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(U) Informal Survey Results: When Is a Job Worth Keeping?
FROM: Deborah Maklowski
IA Skill Community Advocate and NSA's Senior Intelligence Authority
Run Date: 05/13/2005
(U//FOUO) NSA has hired around 250 intelligence analysts over the past couple of years and
plans to hire hundreds more. What will determine whether these analysts stay and make a long
career at the Agency, or soon move on to other work? Deborah Maklowski, the Intelligence
Analysis (IA) Skill Community Advocate and NSA's Senior Intelligence Authority, pondered this
very question not long ago, and talked to some junior IAs to take a "highly unscientific survey"
of their views. Here's what she discovered:
(U) I queried a small group of IAs who've been at NSA fewer than 3 years to see what positive
factors keep them here, despite the availability of higher-paying jobs elsewhere, and what
negative factors might influence a decision to leave. They gave me a lot of good information,
which, distilled down, identified 3 key areas where success is imperative: the work, the
management, and the opportunities for continued development.
(U) The Challenge, Purpose, and Variety of the Work: This was everyone's number one
answer. People want and need to be challenged, to know that their work is making a difference
to the nation's security -- even if they can't go home and tell their families about it. They want
to work hard, they want to take responsibility, and they want to be given an amount of authority
and autonomy commensurate with that responsibility. They also like the fact that an intelligence
analyst at NSA can contribute in a wide variety of different ways, that an IA can be successful
whether he or she chooses to develop great depth in a subject or great depth in an analytic
discipline or methodology. They also see that continued advancement does not depend on giving
up the challenges of operational work for the challenges of management: they can work to their
own strengths and continue to develop expertise without necessarily reaching a promotion
ceiling. Of course, the obverse of this is equally true: being given work that is neither fulfilling
nor seen to be relevant will make them think hard about leaving, as will being forced to choose
between a satisfying job and continued advancement.
(U) Management and Communication: This was a very close second for everyone. Put
simply, the presence of good, enlightened management will make up for any number of lessthan-optimum working conditions -- like a brutal operational tempo, a cramped working
environment, or chronic lack of parking -- whereas the best benefits and amenities on the planet
won't compensate for indifferent or inept management. Supervisors and leaders who are open to
new ideas; who practice risk management rather than risk avoidance; who understand the value
of positive performance feedback; who keep the lines of communication open and make sure
that employees know what's going on at the higher corporate levels; who know how to share the
good jobs, the responsibility, and the credit; who recognize and reward excellent performance
and refrain from rewarding mediocre or poor performance; and who never, ever forget that
people come first: managers like that are the key to keeping your good analysts.
(U) Last, an accessible program of relevant and continuing education and training is highly
valued by the analyst employee. For instance, every intelligence analyst we hire who has fewer
than 5 years' cryptologic experience is placed into our IA Development Program (IADP) which,
to the best of my knowledge, is unique in the Intelligence Community. NSA also uses a construct
called a Professional Health Program (PHP) to serve as a roadmap for every IA 's continued
professional development. All employees can benefit from the Agency's many options for
continuing education offered by the National Cryptologic School and the After-Hours and
Advanced Studies (20/20) Programs, as well.
(U) For more information about the IA Skill Community and its professional development
programs, visit the IASC web page ("go iasc"); and for more information about continuing
education opportunities at NSA, visit ADET's External Training Index .
(U) Do you have comments about this topic? Please use the comments/suggestions function
below.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108