FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
KLMNO
S THE FEDERAL WORKER On Leadership:The Federal Coach
6Excerpts from
views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/ fedcoach
The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and The Washington Post’s On Leadership site jointly produce the Federal Coach, hosted by Tom Fox, director of the partnership’s Center for Government Leadership. The goal is to “engage, inspire and learn from you, the federal worker, whether you are a new hire, a contractor or a manager at the highest level.” Share your ideas and questions at fedcoach@
ourpublicservice.org.
GERALD MARTINEAU/THE WASHINGTON POST Federal, D.C. and construction officials congratulated each other last year at the groundbreaking for Homeland Security headquarters. Reducing government’s carbon footprint
Agencies develop strategies on how to achieve goals
by Lisa Rein
The Pentagon says it will de- sign energy-efficient weapons systems — and the Navy will build a carrier strike group of nu- clear ships powered by biofuel. The Army Corps of Engineers
is putting in solar panels on nine dams in California. The Department of Homeland
Security will put in rain gardens and other green landscaping around its headquarters under construction on the grounds of the former St. Elizabeths Hospi- tal.
These are some of the strat-
egies that 56 government agen- cies will use to reduce the federal carbon footprint in the next dec- ade to reach President Obama’s goal of a 28 percent emissions re- duction. As Congress wrangles over a new energy policy for the country, the White House is qui- etly implementing its strategy for the government, which started last fall with an executive order from the president. The plans, released by the White House on Thursday, target the nation’s single-largest energy consumer. The federal govern- ment, with 500,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles, had a $24 billion bill last year for utili- ties and fuel — 1.5 percent of the country’s total energy spending. “These actions [by agencies]
will have an economic return for the American taxpayer,” said Mi- chelle Moore, the federal envi- ronmental executive, who is
helping lead the greening of gov- ernment for the White House Council on Environmental Qual- ity. Many of the ideas come from federal employees, who generat- ed more than 5,000 ideas in a challenge from the White House. “Ultimately, there will be effi- ciencies and cost savings,” Moore said. “Our buildings, for example, will consume less power and pay a smaller utility bill.” The 28 percent reduction will be compared with 2008 emis- sions levels. The greening of government will include agencies as diverse as the U.S. Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Development and the National Archives and Re- cords Administration. Their en- ergy-saving ideas include install- ing solar panels, recycling, using less water, telework, reducing fleets of government cars and trucks or committing to use car- bon-free, alternative fuel in those vehicles. The State Department will
eliminate hundreds of printers and scanners and expand video- conferencing technology. The Peace Corps is reducing waste with an exchange for unused of- fice supplies. The National En- dowment for the Arts is reducing
A sampling of some green initiatives
Education Department is developing an environmental management system for its Washington area locations that will commit the agency to aggressive goals in regional and local planning, water use and eliminating waste. National Archives plans to install solar panels on the roof of its 16 main offices. Department of Homeland Security is committing to using the Sustainable Sites Initiative for environmentally beneficial landscaping at its St. Elizabeths headquarters, which is under construction. Justice Department has awarded 17 Energy Service Performance Contracts that will help the department meet its greenhouse gas, energy and water goals. Transportation Department has established an awards program to highlight intra-agency best practices in waste prevention, recycling and green procurement that complements its Green Procurement Plan. State Department is reducing personal IT equipment such as printers and scanners, acquiring fuel-economy vehicles and expanding its use of video conferencing technologies. Environmental Protection Agency has completed a nationwide survey of its facilities to identify the best opportunities for onsite renewable energy generation. EPA has a strategy in place to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets that incorporates building operations and fleet management. National Capital Planning Commission has more than 90 percent of its employees using public transit to commute to work, and the agency intends to encourage walking and biking. It also utilizes the Zipcar car-share program in place of agency-owned vehicles. Peace Corps has developed an agency Green Team that is creating an exchange for unused office supplies. The agency also has reduced its paper consumption by 25 percent by using both sides of all office paper.
Online federal benefits calculators
Federal retirement: www.
opm.gov/retire/tools/ calculators/ballpark/
menu.asp This calculator projects retire- ment benefits under federal re- tirement systems. It also has links for calculating how much of an annuity will be tax-free and how much tax to have withheld.
Social Security: www.ssa. gov/planners/
calculators.htm This site features a Social Securi- ty benefit estimator for those who will be eligible under that system, which includes most current federal employees. It also has links to other calcula- tors.
Thrift Savings Plan: www.
tsp.gov/calc This site has calcu- lators allowing participants in the 401(k)-style retirement sav- ings program to project future account balances; based on dif- fering investment levels and rates of return; to determine loan payments if they borrow against their accounts; and to see how an account balance would translate into income af- ter separation, among various other functions.
Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance:
www.opm.gov/calculator/ worksheet.asp This site calcu-
lates premium and benefit amounts under various options, as well as potential changes after retirement.
Other benefits: www.opm. gov/insure This site has links to calculate premiums under the options available in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Pro- gram (click on “Long Term Care,” then “Program Information,” then “Cost Information”) and to determine the potential tax sav- ings of flexible spending ac- counts. It also has links to com- pare premiums and other fea- tures of plans in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Pro- gram and the Federal Dental and Vision Insurance Program.
