Department secretaries as ‘spark plugs’

And there they go!

It is like a horse race, and the secretaries in charge of the critical departments of government are off. They need to quickly show leadership and initiative, if not in the whole Cabinet, at least in the field of their department. This is a critical moment. Secretaries inherit departments with people, resources, strategies, systems, relationships, and shared values, and how to harness all of that quickly in the political arena is critical. Almost always, the department—any department—performs way below the expectations of the people. Often, there are tactical “wins,” but in the long view of our nation’s journey, these are only reductions in our losses.

The immediate tactical contest is about getting enough ideas and acknowledgment of a secretary’s team in key portions of the President’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 25. The President is the battlefield, and who gets featured in the Sona indicates how the Cabinet race is going. This is a preview of the running battle throughout the term of a Cabinet.

Secretaries must turn in sparkling performances. They should know their field enough to recognize challenges and opportunities, strengths and weaknesses, and formulate sound strategies through appropriate combinations of organizational and environmental elements.

What can secretaries do in six years, assuming they stay throughout the term of the President? A lot if they are the right appointees. They will hit the road running, their minds racing through all the ideas and proposals they have heard and discussed with relevant specialists and practitioners over the past 20 or so years. They will know the cutting-edge strategies that have worked for their counterparts in other nations. They know the magical systems in information and communication technology to enable solutions to wicked problems in their field of performance. They will be aware of the unsavory practices by which public funds are diverted or wasted on poorly conceived or well-conceived schemes to serve private rather than public purposes. They will already be alerted to the various booby traps along the way.

The appointment of secretaries not suited for their departments can reduce the effectiveness of that department by half. That reduction will come from the incomplete presence of mind—secretaries take too much time appreciating the decision options and making the best or optimal choices. This task requires proficiency. Without practice, fatal mistakes will take time, energy, and resources to reverse.

Secretaries must learn to speak the language of their organizations. Departments are highly specialized technical organizations, working through quaint symbols and shortcuts to get the work done.

Secretaries should take time to learn about their complex gargantuan departments. The physical layout of a department is key to understanding how the organization works, so the secretary must practice “management by walking about.” In addition, there is always some “secret” room or operation or portion of that whole infrastructure complex that they are unfamiliar with.

Department secretaries must understand existing systems and work routines before trying to change all of that with the flick of a finger. Organizations get terribly disoriented and unproductive by sudden changes.

It is easy to stay in the executive offices and never really know what happens throughout the department. Secretaries should get grounded and connected with the career people in the department. They should not interact only with the cordon sanitaire that they bring in. The staff will quickly size them up. Secretaries should come away from this process as leaders who listen and think strategically, not tactically. Show sincere appreciation of the strengths and challenges of the staff. The public is watching closely. They would like to know how departments are improving their lives. Secretaries must beam their performance to the broader public, providing them with ideas and hopes. Inspire insiders as well as outsiders.

Finally, be realistic. Secretaries must not be wide-eyed and open-ended. They must have an idea of what success is like for them. One must navigate using the lived example of some past successful secretaries, like my favorites: Onofre D. Corpuz, Jose P. de Jesus, Emilia Boncodin, Horacio Morales, and Rogelio Singson.

doyromero@gmail.com