Wm. Audie Sherrod, Author of Challenge Accepted
The importance of restoring accountability for all senior executives in the U.S. Government is greater today than ever before. One of his first acts upon being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States was for President Trump to issue a memorandum entitled “Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives,” and this should serve as both a wake-up and clarion call-to-action. As a former senior executive, I took the oath of office upon my appointment to the U.S. Senior Executive Service (SES) in 2007 after rising through the ranks of federal service. As stated in my book Challenge Accepted, “receiving my appointment to the ranks of the SES was an even greater honor than I fully understood at the time. At the time of my appointment, the federal government consisted of slightly more than 9 million workers, with roughly 7,000 of those being SES members, comprising only .08% of the total federal workforce.” At the conclusion of the rigorous executive core competencies verification process, I was honored with an appointment to serve in the SES by the U.S. Attorney General. At the time of my appointment, I was already 21 years post my initial swearing in to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Title 5 of the United States Code governs the operations of the Senior Executive Service, but it is the U.S. Constitution which provides the overarching framework required to serve the people of the United States at the direction of the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.
In my assessment, the Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives memorandum, issued by the President on January 20, 2025, should serve as a thunderous call-to-action and acute reminder to all those who swear an oath of service. All those who take the oath of service, do so “freely and without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.” The President is charged by the U.S. Constitution to execute the laws and those who take the oath serve at the pleasure and direction of the President and by proxy, the American people. The words “merit” and “accountability” should not be obscure descriptors in either our writings or our actions. It is profoundly disappointing that the President felt the need and compulsion to remind senior executives that they must “faithfully fulfill their duties to advance the needs, policies, and goals of the United States.” The Presidential memorandum was a troubling and clear shot across the bow for all senior executives and agency heads. He goes on to say, “The President must be able to trust that the Executive Branch will work together in service of the Nation.” The mandate to build a representative government, of the people, by the people, and for the people should be easily embraced and clearly understood by senior leaders, both military and civilian. America and the President must have able- bodied, intellectually astute, and engaged warriors on the frontlines who understand the battle we face and the mission and strategies required to win it. Every battle has an objective, every army must have a clear leader, and no battle is won alone. Seeing the word “restoring” an accountable government in this memorandum highlights that trusted senior leaders may have somehow lost their way and/or forgotten the elements of their oath. The road to restoration begins with demonstrating allegiance, trustworthiness, and competence. Leaders, and especially senior leaders, will do well to remember the phrase: lead, follow, or get out of the way.
On January 15, 2025, just five days before the swearing in of President Donald J. Trump as our 47th President of The United States, the then Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued a memorandum announcing an update of the Senior Executive Service Core Qualifications (ECQ) model. I cannot speculate if these changes will stand in the new administration, but it is clear that as senior executives there is a justifiably lofty qualification standard and a merit-based selection process. SES appointments are positions of great trust and high calling. All who willingly enter should be reminded that they are in the honorable service of the people of the United States while serving at the pleasure and direction of the President. Leaders should be expected to be held to a higher level of accountability. To whom much is given, much is expected. Let’s Restore Accountability and Trust in Career U.S. Senior Executives.
Wm. “Audie” Sherrod is a former U.S. Senior Executive, Author of “Challenge Accepted - What You Do Matters and Who You Are Matters Even More,” CEO at Summit 27, and U.S. Attorney General appointee to the United States Senior Executive Service (SES). www.summittwentyseven.com
Opmerkingen