Practical Guide for Aspiring Executives

The National Managers’ Community (NMC) has worked jointly with the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX) on the creation of this guide which is specifically dedicated to aspiring directors. We recognize that you, the leaders of the future, need a tool that can aide you in your reflections about becoming an executive. This change is certainly not without its challenges and the thought of joining the executive ranks can seem intimidating and overwhelming. However, rest assured that being an executive offers many enriching and fulfilling opportunities and experiences.

One of the ways to work towards achieving your career goals is to follow the National Managers’ Community. At the time of writing this document, I have had the privilege of being the Deputy Minister Champion for the NMC for two years. I personally feel strongly about the important role that managers play in the public service, so it gives me deep satisfaction to present you with this information that bridges the work of the NMC with that of APEX.

In existence for more than 20 years, the NMC is a horizontal, national network of thousands of federal public service managers, supervisors and aspiring managers, spanning all departments and agencies, and all provinces, territories and the National Capital Region (NCR). The NMC represents, supports, and promotes the needs, interests and aspirations of all federal public service managers in their role of achieving public service objectives.

The NMC offers managers a variety of opportunities, such as

acquiring transferable skills which help with your career development;
helping you stay up to date on Government priorities;
making your voices heard by senior leaders;
connecting you with your peers in other departments;
and alleviating isolation!

In late 2022, we started hosting in person regional learning days for managers and aspiring managers in cities across the country again. I participated in the Quebec learning day in Montreal and had a first-hand view of the benefit for managers to connect with one another, to exchange best practices and to spend time learning together.

For example, this guide itself came out of the NMC and APEX focusing on synergies between executives and managers. We each brought forward questions and discussion topics from our members, and realized a series of joint sessions that enabled this tool. The NMC is pleased to have worked so closely with APEX to be able to support you with this guide to assist in making your decisions. You will also find complementary resources on both our websites, including a recording from the NMC’s 2022 Virtual Symposium, entitled: Career Management: Being successful at becoming an executive (https://articles.alpha.canada.ca/national-managers-community/2022-symposium-program/#becoming-an-executive).

Because in-person conversations and learning are so important for managers to gain and practice the soft skills that they regularly tell us they need more of, the NMC will continue our long history of supporting in-person opportunities across Canada. We know that managers benefit from spending time with one another and exchanging best practices.

So, as you grow your career and look towards the future of the public service, I invite you to follow the NMC on social media and GCTools, or sign up to receive our newsletter to stay in the know about what is going on in your region and nationally. (https://articles.alpha.canada.ca/national-managers-community/contact-us/)

Thank you all for your ongoing dedication as managers, especially through particularly challenging times such as during the Covid Pandemic. Thank you for supporting your teams when they need you the most and for responding to their changing needs. You continue to go above and beyond in order to implement the government’s agenda, and help keep essential government programs and services going.

It’s also important not to lose sight of yourself amongst all the other priorities. One way you can do that is by thinking about your career, your aspirations, what challenges and motivates you. Take time to consult this guide, so you can question and challenge yourself. Consider mentoring, coaching, and networking to help you reflect on what is next for you. Then, if you feel ready to take on the challenges associated with an executive position, use the tools available to you to assist you in your job search and transition.

Thank you again to APEX for partnering with us to develop this product.

Good luck to all with your chosen career path!

Arun Thangaraj
Deputy Minister Champion, National Managers’ Community & Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Acknowledgments

This practical guide is the result of a partnership between the National Managers’ Community (NMC) and the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX).

While the content is largely based on the APEX Practical Guide for New Executives, it has been adapted to suit the broader needs of the middle management community, with a special focus on leadership assessment and readiness for an executive role, as well as tangible tips and advice on how to prepare for competitions at the EX level.

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the Public Service Commission’s Personnel Psychology Centre and the Canada School of Public Service to the content of this guide.

Heart shape ornament with the word gratitude in it hanging on a tree with fall colored leaves.

We also want to thank all the managers who took the time to contribute ideas and validate various sections of this guide.

Lastly, thank you to Bailey Murdoch for her contributions and advice throughout the guide in her capacity as an Integral Master Coach™.

Foreword by the APEX CEO

Light skin man smiling in a suit and tie

I am very proud to be partnering with the National Managers’ Community on various learning and development events and initiatives for managers and aspiring directors. You are our next generation of executives, ready to embrace a dynamic future; and we are ready at APEX to support you in your leadership journey and ensure you have all the tools necessary to develop your careers fully.

It is so rewarding and gratifying to be an executive in the public service, as you are granted a unique opportunity to influence change, contribute bold ideas, challenge the status quo, and encourage a paradigm shift in how we manage and care for ourselves and our teams, and build psychologically safe environments where work life integration and flexibility are paramount. We need you to help shape the desired culture you want to experience in the workplace and deliver concrete results for Canadians. You will encounter moments of self-doubt and discouragement, especially when faced with adversity, old structures and systems, or pockets of resistance, but there are plenty of resources available to help you focus on who you are as a leader, and for you to thrive. You are not alone, and you matter!

As you are contemplating the idea of joining the executive ranks, I encourage you to broaden your leadership skills in your current role, build a strong network of colleagues and mentors inside and outside the public service and take advantage of all the tools and resources presented in this guide.

The public service needs transformational leaders, connectors, relationship builders, innovators, caring and charismatic leaders. Do you have what it takes? Of course, you do! Take advantage of amazing support systems and various networks to broaden and develop your leadership potential and embrace the power of an opportunity!

Carl Trottier
APEX Chief Executive Officer

Making the Leap to the Executive Ranks – Reflections

Finding Your Purpose

You are considering making the leap to the executive ranks but are hesitant, doubtful, fearful, and not sure if this is for you… You are wondering what it takes to be a successful executive and if you are ready… Take the time to write out your answers to the following questions to crystallize and fully articulate your purpose:

A picture containing text: What's your WHY?

