6. Good Management is Key

However, if the Public Service is losing more and more good officers, then it ought to be concerned. Good officers often leave because they have been poorly managed. The Public Service should nurture, develop, support and reward all good officers, including scholars, so that they feel appreciated and are motivated to stay. Since public servants cannot publicize their achievements, it is all the more important that they receive signals from within the service if they have done well.

Unlike the early days, when officers assume they are doing well if nobody yells at them, young officers nowadays like to be told upfront about their performance.

My sampling of the views of the younger officers suggest to me that they yearn for better communication from the top on crucial matters such as their next posting. They say they will accept unpopular postings better if they are given a hearing and it is explained to them how the job fits into their career development and what they can learn from it.

However, Lim Siong Guan, the former Head of Civil Service, had what I thought was a good rebuttal for scholars who griped about their postings. He used to tell them that going wherever the Public Service decided to send them was the best way to develop themselves. If they were to choose their postings, many would never get out of their comfort zone and so would not grow.

Our young scholars also seem to have difficulty relating how their actual work serves the bigger purpose of the Public Service. Some also expect to meet their Minister frequently. They should realize that they may not get to meet or work directly with the Minister in the early phase of their career.

It helps if present-day Ministers reach deep into the organization to seek the views of younger officers, as the first generation Ministers like Goh Keng Swee and Lee Kuan Yew used to do. But if that does not happen so often nowadays, then the supervisors of our young scholars must make up for it by giving them enough challenging work to sustain their interest and add meaning to what they do. Hence, good leaders who manage well are crucial at all levels of the Public Service. Better still if as leader cum manager they also mentor well, because I find that some young officers need someone in authority they can turn to for advice or just someone who can give him or her a sympathetic hearing. I believe that the time spent listening is often worth investing in.

Next: Less Scholarships, More Bursaries?