Leading Forward: Successful Public Leadership Amidst Complexity, Chaos and Change (with Professional Content)

PRAISE FOR LEADING FORWARD "I am the proud son of a public servant. My dad spent his entire career in Federal service. He started out as a file clerk and retired as a Deputy Assistant Secretary. He taught me more about the real life of a leader than anyone. I know that he’d be a huge fan of Leading Forward just as I am. That’s because Tim Flanagan and John Lybarger have captured the essence of what government leaders struggle with every day and the skills required to master the ambiguities of their roles. Leading Forward is unique in its focus, full of compelling examples that make it an ­engaging read, and rich with practical suggestions that enable the reader to take action ­immediately. And the assessment and personal development plan at the end of the book is a valuable bonus that’s worth the price alone. This is a must–read for all those who want to continue to make extraordinary things happen in public service. Enjoy." — JIM KOUZES, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge, and the Dean’s ­Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University There is a wealth of advice available for corporate leaders, but little in the way of leadership guidance for those in government agencies. Leading Forward fills that gap by ­providing a development framework and assessment tool based on four critical dimensions of ­effective leadership that leaders must develop in order to succeed now and in the future. The book offers unique and uncommon leadership guidance for those in the public sector with vivid examples, exercises, techniques, and case studies, as well as interviews with past and current leaders. It is Ideal for government agency executives and students in leadership and professional development programs.

Prologue vii ONE Introduction 1 TWO Agile Learning Capability 11 THREE Adept with Ambiguity 39 FOUR Adroit at Thinking Strategically 73 FIVE Ambitious Drive to Execute 107 SIX Public Service Leadership Assessment and Personal Development Plan 143 Epilogue and Acknowledgments 197 Appendix A: Four Themes and Five Independent Factors 199 Appendix B: Suggested Reading 219 References 227 About the Authors 229 Index 231

Tim A. Flanagan is owner and lead consultant at Custom Leadership Solutions. He is a program leader and instructor with the U.S. Office of Personnel Managements Western Management Development Center and a visiting instructor at the Crummer Business School, Rollins College. Tim is the coauthor of the acclaimed Conflict Competent book series, including the second edition of Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader (2013). John S. Lybarger is a nationally known organizational development consultant and executive coach with Lybarger & Associates, Inc. He serves public and private sector clients as a consultant, program director, curriculum designer, facilitator, and executive coach.