Presidential transitions must focus early on recruiting and deploying executive talent to advance the policy agenda of the president-elect. The most critical groups to consider are the small subsets of those Senate-confirmed presidential appointees (PAS), noncareer Senior Executive Service (SES) appointees, and career SES members. These positions involve either senior leadership and management or functional areas, such as finance, human resources, information technology, and procurement. We term these subsets of managers, respectively, the "Political Executive Corps" and the "Senior Career Executive Corps."
These types of leadership teams do not form by themselves, though. Instead, the creation of senior leadership teams must be intentional; they must be consciously constructed to meet the needs of the organization. Ultimately, three commitments to talent management are necessary to create strong leadership in the federal government.
First, the administration must spend time recruiting and appointing political appointees who have proved their superior management skills. Second, the administration must take measures to strengthen the SES as key enablers of government policies. Third, the administration must create, and actively manage, joint leadership teams consisting of both political appointees and career SES members.
Here are three recommendations to meet these commitments:
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The transition personnel office and the new White examine all positions open to political appointees and code those that fall into the category of significant management positions. These positions must then be filled by appointees with strong House office of presidential personnel should management experience. Similarly, the Office of Personnel Management should examine all SES-level positions and code those which involve significant senior management responsibilities. Assignment to these positions should be proactively managed by OPM and reserved for SES-level executives who possess the desired management experience.
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Orientation programs about ongoing management processes, current initiatives, and emerging management challenges should be conducted jointly with both political and career executives attending. Then, both political and career executives should be involved in joint team building activities such as strategic off-site meetings, familiarization tours to operational sites, and exercises focused on emerging issues. These events should jump-start the formation of effective leadership teams.
- Performance accountability of both senior political executives and senior career executives must be addressed. Annual or multiyear performance contracts can align organizational goals with clear management objectives and expectations. Though many agencies and departments address individual accountability, having performance plans that include shared goals and mission outcomes increases buy-in from executives and encourages the formation or use of leadership teams.
For more advice on how assemble the talent required to meet the challenges of managing the federal government, check out our article in the February issue of The Public Manager, “Advice for the Transition: Build Executive Leadership Teams."
