Applying for Jobs!!

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership in Civil Rights
Allen Masuda, FHWA Associate Administrator for
Civil Rights Southern Transportation Civil Rights
Executive Council Training Symposium Birmingham,
Alabama August 18, 2009
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
Visionary vs. Visionary Leader
Visionary One who articulates a vision of the
future. Visionary leader One who articulates a
vision of the future and takes actions to bring
about a transformation and the vision to reality.
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
Essential Qualities of a Visionary Leader

• Leadership abilities
• Strong sense of integrity
• Fully commitment
• Ability to create and articulate a clear vision

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Establishes achievable goals
• Initiates action
• Recruits others
• Holds others accountable

All work towards a higher purpose
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Is committed to a set of core valuesstanding for
  somethinglive his/her values
• Exercises ethical/moral standards
• Employs innovative strategies
• Empowers others

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Has imagination
• Is insightful
• Is bold
• Brings out the best in people

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Sees the big picture as well as the small details
• Creates a common sense of purpose
• Has a greater sense of purpose than self

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Serves for the good of the whole
• Avoids adversarial tactics in addressing
  issuesgood relationships
• Is an innovative change agent anticipates,
  proactive, focuses on opportunities and not
  problemswin-win outcomes

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Has a positive view of the future
• Has a clear sense of direction of how to get
  there
• Repeats the vision to bring it to life
• Creates a sense of shared vision
• Inspires people to do better
• Moves them to a higher level...thinking and
  action

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Cares about peoplegreatest asset
• Understands spiritual needs of his/her followers
• Gets them involved in developing action
  strategies
• Gives them hope in achieving the vision
• Creates a learning and team environment

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• Is a good listener and learner
• Thinks strategically
• Crafts strategies that go beyond conventional
  thinkingout-of-the-box
• Systematic
• All encompassing

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader

• When we work with a visionary leader, we
  strengthen our leadership abilities.
• Each of us can be a more effective and visionary
  leader
• Take the initiative
• Accept challengesaccept criticism

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Visionary Leadership
A Visionary Leader
Comments Questions?
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Enhancing Your Transportation Career
Taking Control and Managing Your Career
Allen Masuda, FHWA Associate Administrator for
Civil Rights Southern Transportation Civil Rights
Executive Council Training Symposium Birmingham,
Alabama August 20, 2009
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Develop a Plan with Multiple Career Paths

• Establish Career GoalsShort, medium, and
  long-term
• 5, 10, 20 years? At retirement?
• Position?
• Grade?
• Location?

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Develop a Plan with Multiple Career Paths

• Why am I working?
• What difference do I want to make?
• What do I want to accomplish?
• When and how should I cross to another career
  track?

Write it down.
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself

• Establish a Career Advancement Team
• Supervisors first, second, and third-level
• Mentors select those who have had successful
  careers.
• Peers
• Share Your Career Plans IDP
• Others control resources, give you
• advice, or will be your advocates.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself
Training and Experience
Training/Education

• Classroom Learning
• Distance Learning
• Webinars, web based, video
• On-the-Job Training

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself
Training/Education

• Keep up with technology
• Efficiency and better communications
• Technical, leadership, supervisory,
• or managerial
• What to take and when?

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climb the Career Ladder Getting There
Experience

• Switch collateral duties frequently Learn
  different subjects and get different experiences
• Special/rotational assignments
• Other modal administrations and agencies.
• Team Assignments
• Lead or be a member

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climb the Career Ladder Getting There
Experience

• Process/program/quality reviews
• Office ad hoc teams/committees
• Lateral re-assignments

Cultivate a professional network
Continuously expandIts who you know.
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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climb the Career Ladder Getting There
Experience

• Volunteer Work
• Offers experience opportunities
• Organizational, management, supervisory, and
  communications and leadership skills
• Shows initiative
• Develops people skills

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climb the Career Ladder Getting There
Experience

• Volunteer Work continued
• Church committees, Scouts, H.S. Band Booster
  fund raising, coaching, tutoring

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself

• Establish High Ethical Standards
• Avoid getting something for personal gain
• Learn the Business-knowledge and skills
• Technical
• Legal
• Supervisory
• Management

