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Seizing new opportunities to lead change amid turmoil and uncertainty in the public sector

Major change is rippling through the federal government right now, with agencies enacting reductions in force that are slashing the federal civil service and dramatically changing the way it works.   

The Partnership’s Public Service Leadership Model offers a roadmap for government leaders at all levels to navigate this turmoil. The model’s “Leading Change” competency can help public servants embrace risk and uncertainty, and leverage vision, influence, adaptability, and innovation and creativity to stay focused and make an impact during this challenging moment.  

Here are five ways early-career government employees can use this competency to lead in real time. 

Identify the pain points (adaptability) 

Identify bottlenecks in your daily tasks. These could be manual data entry, clunky applications, redundant reporting structures or unclear communication channels.  

Most people do not enjoy repetitive tasks, and if I find myself doing something more than twice, I put an event on my calendar to block time and figure out how to never do it again. It pains me to hear people say they do not have time to save time. 

Propose simple solutions (vision) 

Brainstorm simple and effective solutions. For example: 

• Automate repetitive tasks with tools like Power Automate or Asana 

• Create templates to stop recreating the wheel and to focus your effort only on the unique portions of your work 

• Write checklists to improve accuracy and efficiency  

Atul Gawande’s “The Checklist Manifesto” is the single best book on improving workplace efficiency. As a bonus, the book highlights stories of public servants who implemented checklists to save lives and make the world a better place. 

Test and implement (innovation and creativity) 

Most supervisors do not dictate exactly how to complete your work, so start small and implement solutions within your own workflow and monitor the results. Track metrics like time saved, error reduction or improved turnaround times. 

Share your success, build alliances and institutionalize the change (influence) 

Document your improvements and share them with your team or supervisor. Present the tangible benefits and offer to help others implement similar changes. By forming a small coalition, you can amplify your impact and gain support for scaling up your solutions.  

Once you have shown that your improvements are effective, find a manager whose work is easier or better because of the changes you made. Work together to formalize these changes and teach those around you. These efforts not only boost your visibility but also demonstrate your initiative and problem-solving skills. 

Commit to yourself (embrace risk and uncertainty) 

Finally, use your own timesaving and process-improving techniques, even if others around you do not adopt them. The more you innovate in small ways, the more ready you will be to innovate in large ways when the next opportunity comes around. 

Conclusion 

Leading change doesn’t always require authority.  

Sometimes, it starts with fixing what is broken in your own corner of the world. By taking ownership of the processes you control, you not only enhance your own efficiency but also pave the way for a more agile and responsive organization. 

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