Engaging Others
To engage others, strive to foster an inclusive culture that encourages team members to offer constructive feedback, recognize good work and pursue professional development. This environment is the foundation for collaboration within and across federal agencies. Individuals, teams and agencies working together will have a greater impact on government effectiveness. The five subcompetencies to engaging others include:
Looking to further develop your public service leadership capabilities? Check out the Partnership’s wide variety of training programs.
Relationship Building
Communicate to build trust and cohesion.
“The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
– Colin Powell, Former General and Secretary of State
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Keeping Talent Report
Read about the value that employees place on a cooperative work environment and definitive direction from leadership in the Partnership’s Keeping Talent Report (2011).
How Can I Help?
In this clip, Doug Conant, former CEO and president of Campbell Soup Company talks about the value of a simple question: How can I help?
Bringing Young Leaders Together
Discover how Andrew Rabens brought young leaders from across the Middle East together to both empower them and familiarize them with American democratic institutions and society.
Learn more about AndrewREFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- What is my preferred way of communicating with others? Why is that the case?
- Do I implicitly trust people or does it need to be earned? How does that affect my work?
- What can I do to build trust and rapport with my team? Think of both formal and informal opportunities to connect.
READ: Stephen M. R. Covey’s Guide to Building Trust – Tom Fox, Former VP, Leadership Development at the Partnership for Public Service and contributor to Washington Post
WATCH: Are you a Giver or Taker – Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and author
WATCH: 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation – Celeste Headlee, NPR Host and writer
Related competencies
Empowering Others
Provide autonomy and professional development for team members.
“Leadership is about empowering other to achieve things they did not think possible.”
– Simon Sinek, Author and motivational speaker
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Looking Inward for Talent Report
Read the Partnership’s take on the benefit of empowering employees in Looking Inward for Talent (2019).
Download the reportProviding vital training and resources
Learn how Ryan Shelby, in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, worked with communities in Haiti to build disaster-resistant structures with materials from local sources and trained more than 2,000 community members on incorporating new building materials.
Learn more about RyanBest Places to Work in the Federal Government®
Check out rankings, analysis and resources for employee engagement across the federal government.
Learn moreREFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- What learning and development opportunities are available for my team? How might I encourage those?
- How might I delegate more (or more effectively) to my team? How will I give them autonomy while still monitoring progress?
- How will developing my team members benefit them, the organization, and the mission?
READ: Employee Engagement: What Successful Government Leaders Do – Andrew Rahaman, Contributing writer for GovLoop and American University professor
READ: Bill Gates Says This 1 Simple Habit Separates Successful Leaders From Everyone Else – Marcel Schwantes, Founder and Chief Human Officer, Leadership From the Core
WATCH: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us – Dan Pink, Author and business columnist
Related competencies
Conflict Management
Resolve counterproductive behavior; create space for differences of opinion.
“Listen first. Give your opponents a chance to talk. Let them finish. Do not resist, defend or debate. This only raises barriers. Try to build bridges of understanding.”
– Dale Carnegie
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Addressing Conflict
Read how Arleas Upton Kea addressed conflict at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – juggling both the national financial crisis and an unsatisfied workforce within the agency.
Learn more about ArleasDoes it really pay to be civil?
In this blogpost author and TED talk speaker Chris Porath writes about the importance of civility—a critical feature to managing conflict effectively.
Read the postNavigating a Male-Dominated Workforce
As the first woman to hold a cabinet position, Frances Perkins navigated conflict within her male-dominated team and on a national level battling industry leaders while working towards improving labor conditions for all working Americans.
Read the postREFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- How do I experience conflict? What signs do I notice when I’m in conflict?
- How do I tend to respond when conflict arises for me and/or others? Does this tend to help or hinder the situation?
- How can I promote dialogue, rather than debate, among my colleagues?
READ: 6 Tips for Leading Through Conflict – CCL, Center for Creative Leadership
READ: The 5 Steps to Conflict Resolution – AMA Staff, American Management Association
WATCH: The Walk from No to Yes – William Ury, Author “Getting to Yes”
Related competencies
Collaboration
Engage stakeholders on shared goals to build trust.
“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind too) those who have learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”
– Charles Darwin, Geologist and biologist
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
A Roadmap to the Future Report
Read about the Partnership’s take on how a more collaborative federal government is beneficial in A Roadmap to the Future (2020).
Download the reportWorking Together to Bring Justice
Discover how Karen Dodge, Margaret Moeser, and their respective teams coordinated nationwide investigations to bring justice and restore financial losses to hundreds of thousands – in large part due to their collaborative efforts.
Meet Karen and MargaretTogether with Line of Sight to the Mission
Hear from former VA Secretary Bob McDonald on the importance of engaging others as a fundamental attribute of successful leaders.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- Describe how collaboration would ideally work in my current working environment. What would I like to see?
- What strengths do each of my team members and stakeholders bring to the table?
- How can I most effectively use these strengths towards the goal?
- How might I carve out roles and co-ownership among team members?
READ: Best Practices and Leading Practices in Collaboration Across Governments, Nonprofits, and the Private Sector – Government Accountability Office (GAO)
WATCH: The Kronos Quartet as a Dot Cloud – The New York Times
WATCH: Cultivating Collaboration: Don’t be so Defensive – Jim Tamm, Author of Radical Collaboration and former Senior Administrative Law Judge for the State of California
Related competencies
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Build inclusive, representative and respectful teams.
“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions and outcomes for everyone.”
– Sundar Pichai, CEO Alphabet Inc (and Google LLC)
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Government’s Lack of Diversity in Leadership Positions
A look inside the current diversity landscape of Senior Executive Service positions and why it’s important to create opportunities for a more diverse collection of leaders in government.
Read the postImportance of Diversity and Inclusion
Hear former NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden talk about the importance of diversity and inclusion at NASA.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Comes From the Top
In this clip, General Les Lyles talks about the importance of prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion from the top.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- To what extent do I understand unconscious bias, and have I taken any steps to mitigate my own biases?
- When dealing with a workplace conflict, how often do I recognize both the intent behind an action/statement and the impact that action/statement caused?
- What steps do I take to increase inclusivity and accessibility in my workplace?
READ: Uncovering Talent: A New Model for Inclusion – Deloitte University
READ: Commitment to a Diverse Workforce – U.S. Department of Labor
WATCH: Color Blind or Color Brave? – Mellody Hobson, Investment expert and contributor to CBS News and Black Enterprise magazine
Related competencies
© 2020 Partnership for Public Service, Inc. All rights reserved.