U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has trained Federal managers and executives to be effective Government leaders. We recognize the need for leadership at all levels, encompassing the many roles that influence, create and implement good governance. We seek to empower Federal leaders by providing career-long training that enlightens and fortifies them on their Leadership Journey.
Agencies should prepare, implement, and continually update Executive Development Plans (EDPs) for all senior executives. EDPs should outline a senior executive's short-term and long-term developmental activities which will enhance the executive's performance. These developmental activities included in an executive's EDP should allow the executive to develop a broader perspective in the agency as well as Government-wide. These activities should meet organizational needs for leadership, managerial improvement, and results. EDPs should be reviewed annually and revised as appropriate by an Executive Resources Board or similar body designated by the agency to oversee executive development.
Here is an EDP template your agency can use.
The Senior Executive Service is committed to developing leaders in the 21st century. One way to become an SES is to participate in a SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP). These programs are designed to create pools of qualified candidates for SES positions. All SESCDPs address the five ECQs that embody the leadership skills needed to succeed in the SES. Many of the leader development activities on this website are also incorporated into SESCDPs.
Please visit the OPM Training and Development Wiki for more information and sample EDP templates
Executive Onboarding
Executive onboarding is acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new leaders into the organizational culture and business. The best onboarding strategies will provide a fast track to meaningful, productive work and strong employee relationships and be tailored specifically to the needs of the individual. Executive onboarding should be strategic, so that it not only prevents executive derailment, but expedites the executive's contribution to optimize strategic achievement.
While the terms onboarding and orientation are sometimes used interchangeably they are notably different. Nevertheless, they are both critical processes in the successful assimilation of new hires. Here are some important distinctions between the two:
Onboarding and Orientation
Onboarding |
Orientation |
Strategic with an impact on bottom-line results |
Operational |
Evolving and progressive |
Traditional |
An ongoing process |
An event |
Used for transferred and promoted employees, as well as new hires |
Is most often limited to new employees |
Delivers information that is unique and customized to the individual employee and is generally handed out on an as-needed basis |
Delivers information that is common to all new hires usually within a classroom setting |
Has a long-term focus, and can last up to a year or more |
Is a short term program, typically lasting from one day to two weeks |
The sooner a new executive experiences the benefits of a comprehensive and well-implemented orientation and onboarding program, the sooner the executive will become a contributing member of that organization.
To assist agencies in creating or modifying their own executive onboarding programs OPM created an Executive Onboarding Framework. The framework designed to provide a consistent model in which to introduce new executives into the SES and to maximize executive effectiveness. It is a flexible framework allowing adjustments that adhere to specific agency rules, policies, procedures and needs.
Agencies can access the framework on OPM's Wiki page on Executive Onboarding.