Where Did Candidates Acquire Knowledge and Skills?

This is just a teaser for how to examine candidate resumes, and only a beginning to assess general knowledge requirements. More specific knowledge requirements are yet to come.

Look at resumes for evidence of where presidential candidates acquired knowledge and skills. But first, what are voters looking for?

Having considered the job model for president of the United States, consider the associated knowledge, skill, and proficiency requirements.

For each task and associated subtasks, list the knowledge and skills to do the tasks as well as describe the required proficiency to perform them.

To accomplish this as rigorously as necessary, many voters will throw up their hands and exclaim how difficult it is to do that. Which is why political parties need to provide a service to their constituents to vet candidates with due diligence to ensure that candidates have superior qualifications. That doesn’t mean that voters can sit back and wait for the work to be done for them, because voters must monitor and be vigilant about the process. Today, the burden rests mostly on voters.

• Task
• Knowledge List
• Skill List
• Proficiency Description

Let’s try it.

Task 1: Planning, staffing, organizing, and scheduling Presidential work and government functions

Subtask 1.1: Recruit and staff the cabinet and department and agency appointments


Subtask 1.2: Conduct cabinet meetings to develop and implement strategies and policies for accomplishing the nation’s workload and issues

Subtask 1.3: Define the nation’s outcomes and priorities for each major department and agency to produce the nation’s strategic plan

T1 Knowledge (What)

• Planning
• Staffing
• Recruiting Cabinet positions
• Departments
• Agencies
• Organizing
• Scheduling
• Presidential work
• Government functions
• Conduct meetings
• Strategizing
• Policymaking
• Nation’s workload
• Government performance issues
• Required performance outcomes, as legislated
• Prioritizing
• Strategic planning

T1 Skill (Performing)

Evidence of having performed the same or similar tasks that required the knowledge above.

Managerial skills in a contemporary paradigm include the following:

•  Planning and scheduling
• Budgeting
• Strategizing
• Predicting and forecasting
• Decision making
• Sensemaking
• Integrating
• Collaborating and facilitating (aka organizing)
• Acquisition, logistics, procurement
• Financing
• Safety and security

T1 Proficiency

Evidence that the candidate has been successful at applying knowledge and performing these skills in a comparable environment.

Task 2: Develop the President’s management agenda and budget and reconcile with Congress

Subtask 2.1: Assume responsibility for the legacy agenda and make adjustments to align with the President’s management agenda or equivalent


Subtask 2.2: Work with cabinet heads to develop performance plans and schedules

Subtask 2.3: Work with Congressional leadership and collaborate to implement the nation’s strategy, plans, and programs

T2 Knowledge

Management agenda

Government budget cycle and process

Government legacy obligations

Performance review and planning

National strategies, policies, plans and programs

T2 Skills (As defined above)

T2 Proficiency (As defined above)

Task 3: Initiate and approve legislation

Subtask 3.1: Propose bills to Congress


Subtask 3.2: Consult and advise Congress


Subtask 3.3: Collaborate with industry and business leaders in the development of policies and regulations of all kinds Subtask

3.4: Approve or veto legislation
Subtask

3.5: Request a declaration for war from Congress

T3 Knowledge

Constitutional law and process

War planning

National Defense

T3 Skills

Collaboration and Consensus

Task 4: Implement plans and manage on-going operations

Subtask 4.1: Review and evaluate programs that include new acquisitions and on-going operations


Subtask 4.2: Evaluate programs including legacy processes and engineer new ones for accomplishing and producing required and promised outcomes

Subtask

4.3: Continuously improve

Task 5: Report progress and discuss issues with the American public to keep them informed

Task 6: Meet with heads of state and participate in international meetings and conferences for heads of state

Subtask 6.1: Participate in international economic conferences 

Subtask 6.2: Respond to international crises and requests for assistance


Subtask 6.3: Promote democratic process and reforms

You get the idea.

President Obama at Work