Reflect on your career and leadership journey to date. This will help you assess your own readiness for a leadership role – are you thriving in your current role, keen to have a more influential role or some additional corporate responsibilities?
What kind of environment do you thrive in?
How do you learn best?
What type of supervisor or manager do you prefer to have?
How equipped are you when it comes to managing people virtually and in an hybrid environment?
How are you managing your stress and your workload?
Find your “why”, i.e. your main motivation to become an executive, and clearly articulate it. What are the principles and values that guide you? What are you passionate about? What energizes and motivates you?
What environment are you creating as a leader, and are you equipped to create thriving and psychologically safe workplaces?
Do you have a good network and support system with access to coaches, guides and mentors who can boost your energy, help you address areas that need development and assess your level of readiness?

Talk to several executives at various levels and roles in different departments to challenge assumptions, biases, perceptions, and beliefs. Determine what your expertise and talents are as a leader; this will help you assess the right fit for your first executive role.

Make an informed decision by consulting the Treasury Board’s Secretariat Policy on the Management of Executives and the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment of Executives If you are not part of the core public service administration, consult your Human Resources Branch for applicable policies, guidelines, and terms and conditions.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Where are you on your leadership journey?
Have you tried job shadowing? Sometimes, experiential learning is a good opportunity to learn about a concrete operating environment.
Do you meet the bilingual profile of executive positions? What steps, formal and informal, are you taking to ensure readiness on this front and maintain your language levels? Being ahead of the game with respect to managing your career can go a long way towards smoothing the transition into an executive role.
Your character and personal development will influence this next phase of your career and life. Work with a coach to address areas that need more attention and additional development.

Image of a list of Mentoring task: advice, support, motivation, training.

Do your current supervisors/managers, mentors, teachers and confidants believe you are ready or well suited for leadership? Ask them this tough question and be prepared for honest answers.
If you are close to becoming an executive, look into which training courses are mandatory for executives and try to do some in advance.
Consult the latest APEX Executive Work and Health Study Results for a reality check.

Did you Know? The Institute on Governance offers training opportunities for aspiring executives.

Assess Your Level of Self-Awareness and Leadership Potential

As you are contemplating the idea of joining the executive ranks, it is important to remember that your leadership style and approaches have a direct effect on the environment you create around you, not only within your team, but with your colleagues and supervisors. Never underestimate the impact you have on people. As you may have experienced yourself, when welcoming a new leader, the spirit within a team can change in a matter of weeks.

As a leader, you have enough influence to completely ruin someone’s weekend or their entire experience on a team. You also have the power to transform a workplace into an environment where people feel safe, grateful & motivated.

Our mindsets are determined by the types of questions we ask, how open-minded, curious, and creative we are in our interactions with others and in our attempts to solve problems, manage conflicts or change the status quo. In your interactions with colleagues, peers, and clients, are you encouraging innovation, possibilities and breakthroughs, or are you more focused on problems and workplace irritants, rather than solutions and creative ideas? Negative thoughts and behaviours can lead to defensive reactions, an overall negative atmosphere, conflicts, and inertia.

A picture containing blocs with various behaviours faces separated on two sides; angry, sad, tired, and pleased, cheerful, happy.

Start your self-reflection by answering questions like these with humility, courage and authenticity. Then ask someone you respect to review your answers and give you honest feedback.

Your gut reactions to people: Do you trust people, and do you think they trust you? How well do you collaborate and work effectively with others, especially those who have different views, perspectives, or communication styles? What are your triggers? What makes you feel good or bad about a particular person or situation?

Your treatment of other people: What tone and body language are you using in your communications and interactions with others? Would you treat a client or a supervisor the same way as you would treat a member of your staff or a colleague? How aware are you of the impact you have on people? Are you actively listening to others or are you constantly interrupting others to get your point across? When something goes wrong or conflict arises, how do you respond?

How people feel in your presence: Have you ever wondered how you are being perceived by others? Do you sometimes wonder why you receive criticism or why people get defensive in your presence? Try to determine your strengths and your areas that still need development when it comes to working effectively with others and displaying positive and respectful behaviours. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback.

Know your derailers, triggers and stressors and seek opportunities for self-improvement: How do you react under stress, when conditions are not ideal according to your preferences, your values, how you like the work to be conducted? What’s your reaction to strong personalities, people with drive and initiative? How do you react when confronted with assumptions, judgement, bias?

Assess yourself against effective and ineffective behaviours for each of the leadership competencies. Eliminate ineffective behaviours for yourself or for your team.

Tools to get to know yourself better: Look for available resources and learning opportunities in your own organization to reflect on and develop your self-awareness and assess your level of empathy and emotional intelligence. Ask for opportunities to connect with a coach or a mentor. Create safe spaces for frank and honest discussions and ask for honest feedback on how you can continue to develop and adapt your leadership styles to various people, situations, operating context, etc.

Text Empower Yourself with an Image of a chart with an ascending arrow.

Ask your team how you can improve with a view to helping them meet their needs and career aspirations.

Other options could be embedded in strategic performance and talent management discussions with your manager, and could include a leadership or environmental assessment, a formal 360 feedback exercise or professional counselling services offered by the Personnel Psychology Centre at the Public Service Commission or specialized HR firms.

Assess Your Readiness for Hosting Conversations on Diversity, Inclusion, Harassment Prevention, Respect and Bilingualism in the Workplace

Through self-reflection, determine what you need to do to embrace these topics in your day-to-day work. Challenge your beliefs and biases, broaden your perspectives, have additional conversations with various networks and communities so that, in turn, you can be a true ally when it comes to changing mindsets, behaviours and implementing people-centric management practices.
Acknowledge that it will be uncomfortable and difficult at times to host courageous and meaningful discussions and take concrete action. Assess your comfort level when it comes to dealing with sensitive topics and allow yourself to show some vulnerability and a desire to learn.
Avoid simply paying lip service to the fact that these issues are top priorities.
Develop your agility and resilience when it comes to addressing barriers in the workplace, micro-aggressions or need for workplace accommodations.
Do not tolerate micro-aggressions, lack of respect or incivility and be a role model for your team.
Watch for signs of toxicity or abrasive behaviours in your team and try to understand the root causes. Emotional distress can be an early sign of burnout. Be curious, resourceful, and considerate. Be a supportive, inclusive, and caring leader.
Consult your peers – colleagues are a great resource as you navigate these important issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out and discuss how to approach these conversations.
Sign up for the CSPS online self-paced course that presents strategies for becoming an advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace: https://catalogue.csps-efpc.gc.ca/product?catalog=inc121&cm_locale=en

Did You Know? While different genders browse jobs similarly, they apply to them in different ways. For example, research shows that in order to apply for a job, women feel they need to meet 100% of the criteria, while men usually apply on meeting about 60%. LinkedIn behavioral data backs this up — women tend to screen themselves out of the conversation and end up applying to 20% fewer jobs than men.

