Maximizing Resilience for Government Leaders

Government leaders across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial organizations are working in an increasingly difficult environment. Many are expected to deliver strong results with fewer resources, limited hiring flexibility, and growing pressure to retain talented employees. At the same time, they must manage new technologies, changing public expectations, and complex organizational demands. In this context, resilience means helping leaders and teams adapt to setbacks, recover from strain, and continue moving forward with clarity and purpose.

Hiring trends show that although government agencies operate under a leaner hiring framework since the hiring freeze has largely been lifted, the administration must consult OPM and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to maintain reduced overall headcount targets. New restrictions focus on reclassification to align all new hires with administrative priorities. In June 2026, an executive order was enacted, moving approximately 8,000 policy-influencing career employees (primarily GS-15 and above) into a new excepted service category, making these roles at-will appointments.

Current workforce trends on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) dashboard show a net decline of about 278,256 federal employees since January 20, 2025, reflecting retirements, resignations, layoffs, and other departures (OPM). In state and local government, a survey found that 54% of organizations expected the largest wave of retirements in the next few years (MSRI). For government leaders, these trends create real management challenges. Fewer staff and slower hiring can increase workloads, weaken institutional knowledge, and add to the complexity that senior leaders must manage every day.

One practical strategy is for organizations to invest in internal and external coaches to bridge the gap and help senior leaders think more clearly, manage competing demands, communicate effectively, and lead with confidence in complex situations. Coaching supports employees in their practical application of streamlining agency operations to maintain efficiency and implement constitutional frameworks. One-on-one coaching can also support retention by helping employees grow, stay engaged, and prepare for greater responsibility. In a period of hiring constraints and tighter resources, coaching is a way to strengthen leadership capacity, help organizations remain steady under ongoing pressure, and maximize resilience. Government leaders should continue to use coaching to develop leaders who can bounce back from setbacks, manage complexity, and guide their organizations forward.

References

·       MSRI (MissionSquare Research Institute). State and local workforce: 2024 survey findings. 2024, July. https://research.missionsq.org/content/media/document/2024/4/WorkforceSurveyReport2024.pdf

·       OPM (Office of Personnel Management). Workforce changes. Federal Workforce Data. 2026. https://data.opm.gov/explore-data/analytics/workforce-changes

·       OPM and OBM. November 2025. https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/guidance-on-executive-order-14356-ensuring-continued-accountability-in-federal-hiring.pdf

·       White House. Implementing schedule policy/career in the excepted service. June 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/implementing-schedule-policy-career-in-the-excepted-service/

Written by Dr. Judy Kruger, Ph.D., PCC

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