A Fed Insider Webinar on the above topic, but with an emphasis on the need to work in partnership with ‘line’ officials (and in the case of the federal government, that means political appointees).
Press/News
The Ugly Truth About Immigration and the U.S. Labor Market
The labor market is already operating beyond full employment, and federal policies such as mass deportations are likely to create additional vacancies, particularly in the more challenging and low-wage jobs in the U.S. But who will then take those jobs? The ugly truth is no one. And that’s a problem for all of us.
Partnership for Public Service ‘Explainer’ Series: What happens to me?
In this hour-long videotaped program sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service and posted on You Tube, I explain the complicated ‘ins and outs’ of Reductions-in-Force (RIFs), Deferred Resignations, and other things that federal civil servants are worried about today.
Loyalty to principle or party: The US civil service is under attack, but is it justified?
Ohio State University professor Jos Raadschelders and I explore this question in an article first published in the July 2024 issue of the academic journal ‘Public Money and Management’ and we are now updating that article after the results of the US presidential elections in November 2024. We concluded then and now, after the US elections, that while it is (under attack), the best defense will still come from individual civil servants.
Making sense of the chaotic ‘state’ of the US civil service
There is a lot going on in the federal government these days, what with the flurry of Executive Orders and other presidential actions directed at federal employees themselves, and I’ll try to make sense of all that with eight questions and answers–ranging from “Is this legal” (most likely) to “What happens in a RIF” (it’s complicated)–that hopefully will help clarify matters.
DEI and Diversity: Is there a difference?
In this article published by Government Executive, I argue that there is, and in so doing, I urge those charged with implementing President Trump’s DEI-killing Executive Order to NOT throw “the baby out with the bathwater” when they do.
Creating a Culture of Collaboration in the US Intelligence Community
In this article–by former Director of National Intelligence VADM Mike McConnell; former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (and later, Director of the CIA), GEN Mike Hayden; Dr. Ron Sanders, who served as the first IC Chief Human Capital Officer and wrote the article; and Mike Richter esq., former Civilian Joint Duty Program Manager for Sanders–the authors trace the often-frustrating history of the Intelligence Community’s revolutionary civilian ‘joint duty’ program. Authorized by the IRTPA, the program was patterned after the one pioneered by the US military in the later 1980’s and 1990’s, and while its early IC history was challenging, it was successfully implemented beginning in mid-2007, more than two years after it was initially authorized. Eventually, the program received the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 2009. (https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/13-IRTPA-Civilian-Joint-Duty-Program.pdf).
The Intelligence Reform Act: A Retrospective on the law’s 20th anniversary
Guest editor of a Special Issue of CIA’s Journal of Intelligence Studies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The issue features authors “who were there” when the law was first drafted, passed, and then implemented (https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/studies-in-intelligence/studies-in-intelligence-68-no-5-special-edition-irtpa-20-years-on-december-2024/)
Want to reform the federal government? Start with career execs
Career senior executives are a national asset, not tools (or property) of any one agency head. It’s time to manage them as the valuable resource they are.
The Trump Administration: A Survival Guide for Civil Servants (Part 2)
Below is the complete ‘Survival Guide for Civil Servants’ by Mike Mears and me, Ron Sanders. Provided in full text form, it offers some tips (we call them ‘Rules’ but they are NOT binding on anyone) that we recommend to civil servants, senior and otherwise, in order to survive this particular presidential transition. They’re based on our experience over at least nine such transitions, both ‘friendly’ and hostile, as senior civil servants who’s careers depended on what we did, and while we cannot guarantee that following them will always lead to success (or survival), we do offer them for your consideration. Have fun, and of course, let us know if we can be of assistance to you individually.