A decisive step toward hiring more women in leadership positions and creating a gender-balanced workforce is understanding these differences and optimizing the recruiting process to be more inclusive.

For more information, see Equity, diversity and inclusion learning path for executives – CSPS (csps-efpc.gc.ca): https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/diversity-inclusion-eng.aspx.

APEX “Making the leap to the executive rank” virtual series

The Association of Professional Executives (APEX) provides opportunities for learning and dialogue on the current issues facing public service executives whether they are new to the role or experienced executives. APEX organizes facilitated discussion with experienced public service leaders.

Their executive level panelists shares observations and opinions on the role of the executive and share tips and advice to becoming an executive. These facilitated discussions also offer candid insights and inspirations to aspiring and current executives to prepare for the change in role and having a growth mindset.

Recording links

Manager vs. Leader at the Executive Level

So really, how different is the work at the executive level? How are the days different? What are your new responsibilities? What details should you no longer concern yourself with, and which details do you REALLY need to focus on?

The main difference between a working level manager and a leader at the executive level lies in the need to demonstrate effective key leadership competencies and behaviours at all levels of the organization.

When you join the executive cadre, it’s about casting a vision and strategy, the power of relationships, empowering and growing your team, delivering concrete results as per your mandate, exercising influence with respect and integrity, helping shape the future of work, challenging the status quo, driving change and innovation, experimenting, and taking risks. Do you have what it takes to be a people-centric leader?

Two images of notepad. A blue one that is written Leader vs a black one that is written manager

How Will Your Days Be Different at the Executive Level?

Every day, your focus should be about strategically managing your time, energy and workload, taking care of yourself, empowering your team, and making sure they have everything they need to succeed and thrive, and deliver expected results. It should be about making their lives easier, listening to them, and making sure they are your priority.

Now, time for a little introspection! What is your current management style? Are you perceived as a micro-manager? Do you care about people, managing conflicts, fixing problems?

Micro-managing means being overly prescriptive on tasks and follow-ups with your team members.

Are you managing to the extent of taking learning opportunities away from your employees and impacting their motivation?
Do you believe you are better than your employees?
Do you trust them to do the job they have been hired to do?
Do you want to know all the details of every project?
Are you checking the availability status of your employees online, wanting to know constantly where they are and what they do?
Do you want to be involved in or copied on every email?
Do you host regular meetings to check status, request multiple updates, and ask for various reports and trackers?

Image of a hand holding a magnifier that focuses on the actions of an employee.

If you believe you might be micro-managing to some degree, now is the time to start challenging your beliefs, biases, and assumptions and look for opportunities for your management style to evolve, as you will likely not survive as an executive or create the right conditions for your team to thrive, be their authentic selves at work and truly tell you how they feel.

Building a culture of care, trust, empathy, and empowerment is at the heart of what leaders at the executive level should be striving for. Your role as a people leader is to develop your team, help them build thriving careers, and train them to be your successors one day. You must give people the space in which to grow and value their unique contributions. Your ability to lead diverse and inclusive teams should result in growth, creativity, and innovation.

Please note that becoming an executive encompasses many different aspects and only some can be covered here. This Guide provides tips and tricks on the process of becoming an executive but does not provide advice on how to build the strategic capacity to function as an executive. For assistance with building strategic capacity, please consult the services offered by the Personnel Psychology Centre of the Public Service listed under “Did you Know?” in the Guide.

Effective Time and Workload Management Strategies

To thrive as an executive, you will no longer need to be involved in all the details and all the meetings. You will need to strategically manage your time, energy, and workload. Your main challenge will be to empower and guide your team, grow them, coach them and care for them.

One of the biggest challenges faced by new leaders is to balance the day-to-day, the pressures of senior management and key stakeholders, while being present for their team. To prove themselves, new leaders will take on more than they can handle and assume that if they work harder and longer hours, they will be more productive, or worse, they may have been told by a superior that working long hours is normal and expected. This is the perfect recipe for burning yourself out! Consider these strategies in your current role and early days as a new executive:

A picture containing text: Don't work hard work smart

Establish daily short-term, mid-term, and long-term priorities. Get organized!
Look strategically at new meeting requests, and ask yourself: Do I need to be there? Who else can attend? What’s the worst thing that can happen if I don’t attend? Adopt a divide and conquer approach with your management team to work smarter and more efficiently as a team. Send one delegate to a meeting, not four of you!
Master the art of delegating effectively and empower your team members.
Listen to your administrative and resource management teams. Don’t waste other people’s time by creating unnecessary work, briefings, meetings, processes, false deadlines.
Every day, try to gain back some valuable time by changing something and doing things differently, and by managing your energy appropriately.
Ensure all meetings have a purpose and a time limit, and that they include only essential people. Keep things simple! Focus on outcomes, not detailed agendas.
Maintain accurate calendars; abide by them and give yourself enough time to recharge and recover between meetings – block off time for yourself, for your team, for high priority strategic work and for self-reflection, learning and development.
Know when to stop a task, policy, or procedure. Be humble.

Once you become an executive, you can consult the APEX Practical Guide for New Executives for additional information and reflect on the following table:

What to do more of…

Connect then lead – Be genuinely interested in your team’s stories, and foster a culture of trust, care, and well-being
Manage the working environment and emotions, and automatically look for solutions
Lead strategically and tactically, so that it adds value to your team – Know and leverage your competitive advantage
Organize people, resources, and processes to deliver results in a high-performing environment
Proactively address and manage conflicts
Provide clarity
Question conventions – Experiment and challenge the status quo
Synthesize information from multiple sources
Meet obligations but shift priorities as needed, and provide strategic context as to why priorities are evolving

What to avoid at all costs…

Leading the same way you were managing your team before taking on an executive role
Micro-managing
Attending all meetings and even worse, hosting pre-meetings to control what everyone will be saying
Favouring a command-and-control style and an attitude of “my way is the right way”
Complaining
Trying to make everyone happy
Over-promising and under-delivering
Being someone you are not
Seeing mistakes as a threat to your career
Maximizing your power, prerogatives and benefits coming from your position of authority
Competing with your peers, colleagues, and leading from a position of fear
Withholding information or context

Characteristics of Successful Leaders… Do You Have What It Takes?

