Freddie Mac, the government-supported mortgage finance company taken over by the government 18 months ago along with Fannie Mae, is waiting for the Obama administration to come up with a plan that will revamp the two agencies along with the whole area of housing finance. Waiting in the wings to implement that plan is Charles “Ed” Haldeman, Jr., who was appointed CEO of Freddie Mac last July and has already moved ahead with a strategy to revive the somewhat demoralized 6,000-employee agency. During a recent interview with Knowledge at Wharton, he discussed his approach to managing people, his views on what’s ahead for the real estate sector, and why he feels the work that Freddie Mac does is “absolutely critical” to the country’s welfare. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Knowledge at Wharton: Charles Haldeman, thanks for joining us today. As we all know, the Obama administration is moving to develop a plan to reshape both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.…