Parker leads IRS Chief Counsel's legal processing staff to success

Wednesday - 2/27/2013, 2:20am EST


"Being an old building, all of the mechanicals are in the basement, so the building was completely shut down," said Michael Parker, director of the Legal Processing Division of the Chief Counsel of the IRS.


Michael E. Parker, director, Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service (Photo by Michael O'Connell)

"The Tax Court was not affected by the flood and they could have cared less that we were affected," Parker said. "And also, [the documents] go out through the almost 50 field offices that handle Tax Court litigation, where we have to get to. They weren't affected, so we had to ensure that we could set up quickly and continue processing these documents."

In her nomination of Parker for a Top Leader award, LaNita Van Dyke, chief of the Chief Counsel's Publications & Regulations Branch, wrote:



"The Tax Court documents were processed timely with no adverse effect," Van Dyke wrote. "During the six-week period in this makeshift office, more than 15,000 Tax Court documents were processed timely. This entire process of relocating the office occurred two more times within a four-month period. Once to another temporary building and then back to our permanent office facilities. Through his leadership and his internal drive to not fail, he ensured that each time the office was, again, quickly established with no adverse effect on operations."


"The most important thing is you've got to take care of the people that you have responsibility for and that comes in a variety of ways. From ensuring they have the resources to do their jobs, to helping them to resolve any issues that they may have, to ensuring that they understand the vision of the organization and what's expected of them to make sure we're successful," he said.

What qualities do you admire in a good leader?


What is your leadership philosophy?

Parker: My leadership philosophy is based on caring for those you are responsible for, which usually breeds success. I follow the tried and true method of management-by-walking-around. This is not to try and micromanage, but to give me an opportunity to interact with the staff on a more personal basis, and not just business. I attempt to learn a little something about each person, be it how many children they have, what's the name of their pets, where did they go on vacation, is there anything I can do to make their life at work better, etc. I have found that this method makes the staff more comfortable around me and are more willing to identify issues that may be affecting their work environment. Also, individuals are less timid to make recommendations on how to make things better. Unless it's an idea that obviously is not doable, I'm generally acceptable to try their ideas, with the understanding that if it doesn't work out we can go back to the old method. Lastly, I let the staff know that they will be held accountable for their performance, and will be either rewarded for outstanding performance or appropriately dealt with for poor performance.

Who inspired you as a leader when you were younger?

Parker: While in the Army, there were two officers that, to this day, I try to emulate. The first was Chief Warrant Officer B.J. Schreiber, a legal administrator I worked for while assigned to Staff Judge Advocate's Office, Fort Gordon, Ga. I learned from Mr. Schreiber that there is never any problem too big to resolve and to accept all challenges with a smile. No matter what the issue that was presented to him, his first response was never "no, it can't be done." He always responded with "let me see what I can do" and seldom was he not able to resolve an issue. And, if he couldn't, he generally recommended an alternative solution.

The second is Capt. Clifford Rock, who I worked for while assigned to a unit in Athens, Greece. Capt. Rock, a West Point graduate, epitomized what a military officer should be, the type of leader you would easily follow into combat without a second thought. Though he was as tough as they come, he was not afraid to show that he deeply cared for those under his command. He was someone you didn't want to disappoint because doing so would be devastating to me. This is where I learned that a leader's first responsibility had to be taking care of subordinates, regardless of the cost.

Who do you admire as a good leader now? Why?




  • Don't be afraid to make decisions or to fail, but ensure you have significant information before making decisions.
  • Don't procrastinate in dealing with problems because problems generally just don't go away but become bigger by ignoring them.
  • Lastly, don't be a micromanager. This is one way to quickly demoralize a staff. They were hired to do a job, let them do it.

What's the most challenging part of being a leader?

Parker: For me, it's been having to deal with a very non-supportive boss. But, in general it's recognizing that people are different and to adapt your leadership style accordingly.

What is the most rewarding part of being a leader?


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