HC E.1: Leadership Development and Promotion

Establish career development and succession planning initiatives that identify future leaders, and that further forecast the matriculation of each new wave of senior FBI executives through important leadership positions within the organization to ensure continuity.

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All successful organizations accomplish their missions through effective leadership. Effective leaders are particularly important for organizations in environments of rapid change, and those leaders that are best able to drive successful change may do so more and more through motivation. As James Champy and Michael Hammer pointed out in their recent book on corporate reengineering,“In a re-engineered environment, the successful accomplishment of work depends far more on the attitudes and efforts of empowered workers than on the actions of the task-oriented functional managers. Therefore, executives must be leaders who can influence and reinforce employees’ values and beliefs by their words and their deeds.”[1] While the FBI has always strived to promote effective leaders to senior executive management positions, the process has been more candidate-driven than strategically planned. The FBI first needs a forward-looking process to identify employees who display important leadership qualities early in their careers, and effectively mentor them into the ranks of management. Secondly, in order to successfully and rapidly transform the organization, the FBI needs to establish a tangible succession planning process. The goal of the program will be to systematically identify and develop talent to ensure leadership continuity for key positions within the organization. [1] Champy, James and Hammer, Michael, 2001. Reengineering The Corporation. Harper Collins, New York, p. 84. Priority Actions: Evaluate and acquire software capable of tracking the career progression of future senior FBI executives. Formalize a mentoring plan within the career development program that places responsibility for identification and development of future leaders on every incumbent manager in the FBI. Develop key survey instruments to be completed by the candidate and others in the organization early in the career development process that gauges each candidate’s skills and interests to assist with future assignments. Establish a Director’s Executive Council comprised of Executive Assistant Directors, the operational Assistant Directors, and the Assistant Director, Administrative Services Division, that will be charged with tracking the career development of the highest potential senior executives in the FBI for appointment to future critical positions.

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