This section is inspired by the latest leadership trends on social media and results of research from HR professional associations and firms, publishers, renowned sources such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, the Canadian HR Reporter, Les Affaires, and work of accredited coaches and firms like McKinsey & Company and Deloitte. There are six formal Key Leadership Competencies for executives and senior leaders in the Government of Canada, but a broader definition of what it means to be a successful leader is provided below.

Successful leaders are purpose driven and inclusive in their approach:

Photo of a smiling team of men and women high-fiving to celebrate

They lead from a place of trust, vulnerability, curiosity, empathy, and humility as opposed to power.
They model and exemplify public service values and key leadership competencies.
They prioritize personal relationships.
They empower and enable their teams to perform at their best.
They share the credit for achievements.
They create a safe space for people to be bold and ambitious in their work.
They are present and actively listen to what others say before responding.
They are not afraid of tackling challenges: they embrace positive disruption and own their mistakes, permitting others to learn by example.
They communicate a clear vision and specific expectations for their team and then step back to allow individuals to decide how best to deliver.
They excel in their communications.
They master the art of dealing effectively with conflicts.
They constantly rethink how they work, think, and behave.
They help people prioritize by connecting often and offering real and concrete solutions and support.
They advocate for their staff and are strong allies and sponsors.
They show genuine gratitude and recognition.

Take the time to determine your strengths and what you still need to work on. Be brave and start the discussion with various colleagues and your supervisor or manager about their perception of you as a leader. Get your leadership potential confirmed!

How to Prepare for Competitions at the Executive Level

Do Your Research

Preparatory Work

Before you start applying, determine what type of EX job would be right up your alley. Look for what’s available on jobs.gc.ca, search through past competitions, look at experience required, what you might be lacking. Update your cv and start preparing standard responses that you can quickly modify.
Give tangible and concrete examples of your experience and pay careful attention to every word in the poster, e.g. there is a big difference between “and” versus “or” when addressing experience.
Do not just pick any competition, but stick to a couple that really interested you.

The position

Do an initial fact-finding mission about the position including the current operational and strategic context and a summary of responsibilities.
Ask for a copy of the job description from the HR advisor. Even if it’s old or not fully updated, it will fill in some blanks for you.

Do you know the organization, the unit or anyone working there that you can speak to in confidence to help you assess the challenges associated with the position and current workplace culture and leadership practices? Initiate a search in the GCDirectory and check out the department’s website.
What are the challenges of the position in relation to the organization and its environment?
How is the job a good fit with you? Visualize yourself in the job.
What value would you bring to the organization and what innovative ideas would you offer?
What would you do in the first six months and why?
If it’s a dysfunctional organization, what would be your strategies and actions, and are you prepared to accept such a challenging position as your first executive role?
Try to find out who the selection board members are, what their leadership styles are, what they value. You can then prepare accordingly.

The environment

What are the priorities of the department/agency? Look at the mandate letter, corporate documents.
What are the branch and directorate priorities in relation to the position?
Be aware of new trends around the world, in Canada, in government and in the public service.
Make the linkages between the position and the agenda/priorities/trends (from macro level to micro level).

Prepare Your Examples and Scenarios

As mentioned earlier in the guide, the Government of Canada has defined 6 Key Leadership Competencies Read and familiarize yourself with the behaviour expected for each at the director level.
For each leadership competency, prepare a story line and a few concrete examples and scenarios.
Be structured in your answers: Introduction – Development – Conclusion or the STAR method: Situation – Think – Actions – Results. If you explain a situation, 25% of the time should be used to explain the context and 75% of the time to explain your strategies, actions, and results.
Use the first person (I), how you demonstrate your leadership and how you brought your team and your organization to achieve their results.
Talk about HOW and WHY. Board members want to understand your thinking process and what is important to you, what you value.
Don’t be academic in your answers, do not recite theories, concepts, principles. Use concrete and tangible examples instead.
Make linkages with the big picture – from macro to micro.
Make references to what can impact your DG/Assistant Deputy Minister to demonstrate that you understand their reality and perspectives.
Practice your responses out loud, re-adjust until you are satisfied with the flow and you are confident that you are emphasizing all the key points. A typical answer to an interview question should be a minimum of 6-7 minutes.
For each of your examples, don’t forget to address how you manage down, upwards, and laterally or collaboratively.

What’s Your Story: Develop Your Leadership Brand

During an EX competition, be prepared to talk about who you are, your strengths and your areas needing improvement, your character and your values, your journey to date, your challenges, and lessons learned. The key to success is to know and leverage your competitive advantage! Why you?

Define what makes you different from others: your unique skillset, value proposition?
Leverage your strength, knowledge, and experience. Identify your complementary and cross-cutting competencies.
Define the possible impact and reach you will have on clients and stakeholders. Identify how you will leverage your values, knowledge, and experience to bring value to the organization.
Pull your strengths and areas of development from a variety of sources: formal and informal performance and talent management discussions, results of any self-assessments or 360 feedback exercises, leadership style assessments, etc.

Did you know? CareerJoy, an APEX affinity partner, offers a Leadership Identity Program that will provide you with an in-depth evaluation of your leadership skills by a highly trained leadership coach.

Written Exams: What Could Those Look Like

Written exams are typically used to assess knowledge elements and some abilities like writing skills, and leadership competencies such as the creation of a vision and strategy.

Here are some examples:

Write a briefing note to your senior management on your approach and strategy for delivering on a high priority project under your leadership, and to discuss trends and challenges.
Write a presentation deck on your proposed 100-day plan in your new executive role.
Propose a strategy and detailed plan for a change management initiative.

Examples of Interview Questions

The number of questions can vary. Generally, there are 4 to 6 questions. Expect a question on each of key leadership competencies. You will likely receive the questions 30 minutes in advance. Manage your time effectively.

