Photo by Ikhlasul Amal on Flickr.

The WMATA Board asked the executive search firm seeking a permanent General Manager to solicit input from the Riders’ Advisory Council on what they should be looking for.

The firm, Heidrick & Struggles, put together a survey for RAC members to fill out. The survey isn’t open to the public, but I’d like to hear opinions from you as well before I make my responses. Therefore, I’ve pasted the questions below.

Feel free to respond to any or all of them in the comments. I will factor your answers into mine, and I will also forward your responses on to H&S and the members of the WMATA Board.

  1. Overall, how satisfied are you with the workings of WMATA as an organization?
    • Extremely
    • Satisfied
    • Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
    • Dissatisfied
    • Extremely Dissatisfied

  2. What is the most significant challenge facing WMATA today? Please elaborate.

  3. What are other significant challenges facing WMATA today?

  4. How would you describe the culture of WMATA as an organization?

  5. In an ideal world, how should the Board for WMATA function?

    • The Board should be a Governing Board only
    • The Board should be a Managing Board only
    • The Board should be a hybrid of a Managing and a Governing Board
    • Other, please specify

  6. Describe the perfect working relationship between the General Manager and the Board of WMATA in terms of:

    • Reporting
    • Frequency of interaction with Board
    • Setting and managing expectations
    • Communications (internal and external)
    • Other

  7. What are the three most important responsibilities of the General Manager? Please also indicate what % of time should the person spend on each?

  8. WMATA’s previous General Manager was in the position for a relatively brief period of time. Why was his tenure so short?

  9. What, if anything, can be learned from his experience?

  10. What particular skill sets will the new General Manager need?

  11. What would be the optimal professional background for a leading candidate?

  12. Is ‘Transit’ experience critical for the next General Manager of WMATA? Why?

  13. Are there specific work experiences (other than ‘Transit’ experience) that are appropriate for a leading candidate?

  14. On what criteria will the new leader be judged after his/her first year?

  15. On what criteria do you expect the new leader will be judged after five years?

  16. Additional comments or suggestions?

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    Tagged: general manager search, transit, wmata

    David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.