Accepting the Challenge:
Lessons in Recognizing Leadership Opportunities
“I never actually wanted to be a leader,” confessed Mark Washington. “But I have a general impatience with intelligent people cowering from the problems of life.” Washington is the Director of Facilities, Security and Emergency Management (FSEM) for Federal Student Aid.
Federal Student Aid is an office of the U.S. Department of Education, whose core mission “is to ensure that all eligible individuals benefit from federal financial assistance—grants, loans and work-study programs—for education beyond high school.” As Director of FSEM, his major responsibility is to maintain the safety and general welfare of the staff, contractors and visitors within Federal Student Aid headquarters and the 10 Regional office locations. A job that entails that type of responsibility allows no time to cower from problems.
“If I see something that needs to be done,” continued Washington, “and there is no one stepping up to do it, well, I do not understand that. If it is critical or dire, then I will do the best I can to take on the challenge.”
In this post-9/11 world, security and emergency preparedness are challenges that require a level of dedication and commitment many are not willing to accept. In comparison, throughout Washington’s career, he has often accepted challenges and problems in a way that others have not. He has accepted them as “leadership opportunities.”
Ironically, Washington began his career as an accountant at a major firm in New York City. He later moved on to become Financial Aid Director at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, before coming to Federal Student Aid. It was as Financial Aid Director at Oakwood that his first “leadership opportunity” presented itself.
After arriving at Oakwood, he noticed that the majority of student services were scattered across campus, and the Financial Aid Office was small and inadequate. Washington felt that this did not serve the basic needs of comfort and respect students deserved. He requested that the Administration utilize a vacant dormitory to house all Student Services together. In addition, he provided examples of successful ways it had been done at other colleges and universities. His request was denied.
Most people would have stopped there, but Washington saw it as a leadership opportunity. He and a local architect (who had built several buildings at Oakwood) put together construction drawings of how the vacant dormitory could be used for Student Services. Prepared to take on the challenge, he went back to the Administration.
“If you stand and wait for permission you will not get most important things done. That is why in leadership you must take risks,” Washington said. “I had to ask what could we do, instead of focusing on what we could not.”
The Administration still did not agree to house all of the various Student Services together; however they did move Washington’s Financial Aid Office and several other administrative offices to the location. This afforded the students a more comfortable space to access important information regarding financial aid.
“I never got to the total goal, but I realized that my efforts significantly improved the situation for the students, which was the main objective.”
It seems that in this period, as Financial Aid Director, Washington defined his leadership philosophy. “People are smarter than they think, they are just not always empowered to use their intelligence. My job is to help people to make better decisions based on the resources they have.”
His philosophy centered on two questions that he would ask of himself, in order to establish his framework for leadership:
- How can I improve things around me?
- How can I assist people in becoming more self-sufficient?
It is this same philosophy that attracted him to Federal Student Aid. Washington’s accounting and financial aid background made Federal Student Aid a perfect fit for his skill set, and he began his federal career as a policy analyst. Later, he was chosen to serve as special assistant to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Federal Student Aid. It was in this position that he began to perform work in the area of emergency preparedness. Emergency preparedness was not a part of his job description, but his work as a Prince George’s County volunteer firefighter had him thinking about emergency preparedness at home and in the workplace. He identified the need for better emergency preparation within the organization and began to lobby senior management for support.
“There are a lot of things in life that scare me…give me pause, but I prefer to run toward them instead of standing still. Jump up and take it on first before it overcomes you,” admitted Washington.
It is this proactive approach to leadership that makes Washington’s philosophy so striking. It must be understood that the Facilities, Security and Emergency Management department as presently established did not exist within Federal Student Aid before Mark Washington created it. There was a facilities management team, whose focus was on issues such as building maintenance, furniture repairs and heating and cooling; however, emergency preparedness and security were secondary aspects handled in most part by the Department of Education main office.
Washington identified the need to do more within Federal Student Aid by providing staff with better service in all areas. When he tried to establish a department dedicated to emergency preparedness and security, the COO agreed. The caveat was that facilities management had to be included. His real interest was in the area of emergency preparedness, and facilities management was an unfamiliar area of work. But again, Washington saw the unfamiliarity as a challenge; and the challenge as a leadership opportunity. His leadership philosophy was at work once more. “How can I improve things around me, and how can I make people more self-sufficient?”
By working to develop FSEM, the Federal Student Aid office significantly improved in the areas of emergency preparedness and security. The staff within Federal Student Aid is now an active participant in their own safety and is currently better prepared for an emergency event than in years before; people are more self-sufficient.
Despite these accomplishments, Washington assumes little credit. “I have been able to do the things I have done because of the resources around me. The ability to have access to managers to assist when there were no options I could think of was a tremendous benefit. Their communication and expertise has been key in my development.”
It was that support that assisted Washington in receiving a budget specifically for emergency preparedness, early in his development of FSEM. “You are nothing if you have no budget within government. I thought it would be harder to attain, but once I made the case and brought forth significant documentation to substantiate the need, it was successful. You have to provide senior management with data--something they can respond to,” Washington stated.
There are several terms that Washington recognized as key ingredients for effective leadership:
- Preparation
- Determination
- Collaboration
- Vision
- Openness
- Listening
- Questioning
- Empathy
“The terms may be a bit cliché, but when you truly look at what they mean and how to utilize them, you find they are essential to leadership. You must also have the courage to ask Why not? You cannot be willing to take the same old answers to new age problems,” Washington stated.
Washington is a true believer in the notion of servant leadership, which is illustrated through both his government service and volunteer work as a fireman. He is a Senior Fellow from the Council for Excellence in Government’s Fellows Program, and a recent graduate of the Federal Executive Institute. However, regardless of his accomplishments, his passion for service has been born out of a deeper commitment to the American ideal.
“It is about We the People. I hate the term human capital. I know that people have assets and value, but they are people. I can come up with all the policy plans I want, but people have to implement them. People make it all work. It matters that I know your name, that your kid graduated, that your mother passed away. The moment leaders forget that--forget the people--they become managers,” Washington stated. “Anyone can manage but not just anyone can lead.”
Most people see the challenge but fail to see the leadership opportunity. If anything can be learned from Mark Washington, it is that a true leader is willing to recognize and accept both.
©2008 GovLeaders.org