There are three types of questions:

Behavioral (oriented towards the past): be prepared to talk about a particular situation in the past. For example:

Tell us about an important change you have implemented.
Describe a conflictual situation you were involved in and describe how you managed it.
Tell us about a time you felt your integrity and values were compromised.

Situation (oriented towards the future): you are being asked to project yourself into the role. Be prepared to talk about how you would behave in a particular situation in the future. For example,

What are the current challenges in the Canadian Public Service that you will want to pay specific attention to in your position?
You work in an organization that provides a service to the population and the operating budget must be reduced by 20%. How will you manage this situation?
What are the emerging trends within Canada and around the world relating to the position?
You are coming to work in a completely dysfunctional organization, what are the issues and challenges that you will want to take up and what will you do in the first 6 months?

Personal (oriented on personal qualities, values, strengths): be prepared to share your personal journey, elements of your leadership brand you developed. For example,

Why are you the best candidate? You can answer with 3 keywords such as Past (my experience), Present (my style), Future (what do I bring, what do I want to learn, what are my interests and what do I want to do?)
Tell us about your leadership style, what you value.
Tell us about a career failure, what you have learned from it and what you are doing to improve.
How do you build and sustain partnerships?
How to you drive change and experimentation?

Keep in mind: For any main question, there are always underlying questions that you will need to answer, for example: Who was involved? What were the elements to consider? Why was the situation complex? Who was impacted? What actions did you take? How did you do it? Why? What was the result? What did you learn?

Did you know:

The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) has developed a “job aid” which is a study guide on how to prepare for an EX interview. It can be found at https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/tools/jobaids/ex-interview-study-guide-eng.aspx.

Setting Boundaries

While we touched on the importance of setting limits and healthy boundaries in the previous sections of this guide, we felt the topic was important enough to provide additional information on adopting strategies for “integrating” work life and personal life to prevent burnout, employee disengagement and unsafe environments.

Image of a house with the word Life and image of an office building with the word Work standing on a scale

Work-life balance has always been important, but when the pandemic hit, everything changed. Many leaders were confronted with paradigm shifts, biases, preconceived ideas, etc. and were struggling to find new ways of leading, thinking and working in a virtual or hybrid environment while juggling new and emerging priorities and stressors at work and at home. Some thrived, others struggled, some unfortunately experienced burnout and collapsed. They realized that the status quo was no longer an option… Which of those did you experience?

If you and your team are struggling to find or regain balance, reframing the conversation may help. Instead of discussing “work-life balance”, try exploring the idea of a healthy “work-life integration” because our work and personal lives have likely never been more intertwined.

Work-life integration refers to blending both our personal and professional obligations and finding areas of compromise. Balancing the personal and operational needs of employees can raise some important challenges, but by communicating the needs, boundaries, and concerns, it can open a whole new world of possibilities to lower stress levels and find more fulfillment.

The flexibility behind work-life integration may allow you and your employees to coordinate your responsibilities and schedules in a more functional way. It can provide a higher sense of satisfaction in every aspect of people’s lives, thereby increasing productivity both personally and professionally. However, it’s important to establish clear boundaries between your work and your personal life.

Are there ways for you as a leader to experience more harmony and ease in this evolving reality? You could determine a schedule that works for everyone. It’s also important to note that work-life integration can have a negative impact on employees when not implemented correctly. It seeks a certain balance, so if employees don’t set the appropriate boundaries such as flexible schedules, self-care activities throughout the workday, regular lunch times and breaks, etc., they’ll find themselves experiencing more stress, and will experience a considerable decrease in satisfaction and productivity. The strategy you develop now in your current role will go a long way towards ensuring a smooth transition to an executive role.

Additional Resources to Consider:

Setting Your Own Limits

As a manager and aspiring leader, you should make a strong commitment to:

Hand written text on a note pad next to a coffee mug.

Taking care of yourself first and modelling the desired culture and leadership behaviour you want to see and experience in the workplace.
Being true to yourself and to your values and not letting others manipulate you into doing things you are not comfortable with, or which would compromise your work life balance or credibility as a leader.
Honoring your emotions and nourishing your emotional intelligence and empathy.
Voicing your opinions, beliefs, and values, and advocating for better work-life integration strategies for your team, for colleagues, and for senior management – initiate these difficult conversations.
Looking for opportunities to be an ambassador for mental health and well-being
Not holding yourself accountable for events and situations beyond your control – you can only manage your own response and reactions.
Taking ownership and full responsibility for the environment that you create as a leader.
Surrounding yourself with positive role models and removing those from your network who demotivate you, take you down, zap your energy or make you feel inadequate.

General Expectations at the EX Level

Familiarize yourself with the Treasury Board’s Secretariat Policy on the Management of Executives and the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment of Executives (if you are not part of the core public service administration, consult your Human Resources Branch for applicable policies, guidelines, and terms and conditions).

Appendix A of the directive outlines the specific terms and conditions of employment.

Hours of Work

While the directive specifies that hours of work of executives should be no less than 37.5 hours, there is nothing that prevents you from having a conversation on hours of work and flexible work arrangements with your supervisor. Keep in mind however that executives are not entitled to a compressed work week nor are they eligible to claim overtime. Part-time work could be possible, but it would be at the discretion of the hiring manager and should be managed on a case-by-case basis as numerous factors have to be taken into consideration such as operational requirements, nature of the role or area of expertise.

Driving your performance and results

Picture of people working and evaluating performance and results diagrams

You will be responsible for setting realistic and achievable goals and be accountable for results. It will be important to document on an ongoing basis how you and your team are fulfilling commitments and achieving results.
You may not get a clear mandate from your supervisor. Be proactive and propose one, then seek feedback and concurrence.
Develop your own initial learning plan.

