Today’s leaders in public service and government-owned companies are those who joined the government a few decades back, but with the current trend of talent looking for opportunities in the private sector, there may be problems a few years hence. The afternoon plenary at the India Economic Summit on Monday saw speakers converge on the need to restore the lure of politics and public office. “We have talented people for whom public service is gradually losing its attractiveness, with the best and brightest getting into various jobs. Three decades ago it was different,” observed Arun Jaitley, BJP leader and Member of Parliament.
The talented young people no longer strive to lead their nation’s government; they strive to run their nation’s largest companies and earn the highest pay checks. Companies need to respond to this imbalance by creating rotation between business and government, and encouraging employees to consider public office as part of their career development, even a key performance indicator when climbing the corporate ladder.
“The private sector needs to encourage the movement of talented individuals into the public sector,” said Dennis Nally, chairman of PwC International and a co-chair of the Summit. “There needs to be an expectation that, to progress in an organisation, you should have this kind of experience — either on secondment or rotation.”
Jaitley emphasised the need for the government to break away from some conventions to seek leaders from the private sector, though he cautioned against family name being a person’s qualification to enter public life. “India seems to be accepting the principles of caste and dynasty, which are replacing meritocracy,” he said.
Pointing out three ways of entering public life, he said either one had to be born into the right family, rise from the ranks or make a lateral entry by virtue of having made some contribution in some other sphere of life. “It is the third element that needs to be broadened, since they make a difference,” he added.
Oyun Sanjaasuren, a member of Mongolia’s Parliament and a former mining professional, said the governments needed to abandon the assumption that the promise of power draws the best talent. They must adopt the same tools corporations use to attract and retain talent. “Governments think they don’t have to actively attract talent. They believe they are just innately attractive to leadership,” she said.