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself

• Develop your communications skills
• Learn from others verbal and written styles
• Write and distribute special reports
• Good practices, troublesome and emerging issues,
  new technologies
• Volunteer to speak/moderate at meetings and
  conferences
• Develop your presentation skills.
• Share information
• Volunteer to teach

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself

• Develop a positive and professional
  . attitude
• Dress to make your Mamma Proud
• Exhibit enthusiasm
• Develop good people skills
• Be tactful and respectful
• Be visiblebe therebe a player

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder Preparing
Yourself

• Always do your homework Be prepared for
  presentations and meetings
• Have an agendahave a message?
• Be willing to contributeBe helpful Add value
• Make getting to Yes your goal
• Win-Win.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climb the Career Ladder Preparing Yourself

• Know your oversight responsibilities
• Always keep arms length from consultants/contract
  ors/recipients
• You are not their friend
• Assure compliance
• Always - Make your agency look good and strive
  to make it better

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climb the Career Ladder Preparing Yourself

• Learning the highway business takes time
• Getting experiencetakes time
• Getting seasonedtakes even longer
• Have realistic career expectations
• Work at the Next Level
• Work beyond your PD responsibility level
• Have Fun !!!

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder
Through Mobility

• Career Mobility Getting assignments in a
  number of positions and getting a variety of
  experiences for career enrichment and advancement
  (CEA)
• Geographic Mobility You pack up the household
  and move the family for CEA.
• Geographic ImMobility You stay in one location
  and are not able or willing to pack up and move
  the family for CEA.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder
Through Mobility

• Career Mobility Advantage
• You gain a variety of experiences
• Geographic Mobility Advantage
• More opportunities for changing career positions
  and competing for promotions
• Work with different people and cultures
  Different MPOs, LPAdifferent geography
  different perspectiveexpands network
• Facilitates career mobility

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder
Through Mobility

• Geographic ImMobility
• Advantage - Avoids difficulties and stress of
  moving the household and family
• Disadvantage Limited opportunities to change
  career positions or duties and compete for
  laterals or promotions.
• Limits career mobility

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder
Through Mobility

• Many leadership and management positions require
  a wide array of experiences (3-5 year
  assignments).
• Those who diversify their experiences have a huge
  competitive advantage over others.
• Selecting officials are looking for future
  leaders and building the best team for themselves
  to be successful.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Climbing the Career Ladder
Through Mobility
Geographic ImMobility - Career Diversity

• View your career in the long term.
• Be career mobile in your office.
• Dont wait for a vacancy.
• Start today to prepare yourself to be
  competitive for those limited opportunities that
  come upin 3 years, 10years, 15 yearsor as
  surprises!
• Be DeliberateBe Patient.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
When Preparation Meets OpportunityPreparing A
Resume

• You are now ready to compete for the next
  position promotion.

• Your position description is not your resume.
• Complete your resume and tailor it to the duties
  of the new position.
• Use the Word I freely. Now is the most
  important time to brag about your achievements
  and it is acceptable.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
When Preparation Meets OpportunityPreparing A
Resume

• Briefly describe what you did in each position
• Highlight your personal accomplishments. Through
  examples
• Illustrate your versatility and how you are
  different from your competitors.
• Include relevant non-work related experiences
  and hobbies.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
When Preparation Meets OpportunityPreparing A
Resume

• Use good grammar and correct spellingbe concise
  and neat. This is an example of your written
  communications skills.
• Be complete so a total stranger or a panel of
  strangers clearly understand your
  accomplishments, skills, and abilities.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
When Preparation Meets OpportunityPreparing A
Resume

• You will be judged on the contents and
  presentation even if people know you.
• Have members of your Career Development Team
  critique your resume.
• Good qualifications and a good resume will get
  you to the second step The Interview.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
When Preparation Meets OpportunityThe Interview

• You are competitive If you get to an interview,
  you have been short listed
• How you respond to interview questions, is a
  reflection of your verbal communications
  abilities.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
When Preparation Meets OpportunityThe
Interview

• Prepare and anticipate how you will answer
  questions.
• Get pointers from your career advancement team
  members.
• Relax and be natural.
• Dress professionally.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration
Enhancing Your Transportation Career
Taking Control and Managing Your Career
Questions?