Public Service Leadership Model
Becoming Self-Aware
Becoming self-aware begins with an introspective understanding of your values, thought patterns and motivations, all of which are essential to personal development and better interactions with others. Self-awareness is an anchor, enabling you as a leader to stay true to yourself and perform at your highest level in service to the American public. The five subcompetencies to becoming self-aware include:
Self-Reflection Authenticity Emotional intelligence Integrity Continuous Learning
Self-Reflection
Regularly reflect, test assumptions and seek feedback.
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”
– Margaret J. Wheatley, Writer and organizational behavior consultant
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Whether you are a leader, or aspiring to be one, ensure you are doing the best work for your team by taking the time to assess your strengths and weaknesses and reflect on your capabilities. Federal employees face new challenges as a result of COVID-19, making this a good time to do a self-assessment.
General Les Lyles shares the story of his leadership journey in service to the country, including notable points of self-reflection on values and contribution.General Les Lyles shares the story of his leadership journey in service to the country, including notable points of self-reflection on values and contribution.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- What strengths do I bring to my work?
- In what areas do I feel unsteady and want to improve?
- How will I seek continuous feedback about my performance? Who are my trusted sources for feedback?
READ: How A Daily Self-Reflection Practice Improves Leadership Performance – Naz Beheshti, Contributing writer and consultant, Forbes
READ: A Time for Reflection: Understanding Yourself in Times of Change – Stacie M. Rivera, Public Affairs Specialist at Veterans Affairs, GovLoop
WATCH: The Science of Character – Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker, author, public speaker
Authenticity
Act according to your belief system.
“Authentic Leaders are not afraid to show emotion and vulnerability as they share in the challenges with their team. Developing a solid foundation of trust with open and honest communication is critical to authentic leadership.”
– Farshad Asl, The “No Excuses” Mindset: A Life of Purpose, Passion, and Clarity
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- How do I want to be known to others? What qualities of myself are most important to demonstrate?
- In what situations or with what people do I tend to:
- Hide or downplay myself or my strengths, or
- Fear admitting my flaws, or
- Forget my personal boundaries, or
- Feel as if I’m not good enough, or
- Create pressure to “fit in”
- Examining the above situations or people, what might be contributing to this tendency to shy away from authenticity?
READ: Seeking Authentic Leadership? – Ruth McGowan, Research Scientist and consultant
WATCH: Authentic Leadership – Dana Born, retired brigadier general in the United States Air Force
WATCH: The Authenticity Paradox – Herminia Ibarra, Author and Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School
Emotional Intelligence
Recognize your emotions and those of others; use this information to manage behavior.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how they made you feel.”
– Maya Angelou, Civil rights activist, poet, author
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- How might I practice paying attention to my experience and being present?
- When I’m feeling stressed, what techniques do I use to cope?
- What is my level of awareness about how emotions play into my work? The work of others?
READ: 5 Skills to Help You Develop Emotional Intelligence – Mark Manson, Author and personal development consultant
WATCH: Empathy vs. Sympathy – Brené Brown, Research Professor and author
WATCH: Strategies to Become More Emotionally Intelligent – Daniel Goleman, Author and behavioral scientist
Integrity
Follow moral and ethical principles.
“In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”
– Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and philanthropist
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Learn how building trust on an individual level, will produce major payoffs in the future.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- What moral principles tend to guide my work?
- Think back to a time when faced with an ethical dilemma. How did I handle it? What did I learn from it?
- Am I inclined to “do the right thing, even when no one is looking?” What helps or hinders me in practicing integrity?
READ: Leading with Character: Integrity – Michael Lee Stallard, author of Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy and Understanding at Work
READ: Why Integrity Remains One of the Top Leadership Attributes – Terri Williams, Economist contributing author and journalist
WATCH: Simplifying Humility and Integrity – Joe Sibini, Ted Talk speaker
Continuous Learning
Constantly seek to grow and learn.
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
– John F. Kennedy, President of the United States
PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Omar Pérez Aybar won a Service to America Medals award in 2014 for his work investigating Medicare fraud in South Florida. Four years later he decided to enroll in the Partnership’s Excellence in Government Fellows leadership development program. Pérez Aybar discusses his choice to join EIG and the importance of continuing to develop your leadership skills.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
- How often am I taking time for formal learning? Informal or on-the-job learning?
- What sources of feedback do I have on my performance and my professionalism?
- How will I capture or codify what I’m learning?
READ: Future of Work Requires Leaders Who Value Learning in the Flow of Life – Amy A. Titus, Managing Director in Human Capital at Deloitte Consulting and ATD contributor
READ: Why Continuous Learning is a Sign of Great Leadership – Sean Jacobson, HR Business Consultant and contributor to Leader2Leader
WATCH: The Backwards Brain Bicycle – Smarter Every Day
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