliminating arduous narrative-heavy applications was implemented for competitive service positions throughout the federal government in late 2010, but thus far, the ALJ examination process has been untouched from its last few iterations. OPM has formed groups to study the ALJ hiring process to see how it might be streamlined or improved, and there is some speculation that the exam will not open until this new process is established and implemented. Competing rumors say that the existing examination process will used once more in the spring of 2012 under a repeat of the recent, more-familiar process.

Whatever your guess, the Social Security Administration just announced that it will hire retired ALJs to serve on temporary contracts to help alleviate the agency’s backlog while it awaits funding to fill positions on a permanent basis. This may be a clue that we will all wait a little while longer to join the desirable land of ALJs.

What can you do to be ready? Regardless of how a revised process might affect the specific format of the ALJ exam, we bet it will still require a fair amount of writing. Preparing an application based on the last examination announcement will save you invaluable time and help you have your required details all in one place. An effective application features your unique career achievements—with measurable results—that demonstrate why you are a standout among candidates. You will need a federal style resume, as well as narrative content that speaks to your accomplishments in specific competency areas. These are detailed in the 2009 ALJ examination announcement which can be viewed online.

What else can you do? Join online discussions about ALJ issues to stay informed about the latest musings and happenings about ALJ hiring and other relevant issues. Set up an automatic job posting search on www.USAJOBS.gov to receive alerts about ALJ related job postings. And stay tuned right here for future updates.

Elizabeth Juge is CareerPro Global’s primary expert on federal attorney applications, including Administrative Law Judge qualifications and application processes. Drawing on her experience consulting with federal jobseekers and potential ALJ candidates, Elizabeth co-authored Roadmap to Becoming an Administrative Law Judge: How to Find ALJ Jobs, Determine Your Qualifications, and Develop Your Application. She has helped numerous job seekers earn “best qualified” status in their applications and positions on the ALJ register.

Administration unveils new senior executive performance measurements

(Reposted from GovExec.com)

The Office of Personnel Management on Friday unveiled a new performance management system for the Senior Executive Service.

Originally slated for completion in September 2011, the new measurements aim to streamline the way top managers in the federal government are evaluated.

“Under the new system, agencies will be able to rely upon a more consistent and uniform framework to communicate expectations and evaluate the performance of SES members,” OPM Director John Berry wrote in a statement Friday.

“This system focuses, in particular, on the role and responsibility of SES employees to achieve results through effective executive leadership,” Berry said. “The new system will also provide the necessary flexibility and capability for appropriate customization to better meet the needs of all agencies and other federal organizations (e.g., offices of inspectors general).”

The President’s Management Council started a working group in 2010 to examine ways to improve SES performance evaluation. The recommendation to create a standard system came out of that group.

In a February 2011 memo to SES members, Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director for Management Jeffrey Zients and Berry wrote that tight budgets, along with a growing workload, impending retirements and limited opportunities for development were straining the executive-level workforce.

Under the new management system, the core qualifications that determine a candidate’s entry into the SES are applied to performance evaluations — a move that makes sense, said Carol Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association. The five core competencies are: leading people, leading change, results driven, business acumen and building coalition.

Executives who receive a final rating of “unsatisfactory” will be removed or reassigned; those who receive two ratings at less than Level 3 (of five levels) within three years will also be removed or reassigned, as will those who receive two level 1 ratings within five years. Overall, the SEA is “pleased” with the new system, which Bonosaro said “does tighten the level of performance.”

Some senior executives have expressed concern over whether they will be rated fairly under the new measurement, fearing an administration could give out lower performance ratings for its own political benefit.

Under the current system, “plenty of executives have seen their ratings lowered without explanation,” Bonosaro said.

In fiscal 2010, more than one third of all SES members received the highest possible rating.

“Having clarity about performance standards, that’s all fine, but I think [senior managers] are just going to see if this is going to produce a different experience, or a better experience” with performance evaluations, she added.

Happy New Year

Dear Readers,

The entire staff of CareerPro Global wishes you and yours a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012. Let’s make it the best year ever.