I got a few more emails this week from folks that want to attend Next Generation of Government Summit but don’t think they can get the budget approval.
Each time, I asked them if they had made a case yet to their boss and actually been denied and they said no and that they didn’t know how to make the case.
So I thought I’d write a template of ways to ask for approval. This is NextGen focused (and you should tailor to your own situation) but this skill is important to develop regardless if asking for training or a rotation or a promotion.
It’s a skill the next generation needs to develop – how to make the case and ask for what you want.
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Dear (boss)-
I’d like to attend training at the Next Generation of Government Summit (nextgengovt.com) on July 28-29th and wanted to get your approval.
I think this training will be useful in helping me do my job in the following ways:
1) Presentation skills – A big part of my job is presenting my work and analysis to senior management. I would love to improve these presentations both in terms of powerpoint skills and public speaking skills. There is a session hosted by Dave Ueijo of NIH on “How to be a Great Public Speaker” based on his experience briefing senior execs at NIH.
2) Time and project management – I’m excited to have so many great projects to work on. I would love to improve my ability to manage my time across projects and deliver great projects on time within budget. There is a great session on “Managing the work/life balance” which features a young SES who rose the ranks while attending college and raising two kids. Additionally, there is a session on “Project management 101″ featuring 3 great project managers from DHS to OPM.
3) Lessons learned from other agencies – For my current assignments, I know there are other agencies doing similar work and I’d love to learn and leverage best practices. During the event, there is a speed networking session where I’ll meet the other attendees plus I plan on meeting and following-up with the speakers. I will be able to bring these connections and lessons learned back to our agency.
After the conference, I plan to write-up an analysis of the sessions I attended and key takeaways for our team. I also could provide a short briefing in our weekly team meeting.
The cost to attend the training is $650. Based on the level of learning, I think this is a good value – similar conferences such as a course on “Time Management” at Learning Tree is $1,500. Plus, I’ve searched and found a coupon to save $55 (LoopedIn2011).
Thanks for considering my request. If you would like to discuss further, please let me know when a good time is for you this week.
Thanks!
-Steve
