Preparing executives for the new millennium.(government executives)

It is the time to look forward to make sure that our senior executives have the leadership skills needed to meet the challenges of the future.

During Public Service Recognition Week in May, Vice President Gore addressed members of the Executive Service (SES) at Constitution Hall in Washington. He told the audience, "We in Government must take the lead, we must introduce a new order of things, to keep pace with the accelerating demands and expectations of the people we serve." We have to get ready - we have to be prepared - to take the government into a new century in which demands and challenges will be very different from what they were in the past, or even are today. Our ability to do this will depend on the leadership skills and values of our senior executives.

In the Spring issue of this journal, I described improvement initiatives the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed to prepare the government to meet its human resources needs in the next millennium. These initiatives balance agency needs for maximum flexibility to manage their workforces with the importance of preserving governmentwide public service values that are the foundation of merit-based systems. Central to these initiatives are proposals to strengthen the senior executive corps so that we have the strong leadership required to transform government. The vice president has said that our senior executives are the key critical element in this transformation process.

Why, and Why Now?

Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the SES. It is an opportune time, as an integral…