Excellence in Government Fellows Program 

In today’s federal government, building higher performance organizations demands visionary, creative leadership at all levels. Leaders must produce important results in a climate of constant change. The Excellence in Government Fellows Program offered by the Council for Excellence in Government, is an intensive, year-long leadership development opportunity to transform mid-level federal managers into leaders who produce results for the American people. As part of their fellowship year, participants develop their abilities as leaders while they create strategies for meeting the complex challenges facing their organizations.

The active participation of members of the Council - called Principals - distinguishes the Excellence in Government Fellows Program from other leadership development opportunities. As private sector leaders who have served as public officials, Council Principals know what it takes to run results-driven organizations in both government and business. They share a commitment in helping federal managers improve the performance of government. Principals serve as guest leaders at Fellows Program seminars and host the Fellows on leadership benchmarking site visits to their organizations. Principals lend a valuable cross-sector perspective to discussions of organizational change and effective leadership.

The Fellows Program Produces Results

The Excellence in Government Fellows Program focuses on helping government managers and leaders create powerful results that matter to the American People.

The Fellows Program is open to top performing managers at the GS/GM-14 and 15 level or equivalent through the Executive Branch. Exceptional managers at the GS/GM-13 level are also encouraged to apply. Agencies may nominate both individual candidates and members of an agency work team to participate in the program.

While continuing in their current jobs, the Fellows participate in a year-long series of activities which explore the demands of executive leadership and the commitments required of successful leaders. Through dialogues with a diverse group of leaders from government and business, Excellence in Government Fellows learn first-hand what it takes to lead major business and government organizations.

The Program challenges participants to develop their abilities as leaders while they give their organizations an ongoing return on investment. Fellows come to the program ready to work on a specific issue, project or goal critical to the mission of their organization or to the overall performance of government. Working individually and in teams, the Fellows conceive strategies for achieving the results they seek. Council Principals, government leaders, Council staff, and former Fellows serve as coaches. In addition, Fellows work with their sponsors in their agencies who help them develop action plans, offer guidance and feedback, and measure their results.

The Fellows Program provides a challenging and rigorous experience that requires a significant commitment from those who participate. While the ultimate level of investment is a leadership choice of the individual, Fellows can anticipate approximately 150 hours in formal Fellows sessions in coaching days, leadership benchmarking site visits, work shops, and peer coaching sessions and at least 100 hours during the year working on-line and preparing for these events.

At the end of their Fellows year, participants can join the growing network of Senior Fellows - the more than 1200 federal managers from different agencies across the federal government who have been Excellence in Government Fellows.

Program Focus: Mission, Vision, Values, Action, and Results

The Fellows Program challenges participants to build fast-moving, customer-focused, results-oriented organizations. It encourages them to challenge old ways of doing business and look for new and innovative ways to lead and get results. Through a series of interactive learning activities, the Fellows explore ways to:

Create a shared sense of organizational mission; communicate a clear, powerful vision; and take action that leads to measurable results.

Format

Throughout the year, Fellows meet with Council Principals, government executives, and other public and private sector leaders who have successfully led results-driven organizations in government and business. Fellows also visit private and public sector organizations around the country to benchmark first hand how they are managing and producing innovative results in their own organizations.

Specifically, the Fellows Program includes:

Coaching - At day-long sessions, Fellows explore the leadership choices that face them and consider what it will take for them to achieve the results they seek and maximize their personal and organizational performance. With a Program coach, Fellows examine core leadership concepts, take part in individual and small group coaching, and engage in dialogue with guest leaders. Most of the Fellows work is conducted under the guidance of a program coach in teams of about 25.

Leadership benchmarking - Fellows visit leading corporations and government agencies and meet with the executive teams who lead them to learn first-hand how these organizations achieve their results. These carefully planned site visits to high performance organizations provide participants with opportunities to learn from the experience, insight, and results of real-world leaders.

Workshops - As part of workshops held during the year, the Fellows explore in depth the qualities that define effective leaders and successful leadership in organizations. They look critically at their own leadership challenges and develop "how to" strategies for making leadership choices, taking action, and measuring results.

Peer Coaching Groups - Between monthly meetings, the Fellows meet in teams to further explore the concepts presented during formal sessions and to work on their individual and team results.

Information Technology - Fellows utilize cutting-edge technology as a lever for achieving their results. Exploration, guidance and facilitation in the use of technologies and methodologies as an element of the program occurs throughout the year. Through interaction with the Council’s Technology Leadership Consortium, Fellows will also have the opportunity to access and benchmark the individuals and organizations shaping the future of the government’s use of information technology.