History of USGS Leadership Program

What is a leadership-centered culture?

USGS core principles establish a foundation for behaviors that foster a high performance environment. Employees:

1. Take risks to achieve results;
2. Treat each other with dignity;
3. Value differences; and
4. Take responsibility for their actions so the employees and the organization can develop to their full potential.

The expected outcomes of a leadership-centered culture are to:

• Create a high-performance work environment.
• Increase productivity.
• Attract and retain high quality employees.
• Be proactive.
• Energize people.
• Share vision, share values.
• Integrate sciences/disciplines for greater awareness and approaches to problem solving.
• Unleash the talents of employees by promoting responsible risk taking.

Expected core leadership competencies at the USGS are:

• Knowledge
• Communication Skills
• Teambuilding/Teamwork
• Personal Development
• Problem Solving/Critical Thinking
• Strategic Thinking and Direction Setting
• Customer Service
• Business Management

Guiding Principles for all employees

Purpose

• To create a magnetic field at USGS that attracts, retains, and develops talent.
• To build a web of connectivity for rapid transfer of scientific information and learning across disciplines for powerful and meaningful social benefits.

Background

In our Strategic Plan we have a goal that "The USGS will have visionary leaders and innovative managers." In response to that goal, the bureau established a USGS Leadership Program in 1999, with the initial target audience being GS 12/13's across the bureau. The initial step has been expanded to include GS 14/15's. The content of those two courses and their follow-up, at the present time, are identical. These components are just the beginning of a much more inclusive and expansive leadership development program. In thinking about a bureau-wide leadership development program, a statement by John Kotter comes to mind, "Institutionalizing a leadership-centered culture is the ultimate act of leadership." A leadership program for only those at the higher GS levels is insufficient if we truly hope to establish and promote a leadership-centered culture. The current vision for the Leadership Program states: "Develop a leadership-centered culture throughout the U.S. Geological Survey that emphasizes the importance of people in the USGS to ensure high-quality science for the benefit of society."

• First Leadership 101 class in June 1999; first Leadership 201 class in September 2000.
• Guidance received from the Leadership Steering Team, which is made up of four members of the ELT, a Regional Executive, and the Leadership Program Manager.
  • The Steering Team goals are:
    1. Provide strategic guidance to the Design Team.
    2. Represent Design Team's work to ELT.
    3. Provide support (recommendations, information, funding).
    4. Review strategies and provide approval at critical points.
• The Design Team for the Leadership Program consists of 11 employees representing various disciplines within the USGS.
  • The Steering Team goals are:
    1. Design a program (both internal and external components—tools, assignments) that ultimately touches all 10,000 employees, contributes to a leadership-centered culture, has a high likelihood of success, and is affordable.

USGS Leadership Program Philosophy

Philosophy

The philosophy underlying USGS leadership development is simple-leadership is a core value of the USGS, is everyone's responsibility, and must exist at all levels in the organization. We will concentrate our leadership development efforts on the wholehearted nature of leadership. Leadership development will be dedicated to building a 'high-speed, broad-band connection' between heart and head so that neither leadership nor management exists in the absence of the other. We simply need to be clear about what constitutes leadership and how it differs from, but can be related to, management—both concepts are important. Our program will focus on all four chambers of the leadership heart-competency (both intellectual and interpersonal), integrity, passion, and intimacy. A good leader is a good follower; we will emphasize servant leadership. We will also stress that true leadership is the active involvement in the lives of others and that true, heart-centered leadership demands each of us to be a model of behavior for those around us.

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