You are expected to be like a sponge in your first year! Take every opportunity to seek feedback from your supervisor, your colleagues, your team and your clients. Take the feedback at face value, even if you don’t immediately agree – reflect on it, try to reframe and see it from the perspective of the person giving the feedback. What if they were right? Develop influential strategies and tactics to prove them wrong. There are plenty of tools that can help you influence others based on their leadership style or communication preferences. Seek advice before you act!
At the beginning of any new fiscal year, start documenting your results each week, with concrete examples of how you accomplished the work, the obstacles and challenges you faced, how you achieved results by displaying effective leadership competencies.
Use this evergreen list to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to your performance management and career management discussions. In some departments, it is seen as a best practice and a learning opportunity to draft your own evaluation and narrative for your supervisor. This is a golden opportunity to ensure strategic alignment while building your self-awareness and see if there are any discrepancies with how you are being perceived by senior management.
In your first year, be humble and keep in mind you are still learning and not fully thriving in your role. Therefore, it is not uncommon for new executives to receive a Met Most Rating and Develop in Role placement on the talent management map. Accept it with humility and avoid self-doubt and imposter syndrome thinking.
You will be expected to bring solutions to the management table, deliver on corporate commitments and priority areas, and take responsibility for the environment you are creating as a leader.
You will be expected to be a role model and actively demonstrate practices that support mental health, well-being and inclusion.
You will need to consider the impact of your actions, directives, and delegation on the mental health of your employees.
Understand and manage risks to psychological health (e.g., workload prioritization) using a collaborative approach.

Find the time to take stock of where you are with respect to displaying these behaviours and start identifying priority areas as you continue to assess your readiness and leadership potential for executive roles.

Effective Strategies for Managing Up and Establishing Healthy Boundaries with a Supervisor

Picture of a hand written note : Are you open to CHANGE

Knowing what matters to you and what you value is the first step in learning how to set healthy boundaries for yourself. What do you need to protect your happiness and satisfaction at work? Notice the times you feel stressed, overwhelmed or in emotional distress. If you feel discomfort, anger, resentment, or guilt, a boundary might have been violated. For example, if family is your priority and you have just been recommended for an acting appointment at the executive level where you’ll be working extra hours and on weekend for the next six months, that could be a game-changer and you will need to make conscious choices.

Get to know your supervisor’s styles, preferences, and ways of working. Find out what executives in your branch value, and what your direct supervisor’s pressure points are. What keeps them up at night, what triggers them? Do they have mood swings? When are they the most stressed or uncomfortable? This will help you assess when the right time is to engage in a conversation. Observe colleagues that get along well with your supervisor. What can you learn and change about your current behaviour?
Align your actions and priorities to your supervisor’s goals, vision and values – then take a look at yourself and how you lead and operate – is there a gap, disconnect or values conflict? Pause, reflect, and adjust accordingly.
Be mindful how you spend your energy – are you sabotaging your own career by pushing back with no valid reason or counterproposal? Be mindful of your role and what you signed up for. If you signed up for a highly visible, high pressure operational job, asking for part-time work may not be realistic. And if you know budget and resources are limited, asking for more money or people may not be a viable option.
Ask for clarity on new priorities and requests in a respectful and constructive manner – don’t just push back with no reason or out of fear to protect your employees – Prepare your case and be willing to compromise, negotiate and propose solutions.
Keep an open mind and be prepared to work differently and challenge your beliefs and status quo.
Practice intellectual humility before pushing back and having a conversation with your supervisor – challenge your own beliefs and knowledge gaps. Intellectual humility is about showing more persistence in the face of failure, holding less polarized beliefs and attitudes, and being seen as warm and friendly by others.
Are you willing to concede if you don’t know something? Or do you get defensive when someone questions your beliefs or asks you do to something you have no knowledge of? Pause and reflect before reacting too promptly.
Help your supervisor and colleagues know your strengths, preferences, and value proposition. Use your competitive advantage to help influence your direct supervisor – engage your team in the process to get their buy-in, and coach them to be programmed to help you find solutions and healthy compromise.
Before you engage in a conversation with your supervisor around establishing boundaries, especially with respect to hours of work and norms of service, know your non-negotiable boundaries and articulate them clearly. As an example, if you need to leave by 5 pm for family obligations, explain it and reassure your supervisor you have everything under control instead of just saying: “I don’t respond to emails after 5 pm.” Identifying the why is important as it gives people context for understanding your boundaries and it opens a conversation around diversity and acceptation of various working styles and preferences, and promotes flexibility and integration of work and personal life.

Keep in mind:

You can’t set a boundary that goes against your job requirement and accountabilities. For example, if you work in crisis communications and your client needs to reach you at 8 pm or on the weekend, it may be hard to enforce a no-calls policy after 5 pm. However, you can request a discussion with senior management to develop or review current practices, norms of service and after-hours protocol.
You can use any change in circumstance to communicate what you need to be successful in your role, and what that looks like in the workplace. For example, there are natural opportunities to establish or reset boundaries whenever there is an event in both your personal and professional life: you now need workplace accommodations, you need to care of a relative or sick children, or there is an upcoming change in the senior ranks of your organization or a realignment.
Be mindful to respect other people’s boundaries as well! In case of disagreement over rules and expectations, offer a team discussion and propose to have a team charter that will list a few agreed-upon rules and ways of working that everyone can agree to.
If your supervisor makes an unreasonable request, try not to respond with phrases like “We can’t do this” or “I have too much on my plate.” Instead, frame your response in terms of how your other projects, employees, clients or stakeholders will be affected. Try to use facts as much as possible. Clarify that if you take on project A, you won’t have enough time to focus on project B, or you might delay something else or adopt a risk-based approach.

Did you know? According to research (Krumrei-Mancuso & Rowatt, 2021), leaders who rate high in intellectual humility have been found to be respected more? These leaders also rate themselves as being more oriented toward “servant-leadership,” which emphasizes that the role of a leader is, first and foremost, to serve their people or community.

When Things Don’t Go as Expected or Planned

Are you having difficulty accessing leadership positions, making your career aspirations known? Are you unsure which path to take? You are not alone! Might be appropriate to take a step back and reflect…

How are you currently performing in your role? Take proactive steps to address or change your approach and strategies. If you have been screened out of EX processes, have you asked for a post board or informal discussion? What have your learned and how are you incorporating the feedback? How are you being perceived by other leaders?

What to Do When Your Boss Is Not Advocating for You?

