FEW NTP 2017: Empowering Women in the Federal Workforce
Written by: Michelle Clark
Management Concepts was a proud sponsor for the third year in a row for the 48th Federally Employed Women’s (FEW) National Training Program (NTP) held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 17-20, 2017. This year’s conference theme was “Investing in Our Future.”
The week was packed with practical training sessions, motivational keynote speakers, thought-provoking panels, and many opportunities to meet a diverse group of over 1,200 attendees from all over the country seeking professional development opportunities.
Management Concepts was excited to host two training sessions at the conference, led by our in-house experts in human capital and talent management, leadership and management, and organizational culture:
- Debbie Eshelman teamed up with Anna Mauldin to present “How to be Resilient During Chaotic Times.” This session drew from our training course, Fostering Accountability, Adaptability, and Resilience, which covers everyday techniques for thriving (and helping others thrive) in today’s complex, uncertain, and often chaotic environments.
- And Lahaja Furaha led a session titled, “Making Culture Change Stick,” which explored the strategies, processes, and a step-by-step roadmap for achieving meaningful and lasting culture change that enables and achieves mission objectives.
Lahaja Furaha with participants at her session on culture change.
Over 250 NTP attendees attended our sessions and presentations. And more than half the conference-goers visited our booth for giveaways, training catalogs, and meeting our presenters. And for the third-straight year, we honored winners of our Leadership Certificate Program Scholarships. The scholarships were awarded to:
- Lisa Watts, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of State
- Paula Sutton, Environmental Protection Specialist, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security
The conference schedule was full of valuable training, presentations, resources, and networking. Key topics and takeaways included:
- Fostering diversity and inclusivity are more important than ever, and can be addressed through mentoring opportunities, and engaging differences within teams and organizations to unlock greater performance and collaboration.
- Critical thinking and problem solving are crucial skills for today’s workforce, where problems are more complex and roles, systems, and processes seem to be in constant flux.
- Culture change is key, and will continue to be critical for successful adaptation to new systems, reorganized agency structures, and shifting career opportunities in the Federal workforce.
We’ll end this blog with a quote from FEW President, Wanda Killingsworth, “NTP presents networking opportunities to improve the quality of life for attendees, personally and professionally, and employees return to work refreshed and more committed and productive, creating a stronger workforce and less turnover.”
We agree—it happens every year at FEW’s NTP.
And we’re proud to continue partnering with and supporting members of FEW, through events, resources, and training—and we look forward to next year’s conference!
