Canadian Government Executive - Volume 22

October 2016 //

Canadian Government Executive /

The Interview

ensure a continuous feedback loop to enable ongoing improve-

ment.

Additionally, our Board of Management has taken an active in-

terest in our modernization efforts and we report to them quar-

terly on our progress.

You are known as an exceptional mentor. Do you

follow an example or did you reinvent the role?

I do it my way. I mentor folk from across the public service, not just

CRA. For me, it’s basic: I make time for people. I have four rules

in an unwritten contract: I respect confidentiality; I tell people up

front that they are not signing on for life and can move on at any

time; I usually give some homework and expect that mentees fol-

low up. (It’s not just chatting); I ask mentees to pay it forward.

What do you think is the most frustrating thing

about being a public servant?

We often become frustrated with the slower pace of change and

innovation in Government and are envious of the private sector.

However, as public servants it is our duty to exercise proper plan-

ning and risk management practices. While we still have room

to improve, initiatives such as Blueprint 2020 have inspired us to

find new ways to foster efficient innovation across Government.

Our success in modernizing HR is testament to this. We have ac-

complished in 18 months what, not long ago, would have taken a

number of years.

According to the 2014 Survey of Government

of Canada employees, the level of satisfaction with

senior management remains low (about 50 percent of

respondents are satisfied on six critical issues). How

do you react to these results?

We always need to be looking for ways to improve the way we lead

at all levels. Obviously, this is a priority for us to address across

Government right now. And steps are being taken. For example, I

strongly believe that the implementation of TBS’s Key Leadership

Competencies will help senior management earn back the trust of

employees by developing a cadre of modern leaders who foster a

public service that is collaborative, innovative, streamlined, high

performing, adaptable and diverse.

If you could make ONE change to the leadership

structure, what would it be?

I would flatten our management structure. Based on our research

I believe that in addition to enabling faster decision making, de-

layering our management structure would foster agility and inno-

vation, improve communication, and provide management with

more proximity to employees which would improve employee en-

gagement and productivity. I also make it a personal priority to be

visible and connected with my employees. In fact, last year I went

across the country to meet all employees working for the CRA’s

HR function and I was thoroughly impressed by the engagement

and passion that they demonstrated in the many rich discussions

I had with employees at all levels.

What is your reaction to the triennial Employee

Survey of Government of Canada employees?

I think it’s one of the great tools that we can use to gauge how

we are perceived by our people. While we encourage our em-

ployees to engage with us in a variety of ways, through our daily

interactions, and various meetings, the PSES is another useful

way for us to measure if the work that we are doing to ensure

a respectful, efficient, and modern organization is being felt by

our employees. And if not, to identify the areas that require im-

provement.

People are a lot more satisfied with their immediate

supervisors. What’s your interpretation?

I’m encouraged that employees see their immediate supervisors

in a positive light. Employees and their immediate supervisors

have a different relationship than they do with their senior man-

agement. At the CRA we are focusing on giving our managers the

support they need to provide quality leadership to their teams.

Our CRA Managers’ Network provides our managers’ community

with a platform to have their collective voice heard by senior

management and facilitates collaboration and consultation. Our

senior management recently worked with the Managers Net-

work to develop an action plan that maps out the steps we will

take to better enable our managers to focus on their people-man-

agement duties. We have also placed efforts in the CRA on devel-

oping a Young Professional Network (YPN) and more recently, the

Executive Group Network (EXGN).

The same survey shows that employees are still

frustrated by how positions are filled. What can be

done about improving hiring in the Government of

Canada?

I am excited about the potential that HR data & analytics can

bring to help us do more effective, evidence-based hiring. Find-

ing out find out what makes the most productive employees suc-

cessful in their jobs will help us objectively establish the right

hiring criteria and evaluate candidates effectively. This will help

ensure we hire the right people — those with the skills for the

position, and the values and passion for a career with the pub-

lic service. We have conducted a Lean exercise on our staffing

process and have introduced technology to reduce red tape and

streamline the staffing process, end to end.

I invested in my professional relationships. I am a firm believer

that every employee has a unique contribution to bring to the

organisation and that no one should be judged by their rank or

level in an organisation.