Larry Wilkerson on Balancing the Power of Human Capital
Larry Wilkerson gave a spirited presentation on leadership and management in the session on "Balancing the Power of Human Capital.” Wilkerson, an Army Colonel who served as Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff at the State Department, focused on the challenges faced by career government professionals under the regimes of political appointees, the trials and tribulations at the State Department.
Wilkerson, who is now Visiting Professor of Government at William & Mary, had this to say about the contributions of government professionals:
- In the history books, you will find that the politicos accomplish really very little. And the accomplishments are made by you, the government bureaucrats, who build teams. In essence, you are keeping the country running while the politicos are doing other things.
The centerpiece of Wilkerson’s argument was that there are two main models for agency leadership styles and for assuming the leadership post (for a principal, i.e. Secretary):
- The Baker model, named for former Secretary of State Jim Baker, in which the principal comes in and pays scant attention to the professionals (in the State example, foreign service officers, civil service officers, etc.), while bringing in a coterie of political appointees. In the Baker model the “building” is ignored, and it runs on autopilot for as long as the political appointee is around.
- The Powell model (also pioneered by former Secretary of State George Shultz): In this model, the Principal has examined the department well in advance of the assumption of duties. He/she decides that they are going to be the CEO of the agency, not only the President’s principal foreign policy advisor.
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