The simplest answer is that you need to learn to advocate for yourself and find allies and sponsors! Does your supervisor know about your career aspirations, your desire to move to the executive cadre? If not, what is holding you back from having this conversation? Are you asking for regular feedback and advice, planting curious questions like – what can I do to get ready? How can I be more visible? What do I need to develop? Adopting a growth mindset and framing discussions for a positive outcome are keys to success.

Leverage the power of relationships to enable strong, strategic, and authentic conversations about your performance with your boss, other senior leaders, peers and current team. How are you being perceived? Be proactive and ask for advice on enhancing your leadership skills and assessing your readiness for an executive role. When it comes to being promoted, it’s not so much about who you know, but rather who knows you and can advocate for you?

Start acting and behaving like an executive in your current role. Look for situations that lack leadership and fill the void by proposing your ideas and contributions. Use your unique strengths to add value – put your leadership brand into practice.

You can also learn a great deal about the dos and don’ts of leadership by observing leaders in action – learn from the good, the bad and the ugly practices! Take proactive steps to meet with leaders you respect and see if they would be willing to coach you or mentor you, or help you prepare for an EX competition.

How to Positively Deal with Conflicts and Differences in Leadership Styles?

While there is no easy answer to this question, and there are so many factors to consider, it is easier to focus on what we can control, change, and influence rather than trying to change other people.

Yes, you might be disappointed by the fact that your boss may not be advocating for you, may not think you are ready or won’t put your name forward for acting assignments or new opportunities. Let’s consider your options: What about trying to change your mindset and ways of thinking, and responding to conflicts or difficult situations in a completely new way? How about using positive reframing, new strategies and approaches that can lead to mutual understanding rather than confrontation and conflict? Another possible avenue to consider would be to exercise conscious leadership in action and master the art of values-based discussions.

Picture of a group in cercle around a giant paper written : NEW Mindset + New Results

Conscious leadership is being aware of each other, how we think, how curious we are, and how we see the world. It is the practice of being mindful of our experiences, witnessing our default patterns of response, and being able to consciously choose a different path to bring about long-lasting change, and create new habits. Easier said than done, but a professional coach can help immensely in this area.

Conscious leadership is based on these five high-level and most essential practices:

Increase your self-awareness progressively.
Identify your automatic operating methods so that they can evolve.
Learn to articulate your vision and create the future from the present.
Encourage learning and cooperation between team members, colleagues and senior management to develop agility, cultivate collaborative practices and foster collective intelligence.
Develop your capacity for systems thinking.

By heightening your emotional intelligence, you will find it easier to motivate and influence the people around you in a positive way, as well as build strong connections and relationships. You will be more vulnerable and more inclined to seek out other people’s perspectives and ask for feedback to improve yourself. Expressing your vulnerability in certain circumstances will instill others’ confidence in you by revealing your human side.

Give yourself time to think it over before you jump at the first opportunity, conclusion, or solution. Before you act, take the time to evaluate all your options to ensure that your strategy will align with your values and what is motivating you.

Nothing is worse for eroding confidence than someone who doesn’t “walk the talk”. You will be called to act according to your values, and to be consistent with your actions and decisions, even when faced with adversity or seemingly intolerable and unfair situations.

Consider the following when faced with disruptive people who are unnerving you, pushing your buttons, trying to undermine your credibility or potential as a leader, and provoking a huge physical or emotional and defensive reaction in you:

Do not let their words, actions and judgment of you affect your self-confidence and self-worth.
Build an armor for yourself, and do not let anyone attack your core values, beliefs, and integrity.
When provoked or experiencing micro-aggressions, remain professional and calm, and do not bite or respond under emotional duress. You might lose control of your emotions, react in total contradiction to your core values and leadership preferences, make costly mistakes, and burn bridges that could damage your reputation. Document the incidents, stick to facts.
When you regain control of your emotions, brainstorm strategies and seek advice on the best ways to address the situation.
Align your actions and responses to traumatic and stressful events with your core personal and organizational values. Challenge your beliefs and biases, and confront your worst fears.

Image of emojis : smiling face, neural face and sad face

Resilience is not easy to develop. Resilience is often born out of very difficult personal or professional situations where people were left hopeless, disappointed and/or disillusioned. So, there is hope of finding the pathway back to success! Accept the situation with courage and humility for what it is, and adjust your thinking, so that you can focus on finding solutions.

Additional Resources:

Adopt Values-Based Conflict Management Approaches

There is a real opportunity to take a fresh look at how you strategically manage conflicts and disagreements. You can use them for growth and development, and for the further refinement of both your personal and team values. The following are examples of effective strategies to address conflict in the workplace. The real key to resolving conflict is respectful dialogue undertaken in good faith.

A hand drawing on a chalkboard : Win- Win on puzzle pieces

Consider what is motivating people and what the values behind those motivations are.
Be hard on issues, soft on people. Separate the person from the problem or the issue at play.
Lead the discussion from a place of curiosity as opposed to a place of fear, anxiety, and defensiveness, so that you don’t use blame and shame to get your point across. Use open-ended questions (not yes/no questions) and check if you are making any assumptions.
Acknowledge the feelings and emotions people are dealing with. Resist minimizing feelings of hurt, betrayal, or humiliation. Instead, help find a path that allows all parties to “save face” and walk away with a sense of dignity that will allow everyone to interact in new and better ways.
Engage in relationship-building dialogue – build relationships by establishing rapport and common cause.
Appeal to overarching values – appealing to common or shared values can help bridge the gap and bring colleagues closer to resolving their conflict.
Confront a difference in values directly – the areas where you and your counterpart do not see eye-to-eye are areas of growth and opportunities for creating value. Once you both understand your differences, you will be able to better reconcile those differences to achieve success.
Focus on spheres of control and influence through respectful and authentic conversations.
When exploring solutions, ask open-ended and non-threatening questions such as:
- How can we do this differently?
- What would be helpful?
- How can I help you achieve this?
- What would you like to do about that?
- How can we do that in a way that is healthy for our relationship going forward?
- How can we change that to make it work better for us?
- What is a solution that you think would make this better for everyone?
- I want to help you move forward to a more positive work situation. What would that take?

A process for conflict response for leaders can help you move to a healthier path.

