ASTD Government Expert Training Forums Archive

Becoming a champion of change Forum 

About the Session

Is your agency going through change? Anticipating budget cuts? Deploying a new IT system? Facing a policy agenda change? Are you looking for ideas about how to implement a successful change effort in your organization? Watch this video of Elaine Biech and Will Brown as they tap into their experience, refer to recent studies that identify keys to successful government change efforts, and deliver an interactive presentation filled with tools you can use immediately.

This session will provide an overview of ASTD's “Change Management” Certificate program. Focusing on the unique needs of government agencies, Will and Elaine will present ASTD’s model for change and draw upon their eight years of working together to share valuable tips, tools, and tactics to help you champion your change effort. You will experience hands-on activities and have the opportunity to network with your colleagues. The studies, articles, and techniques will be available for you to share with your leadership team. The speakers will deliver a dozen ideas to help you design a practical, results-focused change management effort for your agency.

Learning Objectives:

1. Name three research-based strategies for executing a successful change effort in government agencies
2. State the importance of using a change model
3. Use a tool to evaluate organizational readiness for change
4. Implement three methods to manage resistance to change
5. Select from a dozen ideas to champion change in their agencies

Presenters:

Elaine Biech, President of Ebb Associates, Inc., and Will Brown, Deputy Director of Business Operations and Talent Management for the Office of Naval Research, have teamed up to design and deploy numerous change efforts over the last eight years.

Elaine Biech is president of Ebb Associates, Inc., a strategic implementation, leadership development, and experiential learning consulting firm. She has been in the field for over thirty years helping private industry and government agencies work through large-scale change. She designed ASTD’s Facilitating Organizational Change Certificate program based on her 30+ years of experience. She has presented at dozens of national and international conferences and has been featured in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update and Fortune Magazine. She is the author and editor of over 50 books including The ASTD Leadership Handbook, Training for Dummies, and Thriving Though Change. Elaine is the recipient of numerous awards including ASTD’s Bliss award and Staff Partnership award. She was the 1995 Wisconsin Women Entrepreneur’s Mentor Award recipient and in 2012, the inaugural CPLP Fellow Program Honoree from the ASTD Certification Institute. She has served on ASTD’s Board of Directors and is currently a member of the Center for Creative Leadership Board of Governors.

 Will Brown has spent most of his professional career working for the U.S. Department of Defense. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and currently serves as a civilian leader for the Office of Naval Research (ONR). As a role model and mentor to those who work for and with him, Brown demonstrates leadership skills that help him and others to navigate the federal government workplace. While in the Navy, Captain Brown's awards included the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Sea Service Ribbon, Battle "E" Ribbon, and others. Brown currently serves as the ONR Deputy of Business Operations and Services, which oversees all supporting departments, including information technology, human resources, acquisition, counsel, logistics, communications, legislative affairs, and others. As ONR's first talent manager, he has initiated ONR's Leadership Development Program, Mentoring Program, Academy of Learning, and other employee development opportunities. Will is a contributor to The ASTD Leadership Handbook.

3 STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS

About the Session

Are your leaders dealing with lots of change? Do you have a model for developing leaders that consistently addresses the biggest challenges your leaders face? Does your current leadership development model align with your agency’s priorities while remaining within your budget constraints?

Join co-presenters Sardek P. Love and Larry R. Felix for a discussion on the key components of an effective leadership development model you can adopt to create exceptional leaders in your agency. This session will provide an overview of ASTD’s “Creating Leadership Development Programs” certificate course. Tailored to meet the needs of government agencies, Sardek and Felix will share strategies that allow you to align your leadership development process with agency priorities, determine the skills gaps in your leadership ranks, and provide a methodology for addressing those skills gaps. You will receive a variety of tips, tools, and strategies in a hands-on, interactive session that will enable you to immediately begin applying concepts presented back on the job. The speakers will also share stories and answer questions about their extensive experience helping government agencies effectively develop their current and future leaders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review a 5 step leadership development model for creating effective leaders in your government agency.
2. Identify the agency priorities that serve as the road map for your leadership development program.
3. Utilize a tool to identify the skills gaps that exist in your leadership ranks.
4. Complete an organizational readiness audit.

Presenters:

Presenters Sardek P. Love and Larry R. Felix have teamed up to lead numerous leadership development efforts within the federal government.

Sardek P. Love is President and Founder of Infinity Consulting and Training Solutions, Inc., a global management and leadership development consulting firm. Possessing 20 years of expertise, he has worked in over 20 countries, inspiring, developing, and educating managers to consistently deliver exceptional results.

Mr. Love has provided consulting services to the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Strategic Learning Division, and his consulting firm’s Employee Engagement training is a critical part of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s leadership training strategy for improving employee engagement throughout the entire agency.

Larry R. Felix was named as the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) on January 11, 2006. As director, Felix is responsible for the overall operations of the BEP in the production of U.S. currency and other government-secured documents.

Director Felix first joined the BEP in 1993, and worked in a variety of managerial positions, as well as chaired the Inter-agency Currency Design (ICD) taskforce, a group responsible for recommending technical enhancements to U.S. currency design. Prior to his appointment as director, Felix served as the BEP’s Deputy Director.

Under Director Felix’s leadership, the BEP completed the design of the next generation of currency series by unveiling the redesigned $100 note on April 21, 2010. Felix is presently leading the effort to design and produce currency for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. Mr. Felix holds degrees from the New York City College of Technology and the City College at the City University of New York. He completed doctoral work in Political Economy at Columbia University.