What motivates regulatory leaders to improve their agency? And what does the ultimate agency look like? Learn why leaders choose to transform their agency, as well as the resources they use on their journey towards a model agency.
Tip: Take our quick Optimal Agency Quiz to see how you rate on the scale—from Capacity Building Phase 1
to Model Agency Phase 5.
According to Gallup in Great Leaders Have These Behaviors in Common, great leaders lead change. “Driving change is a shared responsibility that starts with leaders. Only leaders can provide a compelling vision that motivates employees and clarifies how they’re expected to propel growth.”
Great regulatory leaders strive to create a model regulatory agency—with some even listing that goal in their email signatures. Why? Regulatory agency leaders list several reasons that motivate them to achieve model agency status, including:
Dennis Seavers, Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Barber Examiners, explains why his agency strives to be a model agency. “Government agencies are in a position of trust, and we need to constantly prove ourselves worthy of that trust. The public trusts us to use our powers appropriately, safeguard sensitive data, protect the public from harm, handle finances with solid internal controls, and act transparently. By striving to be a model agency, an agency justifies the public’s trust. How could we tell the public: ‘We don’t try to be a stand-out agency because we think it’s enough to achieve a level of passable competence?’ Instead, we try to be a model agency because it gives us credibility with the public, with policymakers, and with auditors, and that reduces the sort of barriers and distrust that prevent us from achieving our goals.”
James Collins, a former director of the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, reflected on his motivation to improve the agency during an interview with the Council on Licensure, Enforcement & Regulation. “And I think that’s the thing that we really tried to focus on in these modernizations, that there are people’s lives on the other end of the applications that we’re getting these renewals, that we’re getting these licenses, investigations—there are literally people’s lives. People can’t work without the work that we do, and the public can’t be safe without the work that regulatory agencies do. So, the work is important.”
But what characterizes the model regulatory agency—something to strive for? Some earmarks of a model agency include:
Important resources for your agency on the path to the model agency include:
CLEAR:
The Council on Licensure, Enforcement & Regulation (CLEAR) offers regulatory leaders endless resources—from leadership trainings to educational podcasts—along with tips from industry leaders on the path to creating model agencies.
Gallup:
Gallup offers a depth of resources for leaders, including employee skills tests, management personality assessments and educational materials and research for the workplace.
Harvard Business Review:
The Harvard Business Review offers articles, videos, podcasts and events surrounding the most pressing topics facing business today.
GL Solutions:
Read an overview of the five phases of development for a model agency. Then, take our quick Optimal Agency Quiz to see how you rate on the scale—from Capacity Building Phase 1 to Model Agency Phase 5.
Other resources:
Missed any? Please reach out with your favorite resource to add to our list.
GL Solutions helps governments run, grow and adapt. To learn more, explore our website, call us at (971) 337-2659 or email us at hello@glsolutions.com.