Mastering the Art of Networking

The goal of networking is to form an interconnected group of individuals with whom you can create mutually beneficial relationships over time. This kind of support system will be invaluable as a source of advice and guidance, especially in challenging times.

Having a solid professional network is an important part of delivering on your objectives and establishing yourself as part of the community of executives. Your network can also provide you with insight and knowledge about other parts of your organization and other departments and agencies that might be helpful when you are considering making the leap to the executive ranks. Individuals in your network can provide you with an important avenue to test ideas or approaches, get feedback and imagine different scenarios.

Some of the strongest and most important connections you will build are those with the people you work or have worked and interacted with on a regular basis– both within your workplace, in other federal organizations, in provincial, municipal, and territorial governments, with stakeholder groups, in research institutions, etc. These people will see you in action, will build an understanding of your integrity, your ability to work towards results, your contribution to those results, and your compassion.

Picture of hand supporting and image of people shape in connection universe dots

You have the opportunity to expand your network when you attend learning events. In particular, a formal event that lasts multiple days gives you the opportunity to get to know people from other departments and agencies – through discussions and the exchange of ideas – that you may want to remain connected with after the session. Take the initiative to exchange contact information and suggest meeting at a future date or connect on social media to build the relationship.

Communities of practice and functional communities also offer events or activities where there is an opportunity to meet others with the same interests. Building a relationship with these individuals provides you with the opportunity to explore how things happen in other organizations or how others have approached a particular situation that may be helpful to you.

Your activities and interests outside the office may also lead you to connect with people who can be an important part of your network. Pay attention to what and who is around you.

Having a large and diverse network is key to your success as a leader. Determine what your networking style and approach are, aligned with your personal brand.

Who do you want to build connections with? Why is it important and how are you planning on doing it? Get better each week! Who is in your current circles that could help you expand your network? Who inspires you and motivates you? Be proactive and reach out!

Know your five or six trusted advisors

Within your network, finding five or six trusted individuals with whom you can discuss ideas, challenges or issues can be of benefit to you throughout your career. They can act as a sounding board, allow you to vent in a non-judgmental space, guide you through a situation, and/or provide advice. They could include your mentor or coach.

Picture of a shadow of 4 people building a bride with a rock to help others to cross a rocky mountain.

You may be fortunate enough to participate in a formal leadership development program that requires an investment of time that will become the foundation for strong long-term relationships. Alternatively, it could be that you have experienced various situations or interactions which have produced a trusted group of advisors as a result.

Using social media tools such as Linked-In, Twitter and Facebook are easy, simple and effective ways to keep in touch with your growing network. Make full use of these tools and do not forget to leverage the Government of Canada collaboration tools.

How To Access Coaching, Mentorship or Experiential Learning?

You can access a coach, a mentor or a situation for experiential learning using various methods, in both formal and informal settings.

Your department or agency may have specific programs like mentorship, access to employee networks and initiatives like “Bring me with you” or any other type of job shadowing activities that may give you visibility and exposure to senior management. Find out what is offered in your current organization. If there aren’t any formal programs, create your own opportunities using your network.

Have an open and frank conversation with your supervisor about accessing coaching, mentoring or experiential learning. Consider micro-missions or stretch assignments for additional corporate visibility. Discuss your needs with your manager to determine the best approach to yield results for you. Your manager may recommend a good coach or mentor, and you can also do your own research. You may already have a colleague or leader in your network who would be ready to give you a bit of coaching or mentoring.

The International Coaching Federation and Integral Coaching Canada are also good places to look for accredited coaches. Specialized HR firms or your HR Branch may also provide a list of potential coaches.

graphic image of head shapes made out of gearwheels

Did You Know?

The Personnel Psychology Centre of the Public Service Commission also offers a wide-range of services to aspiring leaders. They can offer coaching when it comes to EX interview preparation, addressing leadership challenges and building influence; and also counselling services on self-management and optimization strategies, managing up, taking stock of one’s reputation, strengths and areas for development, career counselling, and more. They are there to help!

The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) has built out their coaching path including the course: ‘Introduction to Peer Coaching’ – https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/coach-mentor-network-eng.aspx.

After taking those courses, you can join one of the NMC’s Peer Coaching Circles, so that you can practice the skills you have learned and continue to develop that coaching muscle. https://articles.alpha.canada.ca/national-managers-community/contact-us/.

Follow the NMC on social media, GCxchange or sign up to receive our newsletter at https://articles.alpha.canada.ca/national-managers-community/contact-us/.

Watch recorded the collection of NMC virtual talks for managers sessions available on the NMC YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/@nationalmanagerscommunityc7735.

Words of Wisdom

By Nathalie Clément, Senior Advisor to Executives at APEX, Isabelle Racine, Executive Director, National Managers’ Community, and Julien Théophile, Psychologist at the Personnel Psychology Center.

Here we are, already at the end of the guide! It is our hope you found its content useful and inspiring, and that it will help you take your leadership skills to the next level! While your lived experiences will help shape the leader you are and want to be, do not be afraid to reach out for help. Embark on a journey of lifelong learning and self-awareness, and focus on maintaining a growth mindset, a great network of role models, and positive inner dialogue. You will encounter moments of self-doubt and dejection, especially when things don’t go as planned, or when faced with challenges that will put your resilience to the test. There are plenty of resources available to support you and to help you recover and get back on track. You will find strength and courage in adversity, and when you are equipped to deal with a vast array of difficult situations in the workplace, you can only grow and flourish as an executive.

“Leadership is what we make of the circumstances we face”
– Janice Charette, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

The blind spot of leadership is also to realize that it happens from the inside out. As such, the key ingredient is, beyond one’s skills, experience and motives, the quality of one’s presence at any given moment. If people can learn to slow down, be more grounded, connected with their core values, and act from that place of mindful awareness, the result of their interventions would be markedly different and optimized. We would collectively create different results.

Image of a light gray rock with the word presence engraved.

Leadership presence is essential… and it goes beyond mere approachability to encompass one’s internal state, level of energy, quality of attention and intention, self-awareness, authenticity and congruence, etc. That’s the starting point.

Best of luck in your leadership journey. It is a privilege to be of service to others and influence the future of the Public Service; we hope you will rise to the occasion by joining the executive ranks!

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