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Long Range Career Goals: David Penwell
Education Goal:
- Obtain a PhD in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School (DL Program).
Career Goals:
- Short Term (1-2 years): Join the Senior Executive Service (or high level GS-15 position)
 Purpose #1: Be in a position that will enable me to make a difference.
 Purpose #2: Ensure a smooth transition into a private sector [executive level].
 Timeframe: Current job is ending in 6 months; just began looking for next position.
- Mid Term (1-6 years): Transition to the private sector at the executive level
 Purpose #1: Higher salary
- I took a sizable pay cut to work for the government.
 Purpose #2: Geographic freedom
- The ability to select where I want to live is very appealing.
- Long Term (10+ years): Become a professor, or start my own business
 Purpose #1: I would eventually like to have summers off in order to spend time with
my family.
The remainder of this document is my plan for reaching my Short Term Goals. At the same
time I will try to work with executive recruiters in order to prepare for my Mid Term goals.
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Individual Development Plan: David Penwell
Current: ND-1515-V
End/Goal: ND-1515-VI (SES)
Suspense Date: 6 December 2015
Individual Development Plan Purpose:
Improve my resume by increasing my knowledge base and experiences in order to increase the
probability that I will get promoted which will enable me to implement “change” and process
improvements on a larger scale.
Individual Development Plan Strategy:
This plan focuses on what “I” can do to succeed in the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
SECTOR. It does not rely on the wait and hope method of career progression. This means
that programs that rely on a „selection‟ process outside of my immediate chain of
command, such as the DoD Defense Senior Leader Development Program (DSLDP) and
the Army War College Distance Education Program (AWCDEP), are NOT included in this
SDP.
I have made it a top priority to only include courses of action that have a probability of being
implemented by anyone with ambition, drive, and ability.
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Agenda
Leadership Philosophy
Development Plan Boundaries
Development Plan Barriers - Federal
Success Paradigm – Private Sector – Value Proposition
Success Paradigm – Federal Sector – Resume Based
Anatomy of a Resume - DoD
Development Plan
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Leadership Philosophy
Leadership Philosophy:
I believe that true process improvement, real value added change, is only implementable
from the top down. (small changes can be made from the bottom up but they are very
limited in scope)
Leadership Vision:
I believe that if one is capable, competent, and motivated, it is incumbent upon them to
actively seek to increase their sphere of influence. (seek to manage/supervise more and
more people) This will produce the greatest “good” for an organization and society as a
whole. (Argument against: some people are “happy” leading themselves….; not a very
useful point of view from an organizational point of view)
Leadership (management) vs. Leadership (self):
There are those who claim to be a “leader” (of themselves) because it makes them feel good.
They justify this claim by pointing to the fact that they can „get something done‟. In reality
the ability to „get things done‟ is simply the definition of being proficient at a particular job.
If this were not the case then EVERYONE who works meets the definition of, and “is”, a
leader. (To define EVERYONE as a leader makes the term meaningless. Therefore
this document only refers to “leadership” in the management sense.)
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Development Plan - Boundaries
Family Time vs. Development Time:
Keeping the family happy is my highest priority. How this affects me in my plan development is that I
will remain cognizant of the trade off between spending time with my family and training.
Geographic Restrictions:
No long term TDY – 4 weeks TDY is OK, 10 weeks TDY not so much, 12 months TDY unacceptable.
Retirement Time Restrictions:
Any plan must not extend my retirement past 2030-2032. For example getting accepted to an academic
program where I attend school full time for a PhD is good, but not if this route extends my service
obligation past my retirement date.
Income Restrictions:
Providing for my family, as well as my retirement, is a very high priority for me. So a large reduction in
income is not acceptable. (i.e. becoming a graduate student making $25k/year is definitely not
acceptable.)