Note: Eligible employees can enroll or
Life, liberty and the pursuit of WiFi
Visitors to the Mall can power up their computers for the first time, now that outdoor “hotspots” cover the area from Third Street on the east side to 14th Street on the west. The Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art also are con- nected. The announcement Wednesday by
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is part of the city’s initiative to expand free wireless access throughout the District. Network hardware for the mall project was donated by Cisco, and Internet service by Level 3. “The Internet is now integral to
ANDREA BRUCE/THE WASHINGTON POST Next time you head down to the Mall, don’t forget your laptop.
our everyday lives, and this free re- source will provide USDA employees, guests and the visiting public an- other means of staying connected,” Vilsack said in a statement. WiFi is available around the clock.
energy use in its data center. Many of the strategies will not bust budgets; other will cost hun- dreds of millions of dollars, most- ly from grants from the economic stimulus. The Department of Vet- erans Affairs, for example, will use some of its $144 million stash to install wind and solar energy facilities in its medical centers scattered across the country. The General Services Administration, the government’s landlord, is spending $5.5 billion to make its buildings energy efficient. President George W. Bush is-
sued several executive orders to reduce energy use in government buildings and require responsi- ble disposal of computers and other hard-to-recycle items, among other initiatives. But Oba- ma officials and environmental groups say the president has gone further by setting goals and requiring agencies to meet them. “It’s not the entire economy, but bringing the federal govern- ment into better harmony with nature is a huge step,” said Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, a nonprofit environmen- tal watchdog. “People can raise Cain if they don’t do it.” Agencies will be monitored for progress by the Office of Manage- ment and Budget, which will re- lease an annual scorecard start- ing next year. A greenhouse gas inventory will publish the targets and who is meeting them, Moore said. The environmental council is
finalizing its instruction manual for how to measure emissions re- ductions. Agencies that don’t meet their goals will not face penalties, but Web sites will dis- close low performers to the pub- lic.
reinl@washpost.com
make changes in the TSP or FLTCIP programs anytime, but other programs have restrictions on enrollment and changing coverage. — Eric Yoder
Excerpts of comments and questions to the Federal Coach follow. To start, I wanted to share a personal example from a “young gun” whose supervisor maximizes learning opportunities: “My senior manager frequently takes a few minutes to sit with me and discuss my drafts of deliverables that aren’t quite right. He tries to help me understand how he would do it, or gives me the name of a contact who could offer another point of view. After these meetings, he often walks away with new ideas for his own work, because we’ve been talking through general concepts. And I get to hear first-hand the thought processes of an industry veteran and learn how to improve my work. “The end result is that the
final deliverable is more polished, new ideas have been born, and I’ve learned something. He wins. I win. I don’t want coddling, and I don’t want to be told that I did a wonderful job when I actually missed the mark — I don’t gain anything from that.” —Federal Coach reader
Next, are some questions from
federal managers at the Small Business Administration and U.S. Food and Drug Administration: “My manager is very indecisive, and it makes me look indecisive by extension. How can I work around him to get my work done without causing problems?” —Federal Manager (GS-14) at the Small Business Administration
Managing up is difficult, but managing around is dangerous. Your manager may be indecisive, or you may have not
The Federal Page
yet found the best way to support his decision-making. I suggest a direct conversation with your manager about the problem to develop shared solutions for moving forward. As a starting point, inform him about the delays in your team’s operations as a result of the delays in his decision-making. Next, open the door to a discussion about effective decision-making. Does he need more information? Would he like a decision memo? Or, would a face-to-face briefing help him process information more effectively? Finally, provide regular, upward feedback so he knows that his behaviors are having a positive or negative impact on the team. Good luck!
“As a leader, how do you keep yourself motivated — particularly when you’ve been in a similar job for a long time?” —Federal manager (GS-15) at the FDA
In a perfect world, the
opportunity to lead — and make a difference in our government —should be all the motivation that federal managers need. But given the daily pressures that you face — agency goals, demands from senior leaders and direct reports,
congressional inquiries — it’s easy to become fatigued, and your motivation can suffer as a result. Unfortunately, there’s no magic to maintaining your motivation, but here are a few things to try: First, find some confidants — peers, friends or family members — whom you can talk to about the difficulties that you’re experiencing. Second, recharge by using
your vacation time — don’t wait until the end of the year when you’re facing “use or lose.” Third, view your role, in part, as a teacher and enjoy the process of helping others learn. Looking at your agency from your team’s perspective can be exceptionally invigorating.
Visit On Leadership at views.
washingtonpost.com/leadership/ fedcoach. Mondays: “Getting Ahead” — advice on leading up. Wednesdays: “View From the Top Floor.”
B3
FEDERAL DIARY Joe Davidson
Joe Davidson is away. The Fed-
eral Diary will resume when he returns.
CLAUDIA DAUT/REUTERS Cuban leader Fidel Castro, seen in healthier days.
Cuba libre? There are indications that the Castro regime is softening up, Al Kamen notes. In the Loop, A24.
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