On the Season 3 close out episode, Dr. Shari Dade is joined by Dr. Maureen Marks! Dr. Marks began her VA career in 1992 as a psychology intern at the Cincinnati VAMC and was hired on as a permanent staff member in March 1996. Dr. Marks has served as Executive Director of the VHA National Center for Organization Development since January 2020. NCOD’s mission is to support leaders in creating highly engaged work environments, and it provides services across all of VA. She has been with NCOD since 2010 in various roles including Director of Organizational Health and Deputy Director. She served as Acting VHA Chief of Staff from May 2022 through June 2023.

In this episode, Dr. Marks shares wisdom and insight into ways stretch assignments can take leaders out of their comfort zones, challenging them to reach beyond their current capabilities and acquire new skills. Whether you're a seasoned executive looking for your next big challenge or an emerging leader eager to climb to the next step on the career ladder you’re in for a treat because this episode will explore the powerful role that stretch assignments play in the growth and development of leaders.

Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S3E10.pdf ===============================

Key Lessons:

1. If you are seeking a stretch assignment, be sure to have conversations that give you an understanding of what the role really is, what the vision for the role is, and if it is a vision that you care about.
2. If you find yourself terrified, then that's typically a good sign that you're about to step into something that's about to be an exciting adventure that you will really grow from.
3. For seasoned leaders who are questioning whether stretch assignments are what they need at this phase of their career, think about ways that you can be of service that you may have never considered before.

Please check out additional services here: VHA National Center for Organization Development - Home (sharepoint.com)