Political leadership: a crisis of competence?

Following the reports of shouting and swearing by government ministers in their dealings with civil servants, it struck me that so many politicians are promoted into positions where they have very little experience, but - perhaps even more importantly - even fewer of the necessary leadership skills or emotional intelligence to manage a small team let alone a government department.

In business, significant budgets are set aside to identify potential future leaders and invest in their development.  Much time is spent on monitoring performance and providing feedback and coaching. The process of development takes time.  Ministers are often accelerated through the ranks of political parties, and placed in roles for which they are both under-experienced and under-trained.  Given the importance of their responsibilities, as well as the depth both of experience and knowledge of the administrators with whom they are paired, it is not surprising that one former minister described the experience of turning up in their new department as being “very much like the first day at primary school.”  He went on: “there is no manual or training guide”.

It is not surprising that they feel out of their depth, yet instead of asking for support, the desire to appear powerful often supersedes the more authentic desire to ask for help.  Shouting is therefore consistent with the behaviour of a leader who has no other tools at their disposal but the exercise of fear and threat. Sadly, this is usually manifest when someone feels a sense of inadequacy but is not able to express any sense of vulnerability. 

True leadership is about being open about one’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities and ensuring that one surrounds oneself with people who are able to compensate for them.  Ministers have advisers and civil servants who can play an important role in this respect, but - and this is crucial - the politician must be willing to listen and potentially compromise when faced with the wisdom and experience of a 3rd party presenting cogent evidence why a policy might not be workable.

Government on both sides of the Atlantic seems intent on surrounding itself with yes-men and women.  Effective decision-making depends on diversity of opinion. Without constructive discussion, the likelihood of making poor choices increases significantly.  Expertise is being scorned in favour of allegiance. This is a poor breeding ground both for humility and rational problem-solving.

People go into politics for a variety of reasons; some genuinely wish to become public servants - serving the people not only with whom they work, but the wider community.  The concept of political servant leadership is not new - it was most famously stated by JF Kennedy - but the recent exacerbation of tribalism appears to place ideology not only above competence and expertise but also above the whole concept of the politician as pubic servant.  

If we are to survive the existential threat of Climate Change and the more immediate threats to our economy and society of Brexit and its concomitant upheaval, we need to re-embrace competence and expertise.  We also need to awaken a new generation of politicians for whom public service and ability is more important than ideological intransigence.

Any views and opinions which I express here are mine and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer or company.