SELP is a comprehensive program that provides leadership development, technical hands-on experience, leadership and technical training, benchmarking, mentoring, and coaching. The program’s basis for design is founded in The Art and Science of Systems Engineering [ Full | Short ], the NASA Systems Engineering Behavior Study, and Behavior Competency Model. The behaviors exhibited by NASA’s highly valued systems engineers fall into five broad themes with associated competencies and their observable behaviors: leadership, attitudes and attributes, communication, problem solving and systems thinking, and technical acumen. Strategic thinking and political savvy are two additional leadership skills identified by NASA’s follow-on study of technical executives and are also covered in SELP.
SELP provides engineers with an agency-wide perspective, hands-on engineering developmental assignments beyond what they can learn and experience at their home centers, advanced leadership skills development, and exposure to innovative government and industry-wide engineering concepts.
Since its inception, SELP has achieved a consistent 90 percent success rate of individuals transitioning into more complex and difficult positions upon returning to their organizations after completion of the program.
Systems and Engineering Leadership Program (SELP) graduates posing for a photo. From left to right front row: Evan Anzalone, Sarah N. D’Souza, Carla Haroz, Claudia Eyzaguirre, Susan Danley, Karma Snyder, Laura Kushner, K. Renee Horton. Back row: Ben Powell, Darren Baird, Miles Skow, Timothy Roberts, Andrew Rechenberg, George J. Williams, Jr.
Credit: NASA/Masha Berger
2022 SELP Graduation
In May, 2022, the Systems and Engineering Leadership Program (SELP) Class of 2022 celebrated 16 months of accelerated professional growth and cross agency discovery.
Watch each participant present their story below:
Leading for Results poster.
Credit: NASA
Program Components
- Hands-on Technical Assignments – Hands-on developmental assignments are a core requirement of SELP. Assignments are 9 months in duration at an assigned Center.
- Leadership Development Workshops – Workshops focus on leadership, attitudes and attributes, communication, political savvy, problem solving, and systems and strategic thinking
- Assessments – Assessment instruments are used to help participants gain a greater understanding of their strengths and areas for development
- Mentoring – All participants are assigned a mentor
- Center and Industry Benchmarks – Benchmarking with other NASA Centers and outside organizations to expand participants understanding/awareness of effective systems engineering and leadership choices
Why SELP?
- Technical assignments round out core SE competencies providing engineers with end-to-end life cycle experience
- Exposure to innovative SE Organizations (Government/Industry) drives innovative thinking
- Advanced Leadership Skills Development builds NASA’s future leaders
- Exposure to other NASA Centers breeds understanding, builds relationships, and offers new ways of doing business
- SELP Retention Rate is 98.4% since inception
- SELP develops SE Leaders faster than traditional training methods
Core Leadership and Engineering Programs
- Leading from the Inside Out – Orientation
- Leading for Results
- Leading with Strengths and Powerful Dialogue
- Leading through Powerful Communication
- Leading in a Dynamic Environment
- Leading with Presence – Re-Entry
- Using your Leadership Voice – Graduation