Leadership Development Program
The application period for the Leadership Program is currently closed. Please consider using the Skillsoft resources at the bottom of the page to support your leadership development and contact the Office of Workforce Performance and Development at [email protected] with any questions.
Program Overview
The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is a 12-month competency–based training program for employees from diverse backgrounds who are interested in broadening their knowledge and developing the skills that are the foundation of effective leadership and supervision. Participants will be given opportunities to obtain training and experiences needed to improve their current performance, enhance their leadership skills, increase knowledge of the Library’s operations and serve in a supervisory role as needed. The program provides focused staff development that specifically supports the goals of the Library’s Strategic Plan. While not a placement program, the LDP supports the agency-wide succession management strategy which ensures that the Library is staffed to meet current and future business needs.
A variety of learning activities have been incorporated into the curriculum, allowing participants to explore leadership issues and develop leadership and supervisory skills. The LDP combines Library orientations, training sessions, practical work experiences, professional mentoring relationships, behavioral assessment instruments, individual development plans, rotational assignments, team projects, executive shadowing and online training courses.
LDP Outcomes
At the completion of the LDP, participants will be expected to:
- Leverage knowledge and skills gained to serve the Library of Congress
- Serve in a supervisory capacity, lead projects and project teams
- Serve on Intra-Agency work groups and support a variety of initiatives across the Library
- Demonstrate knowledge of how their work contributes to achieving the goals of the Library’s Strategic Plan and the various Service Units’ priorities and key initiatives
- Leverage their understanding of the work of each Service Unit in the context of the Library’s mission to help further agency goals
- Cultivate and build professional relationships and networks to achieve positive goal-oriented results
- Increase professional growth and effectiveness through enhanced self-awareness, continuous learning, and receptiveness to feedback.
Leadership Development Program Competency Model
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) serve as the overarching structure for the competency model used for the LDP. LDP Fellows will engage in learning activities that strengthen performance in each of the following areas
- Leading Change involves rapidly, effectively, and appropriately adapting behaviors and work methods to new or changing situations and acting with professionalism and integrity under pressure. It includes the ability to bring about strategic change to meet organizational goals, employing creativity and innovation to do so when needed.
- Leading People involves the ability to lead people effectively and with integrity toward developing and implementing an organizational vision that integrates key goals, priorities and values of the Strategic Plan. It involves team building, conflict resolution, valuing diversity and inclusiveness, and developing self and others.
- Building Coalitions involves the ability to develop networks and to collaborate across boundaries to build strategic relationships that facilitate achievement of goals. It includes the ability to partner with and build consensus with others to obtain information and accomplish goals.
- Results Driven involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations, solve problems, make decisions, anticipate the needs of both internal and external customers, deliver high-quality products and services, and commit to continuous improvement.
- Business Acumen involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. This includes understanding the Library’s financial process, and making use of technology to achieve results.
In addition, LDP Fellows will engage in learning activities that strengthen their performance in the following Library-Specific Competencies:
- Library of Congress Perspective includes basic knowledge of the Library’s operations, (past, current, and projected future), and knowledge of the Service Unit roles, goals, and how they interrelate to meet the Library’s mission. This competency also involves general knowledge of the operations of the Library’s primary customer (U.S. Congress) and an understanding of how the Library interacts with Congressional members and their staff. Finally, it involves an awareness of the LC fundraising policies and procedures.
- Building a High Performance Culture includes understanding the Library’s performance goals and targets, how they cascade into workforce performance management, performance management processes and practices, performance coaching and feedback, and the ability to create an environment that promotes results and focused mission accomplishments.
LDP Structure
The LDP is managed by the Chief Operating Officer/Human Capital Directorate/Workforce Performance and Development (WPD). Participants in the LDP program remain in their current positions and participate in the activities of the program as collateral duties to their position of record throughout the 12-month program.
Participants will attend one week of training and orientations per month that focus on producing the program outcomes described above. To augment the formal instruction, program participants will also complete one 120-day rotational work assignment that will be supervisory in nature. This rotational assignment provides job-based experiences that allow for further development and application of learning from the LDP classroom. Participants will also receive a mentor to support them in their learning and rotational assignments. Program participants will also be assigned to complete a special project as a group. In the context of this project, they may present a variety of reports, written documents, and oral presentations related to work assignments and/or career developmental activities.
During the weeks in which LDP training and orientation sessions are scheduled, participants will work a fixed work schedule (from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). During the supervisory rotation, the rotation supervisor will determine the work schedule in consultation with the Fellow.
Staff interested in learning more about leadership development are highly encouraged to explore and use LOC SkillPort leadership learning resources available at the following links:
Leadership Knowledge Center- The Leadership KnowledgeCenter targets business professionals who have had little or some involvement in leadership roles, work in a leadership capacity, or have several years' leadership experience. Check out the Roadmaps link at the top of the page to find resources best suited to your experience level.
Government Leadership Advantage- The Skillsoft Government Leadership Advantage Home Page is targeted at mid- to upper-level executives, aspiring executives, leaders, and other high potential employees. Each learning track offers a combination of learning assets providing multiple modes of instruction.
