Six Part Series - SES ECQ Leadership Competencies - ECQ 1 Leading Change

Six Part Series - SES ECQ Leadership Competencies - ECQ 1 Leading ChangeSix Part Series - SES ECQ Leadership Competencies - ECQ 1 Leading ChangeSix Part Series SES ECQ Leadership Competencies ECQ 1 Leading ChangeWith the recent publication of the Second Edition of The New SES Application (December 2015), I am starting a new series to explain the Senior Executive Service (SES) Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) statements. This series is focused on the leadership competencies required of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to be certified to obtain a SES position. Leading Change is part 1 of 6 in this series The SES ECQ Leadership Competencies. At the conclusion, you will have the tools you need to help you focus your stories on the leadership competencies includingtips for story development. By Diane Hudson, Co-Author, The New SES ApplicationECQ 1 Leading ChangeThe Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) statements are broken down into five categoriesLeading Change Leading People Results Driven Business Acumen Building CoalitionsEach ECQ category has leadership competencies that are required to be addressed within each ECQ essay. Each ECQ typically has two stories and the associated leadership competencies can be woven through both stories.Leading Change has six leadership competences that need to be clearly addressedCreativity and Innovation Develops new insights into situations questions conventionalapproaches encourages new ideas and innovations designs and implements new or cutting-edgeprograms/processes.External Awareness Understands and keeps up-to-date on local, national, and internationalpolicies and trends that affect the organization and shape stakeholders views is aware of theorganizations impact on the external environment.Flexibility Is open to change and new information rapidly adapts to new information,changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles.Resilience Deals effectively with pressure remains optimistic and persistent, even underadvers ity. Recovers quickly from setbacks.Strategic Thinking Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent withlong-term interests of the organization in a global environment. Capitalizes on opportunitiesmanages risks.Vision Takes a long-term view and builds a shared vision with others acts as a catalyst fororganizational change. Influences others to translate vision into action.Leading Change needs to focus on organizational or performance management change, rather than process change. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) ECQ scoring grid states This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change to meet organizational goals, both within and outside the organization. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Candidates need to emphasize the Strategic Thinking and Vision competencies of this ECQ. Rather than simply describing loosely connected ac tivities and actions taken to implement a program or initiative, candidates must clearly describe how those actions were part of an intentional, strategic, and systematic effort to lead and implement a change effort.When developing actions for Leading Change, think about your vision for how the organization will operate after the change. Describe the challenges you encountered and how you remained flexible and resilient in your efforts to lead others to embrace the new change. Include information about the level of people you communicated with and your interactions with external stakeholders, your development of or application of policies, and how the work you accomplished has national / wide-ranging impact.In the results paragraph, describe the situation or condition of the before the change, and after the change. Comparisons work well when describing the change element of the story. And, be sure to tie the results to the challenge so that the story has a logical beginning, middle , and end.Ask yourself these questionsWhat will change from what to what?How did the results affect organizational performance?What other organizations were affected by the change?What was your role in leading the change?Remember, the executive leadership stories need to be written in first-person narrative and focused on your accomplishments rather than the accomplishments of others. Use I statements in the stories instead of We statements.If you need additional assistance, check out our newly updated book (December 2015),The New SES Application, or visit ourServicespage for a quote. Diane can also deliver hands-on training in ECQ writing at your agency. Writing the Traditional ECQs and the Five-Page Senior Executive Service ResumeRoughly 50% of SES executives will qualify to retire within the next three years. Uncle Sam will need strong and motivated executives to take the retirees place and lead the governments civilian workforce. These coveted high-level positions pay up to $17 9,000 per year. Begin your journey of entering into government leadership with this resourceful book.Learn All the Nuances of Writing a Leadership Application Package That Will Get You QualifiedWhy struggle on your own to write your Senior Executive Service application? Use a clear step-by-step method that was refined over 10 years in author Kathryn Troutmans 2-day SES workshops, and proven to work hundreds of times in the classroom.