Activities	Government executives determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of federal, sate, local, or international government activities. Plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate managers.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$165,080 per year in May 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and public or private-sector organizations.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, Management of Personnel Resources, Management of Financial Resources, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Writing, Negotiation, Mathematics, Systems Evaluation, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Systems Analysis
Abilities	Oral Expression, Fluency of Ideas, Deductive Reasoning, Originality, Speech Clarity, Inductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension

Job Category		Management
Job Description		All federal organizations have specific goals and objectives that they strive to meet. Top executives devise strategies and formulate policies to ensure that these objectives are met. They formulate policies and direct the operation of the government. Government chief executives, like their counterparts in the private sector, have overall responsibility for the performance of their organizations. Working with legislators, they set goals and organize programs to attain them. These executives also appoint department heads, who oversee the civil servants who carry out programs enacted by legislative bodies. As in the private sector, government chief executives oversee budgets and insure that resources are used properly and programs are carried out as planned.
Working Conditions		Top executives typically have spacious offices and support staff. Long hours, including evenings and weekends, are standard for most top executives and general managers, though their schedules may be flexible. Substantial travel between international, national, regional, and local offices to monitor operations and meet with customers, staff, and other executives often is required. Many managers and executives also attend meetings and conferences sponsored by various associations. The conferences provide an opportunity to meet with prospective donors, customers, contractors, or government officials and allow managers and executives to keep abreast of technological and managerial innovations. The working conditions of chief executives and legislators vary with the size and budget of the governmental unit. Time spent at work ranges from a few hours a week to 60 or more hours per week. Some jobs require only occasional out-of-town travel, while others involve long periods away from home. To summarize, top executives work indoors in environmentally controlled conditions. They spend a good deal of time sitting and standing. They are expect to be exact and accurate. They coordinate and lead their staff, and deal with conflict situations. They are responsible for the output of their organization and bear the consequences of error.
Salary Range		Earnings of public administrators vary widely, depending on the size of the governmental unit and on whether the job is part time, full time and year round, or full time for only a few months a year. Median annual earnings of chief executives in 2010 were $165,080; although chief executives in some industries earned considerably more. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $75,160, and the top 10 percent earned more than $166,400.

Education Required		The formal education and experience of top executives varies as widely as the nature of their responsibilities. Many top executives have a bachelor's or higher degree in business administration or liberal arts. Some top executives in the public sector have a background in public administration or liberal arts. Others might have a background related to their jobs, such as science and health. Top executives must have highly developed personal skills. An analytical mind able to quickly assess large amounts of information and data is very important, as is the ability to consider and evaluate the interrelationships of numerous factors. Top executives also must be able to communicate clearly and persuasively. Other qualities critical for managerial success include leadership, self-confidence, motivation, decisiveness, flexibility, sound business judgment, and determination. Managers who have experience in a particular field, such as science, may attend executive development programs to facilitate their promotion to an even higher level. Participation in conferences and seminars can expand knowledge of national and international issues influencing the organization and can help develop a network of useful contacts. Federal Service Executives have at least a bachelor's degree, and the majority hold a master's degree and a Ph.D or M.D. in a specific field of science or medicine. A master's degree in public administration is recommended, including courses in public financial management and legal issues in public administration. Working in management support positions in government is a prime source of the experience and personal contacts required to eventually secure a manager position. For example, applicants often gain experience as management analysts or assistants in government departments working for committees, councils, or chief executives. In this capacity, they learn about planning, budgeting, civil engineering, and other aspects of running a government.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, English, History, Chemistry, Government
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Law, Government and Jurisprudence, Education and Training, English Language, Psychology, Personnel and Human Resources, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics, Communications and Media, Economics and Accounting, Customer and Personal Service
Certification and Licensing

Interest Area		Enterprising Involves starting up and carrying out projects, leading people, making many decisions, and dealing with businesses, and it sometimes requires risk taking. Conventional Involves following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. There's usually a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Company Policies and Practices Treated fairly by the company. Variety Do something different every day. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities. Working Conditions Good working conditions. Activity Busy all the time. Autonomy Plan work with little supervision. Authority Give directions and instructions to others. Compensation Get paid well in comparison with other workers. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Social Perceptiveness Be aware of others' reactions and understand why they react the way they do. Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Management of Personnel Resources Motivate, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job Management of Financial Resources Determine how money will be spent to get the work done and account for these expenditures. Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Negotiation Bring others together and trying to reconcile differences. Mathematics Use math to solve problems. Systems Evaluation Look at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Complex Problem Solving Solving novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Systems Analysis Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Fluency of Ideas Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Originality Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. Speech Clarity Able to speak clearly so listeners understand. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

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Job Outlook		Keen competition is expected for top executive positions because the prestige and high pay attract a large number of qualified applicants. Because this is a large occupation, many openings will occur each year as executives transfer to other positions, start their own businesses, or retire. However, many executives who leave their jobs transfer to other executive positions, limiting the number of job openings for new entrants. Experienced managers whose accomplishments reflect strong leadership qualities and the ability to improve the efficiency or competitive position of an organization will have the best opportunities. In an increasingly global economy, experience in international economics, marketing, information systems, and knowledge of several languages also may be beneficial. Employment of top executives—including chief executives and general and operations managers—is expected to experience little to no change from 2010 to 2020. However, because these workers are essential to running companies and organizations, projected employment of top executives will vary by industry and will generally reflect the growth or decline of that industry. For example, job growth is expected in the fast-growing health services industry, while employment declines for top executives are projected for many manufacturing industries. The number of chief executives and legislators in existing governments rarely changes. However, some increase will occur at the local level as counties, cities, and towns take on professional managers or move from volunteer to paid, career executives to deal with population growth, Federal regulations, and long-range planning.
More Information		American Management Association, National Management Association, International Personnel Management Association
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Top Executives, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/top-executives.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/11-1011.00