Implementable:
Any plan should have a high percentage of success. The plan should focuses on what “I” can do to succeed in
the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SECTOR. It MUST NOT rely on the wait and hope method of career
progression. This means that programs that rely on a „selection‟ process outside of my immediate
chain of command, such as the DoD Defense Senior Leader Development Program (DSLDP) and the
Army War College Distance Education Program (AWCDEP), are NOT included in this SDP. 5
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Development Plan Barriers – Federal
Legal Implications:
There are no restrictions to voluntarily learning on one‟s off duty time for the purpose of professional
development. http://www.opm.gov/hrd/lead/pubs/handbook/lrbsa11.asp
• Not illegal to „train‟ for the purpose of providing the employee with knowledge or skills required for
reassignment to another position or advancement to a higher grade in another position.
Obtaining Approval:
There is a limited number of hours per year allotted for training. And the desired training might not be the
training that one‟s supervisor thinks is needed. Other times the supervisor might simply say “No”.
No Federal/National „standards‟ for Physicists/Scientists:
Engineers have certification boards with tests. Financial people have certifications as do Project and
Program Managers. However there is no such „certification‟ for Physicists; other than having a Ph.D.
My challenge is to find ways to „prove‟, via a resume format, that I am motivated and competent in
terms of experiences and certifications.
Time Limitations (Work):
As one becomes more „important‟ / „needed‟ / „better‟ at their current position they will find it harder to
find time to take off work in order to attend training via TDY.
Biggest Professional Barrier:
Some leadership training opportunities are only available for people who have supervisory experience. This
is a barrier for me as I have always been the expert and thus have no direct supervisory experience.
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Success Paradigm – Private Sector - Value Proposition
Total Contribution = Contract Performance + “Extra Contribution”
“Contract Performance” measures how well one performs the job that they were hired to
do. (i.e. provide 40 hours of quality support per week for contract XYZ) This is not a
subjective measurement! The customer provides feedback for how well the contract
was executed as well as individual associate evaluations. These and these alone
define ones Contract Performance.
“Extra Contribution” MUST BE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES
Paid – Chargeable time in excess of 40 hours/week is “Extra Contribution”
Un-Paid – Personal Improvement or Company Improvement
a) Personal Improvement: Increased Capability/Chargeability (formal or informal education /
training, personal projects)
b) Company Improvement: Participation in company events, functions, projects, or activities
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Success Paradigm – Private Sector - Value Proposition
Extra Contribution:
[Attending classes during the work day  Not Extra; researching resumes and < 40 hours a week  Not Extra]
[Taking DAU classes at home  Extra; searching resumes or supporting proposals during lunch hour  Extra]
[Participating in company sanctioned events or activities and >40 hours worked in the week  Extra]
[Mentoring fellow company associates and >40 hours  Extra]
Note: Extra Contribution is cumulative; the more one contributes the more the person AND the company benefit!
40 billable hrs
YES
Recognized NO
NO Professional
Chargeable
Development?
Time?
YES
YES Company NO
Priority?
EXTRA NOT EXTRA
CONTRIBUTION CONTRIBUTION
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Success Paradigm – Federal Sector
Success = Career Advancement
1. Do you know what your ideal job is?  If not ask a mentor.
2. Does your ideal job exist?  If not can you create it?  If “no”, refer to #1.
3. Can you „get‟ your ideal job through „connections‟?  If not you must compete.
• Buddies with anyone in the executive branch?
• Buddies with anyone in the legislative branch?
• Do you know all of the „correct‟ people; have the „correct‟ circle of friends?
yes
Desired Submit
Selected? Congratulations
Position Exists Resume
no
Now the “REAL” work begins!
TASK: IMPROVE YOUR RESUME
(Accomplishing this is the primary focus of this presentation.)
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Anatomy of a Resume - DoD
Work
Exp Active Duty Military Experience is the Best Predictor of Success
However, it is the most difficult to improve. (usually impossible)
Govt.
Military
Academic Education is Mandatory at higher levels
for credibility (Very large investment of time.)
Academic
Resume Differentiator
Education
 Easiest to Improve!
