The report, Supervisors in the Federal Government: A Wake Up Call, notes that supervisors must use their motivational skills to rally their colleagues and subordinates in ways that bring results. This finding is all the more relevant in view of the Bush Administration's focus on moving to a results-oriented work force, where the management ranks are thinned and front-line employees assume greater responsibility.

"The successful delivery of goods or services is more often than not predicated on having a skilled strategist at the helm, someone who commands the respect and admiration of employees for his or her ability to lead," said OPM Acting Director Steven R. Cohen. "After all, running a successful operation is as much an art as it is a science, and this report notes that the federal government needs supervisors who have the masterful artistic strokes to bring out the highest possible performance in each employee."

The report notes that supervisors too often are selected for their technical knowledge, with too little consideration given to whether they possess the leadership characteristics needed in today's workplace. It also notes that current supervisors would prefer training that is tailored to their specific competency needs and that they be evaluated less on their technical abilities and more on their leadership skills.

OPM recently published a "Leadership Competency Model" that can help agencies identify specific personal and professional attributes necessary for high performance leaders.

Supervisors in the Federal Government, is based on a study conducted by OPM's Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness. The study includes results of interviews with more than 500 supervisors from over 30 agencies regarding their perspectives on how agencies identify, select, develop and evaluate the performance of first-level supervisors. OPM also surveyed personnel staff and participants attending interagency training for new supervisors.