Creating the Future Leadership of a Federal Agency with a Critical Mission

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) was facing a crisis. This U.S. Federal government agency provides women and men who have served in the armed forces with benefits including education (the G.I. Bill), disability compensation, life insurance, employment training, home loans, pensions, and more. And it was projected to lose upwards of 50% of its workforce, including more than 60% of its top leadership, over the next ten years to retirement or other causes. A WhiteLabel partner led a team to design and implement a succession planning system from scratch. In a six-month effort, we developed profiles of what background and experience should be for optimal candidates for every top leadership position in the agency, mapped those profiles to the then-current mid-level staff, and outlined career progression pathways for those staff members to grow into the VBA leadership cadre of the future. The head of the agency noted after project completion that the new system had reduced the risks of gaps in hundreds of top roles and reduced the costs associated with loss of high-potential employees.