Public Military
Certifications
/ Training
CES DAU
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Anatomy of a Resume - DoD (Cont.)
Experience:
• Not all „experience‟ is created equal when it comes to being selected for a Federal Job.
• Active Duty Retired Military Officer experience is the BEST predictor of success
• Active Duty Retired Military Officers at the 0-7 level and above are almost guaranteed an SES position
• The only person I knew at this level was a contractor so this is mostly an assumption on my part
• Active Duty Retired Military Officers at the 0-6 level are almost guaranteed a GS-15 position
• I have never seen otherwise
• Prior Federal experience is the Second BEST predictor of success
• It takes literally months for someone to get their first federal job!
• It is MUCH easier to be selected for a GS-15 position if one has already been a GS-15
• I have known GS-15‟s to take GS-14 positions in order to build their resume (strategic career move)
• Time in an organization counts a great deal for being promoted „within‟ an organization
• We have all heard the “I have been here 30 years…. “ speech.
1. Anyone who follows this path to the top is not a „go getter‟  not someone I want to „follow‟!
• They are members of the wait and hope method of career advancement.
• I do not have that kind of time!
• People who change organizations in order to gain a greater breadth and depth of experience get rewarded!
• Find these people and ask them to be your mentor!
Take-Aways:
• This is a classic case of you either have it or you don‟t.
• In Reality, the only way you can ‘build’ your resume experience is by switching jobs
regularly.
• Since the only way to „switch‟ jobs is to be „selected‟ as the best candidate, which entails a racking and stacking of
your current resume against other applicants, this presentation focuses on steps you can take now to make your
current resume more competitive for the express purpose of being selected for the next job!
• As such it is implied that you will of course apply for a new job.
• Success is not a Sadie-Hawkins Dance! (Do not wait for someone to ask you if you want to be
successful!)
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Anatomy of a Resume - DoD (Cont.)
Education:
• Education does not measure knowledge or ability
•Education is a quantitative metric of the qualitative measure of
other people‟s willingness to be influenced by your opinion!
• Education is in the eye of the beholder
• Coveted by those who don‟t have it
• Dismissed by those who have it
• Regardless of the „value‟ one personally ascribes to a particular PhD or education level
having a PhD ALWAYS HELPS, having a PHD NEVER HURTS!
• Not all ‘education’ is created equal when it comes to being selected for a Federal Job.
1. Degrees from „Ivy League‟ schools are coveted by Program Managers (Harvard, etc…)
2. PhD‟s are the next preferred type of education „status‟
3. Degrees from Military Academies are strongly desired by Program Managers
4. Degrees from Defense Institutions (War Colleges)
5. Masters degree/Bachelor degrees  bare minimum
• No perceived difference in credibility  no „benefit‟
• If you are going to pursue education, go directly for your PhD!
Take-Aways:
• You NEED a PhD in order to be competitive at the highest levels
• If you do not have „connections‟
• If you do not have decades of experience within the hiring organization
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Anatomy of a Resume - DoD (Cont.)
Certification and Training:
1. Military (Most Valuable  Hardest to Get)
• Either you have it or you don‟t
2. Federal (Very Powerful Tool)
• Restricted to Federal Employees
• Lots of training offered
• Not many people take advantage of available training
• Funding is „scarce‟ so you will have to „prove‟ that you are worth the investment!
• This plan focuses on two areas of certification
• Leadership Development Certification: CES Family of courses
• Professional Development Certification: DAWIA certification via DAU
3. Civilian (Less applicable in a Federal environment than Federal certification.)
• Very valuable, and worth getting if Federal certification is not an option
• Project/Program Management: CAPM, PMP, PgMP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP
• Systems Engineering: ASEP, CSEP, ESEP, and CSEP-ACQ
• Usually people decide to obtain certification via DAWIA or via the civilian realm
Take-Aways:
• You absolutely NEED certification as it is usually as a position requirement!
• „Building‟ this portion of your resume is the easiest and only takes
stamina, determination, and a belief in yourself!
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