Survey Finds Leadership Development Training is Top Priority for Government Organizations

Oct. 11, 2011 - PRLog -- ARLINGTON, VA – October 11, 2011 – A recent informal survey of Government professionals showed that leadership development training is the top priority for government agencies’ training programs, with leadership development the first priority of 28% of respondents for FY11, and the first priority of 37.9% of the respondents for FY12.  The informal survey was conducted by American Management Association (AMA) Enterprise Government Solutions.

Critical thinking skills were cited as the second priority by 31% of the respondents for FY12, followed by project management (27.3%) and oral and written communication skills (24.1%).  Several respondents noted in comments that budget limitations have driven some changes in the training program.  

“It makes sense that government organizations are continuing to focus on leadership development and those skills that make a good leader great, with so many baby boomers retiring, and budgets tight,” said Sam Davis, Vice President, AMA Enterprise Government Solutions. “It will be harder to fill those leadership positions as people retire, and crucial to encourage, inspire and educate that next level of potential leaders, so that they in turn can continue to motivate and nurture a stretched government workforce.”

Critical Thinking training moved up as a higher priority focus from FY11 to FY12. The priorities for FY11 were ranked as follows:
1.   Leadership development
2.   Oral and written communication skills
3.   Supervisory training
4.   Project management
5.   Critical thinking

The priorities for FY12 were ranked as follows:
1.   Leadership development
2.   Critical thinking
3.   Project management
4.   Oral and written communication skills
5.   Managing a remote workforce

About AMA Enterprise
With more than 85 years of experience and headquartered in New York, American Management Association (www.amanet.org) is a global leader of comprehensive talent development.  AMA Enterprise, a specialized division of AMA dedicated to building corporate and government solutions, transforms enterprise-wide talent to fuel a culture of innovation, high performance and optimal business results. For more information on AMA Enterprise Government Solutions please visit www.amaenterprise.org/gov.