How to spot a public-sector trailblazer
With public-sector cutbacks looming, there is a need for leaders who can deliver cost-effective change. In-depth interviews with 30 leading public-sector executives have identified what makes a “trailblazer” – someone who drives transformation in public services and delivers results.
HR must get these trailblazers on board, keep them motivated and ensure the organisation gets the most from their dynamism and commitment. That way, transformations will yield tangible benefits to local communities.
Basic tenets will have to be rethought though. There is no classic career background for trailblazers. They will challenge your norms, find unorthodox ways around obstacles and they will not follow rules. So what characterises them?
1 Appetite for responsibility
Trailblazers favour action over deliberation and have demonstrated it in their first few roles. They put themselves in harm’s way, back their own judgment, and stick to their guns even when doubted. Trailblazers seize chances rather than engaging in extensive consultation.
2 Powerful visionaries
Trailblazers know what they want to achieve. They are imbued with a tangible desire to help others and make a difference to people’s lives. They mobilise and align resources behind objectives, and refuse to be put off by opposition or bureaucracy.
3 A sense of vocation
What sets trailblazers apart from the cream of private-sector talent is their burning sense of vocation – a desire to help others and make a difference to people’s lives. Their strengths lie in strategic leadership, managing transformational change and teamwork. When faced with tough decisions they act in line with their values, even when it might have been easier to do otherwise. Private-sector stars are stronger in rigorous analysis, commercial appreciation and implementation.
4 Personally driven
Trailblazers are hard workers. They have put in the hours and overcome adversity and obstacles, all the while demonstrating a desire to learn from life. Career paths have been erratic, full of opportunism and courage. They know what it feels like to be the underdog, and that spirit has stayed with them.
5 Infectiously optimistic
They look to the upside and keep a smile on their face. Classically, trailblazers have faced career setbacks and were doubted by others. But all it did was galvanise them, causing them to dig deeper. This brought about above-average levels of tenacity and persistence.
6 Rule breakers
Typically unconventional, and unconstrained by established practices, trailblazers know which rules must be followed and which can be bent, or pushed to the limit. They are constantly in search of better or quicker ways of doing things. They show the ability to grapple with complexity, they prioritise ruthlessly and innovate constantly in order to cut a path through the jungle of inertia created by the democratic context. Trailblazers find a way
through, where others, despite the best intentions, become marooned.
7 An understanding of people
Trailblazers know how to influence others, working out what motivates them, their hopes and fears. They delegate and trust, knowing they will only achieve audacious goals through leveraging the talents of others as well. Above all, they stay humble, attributing their success to those around them.
Key points
- Trailblazers have a powerful vision for what they want to achieve; they refuse to be diverted by opposition or bureaucracy.
- They differ from high-flyers in the private sector through their sense of vocation, strategic leadership and insistence on acting in line with their values.
- They succeed by understanding and trusting others. In these difficult times, the challenge for HR is to identify, attract and develop these rare talents.