What are the attributes of a good, competent administrator? Management schools will list out several, but to my mind, being humane in dealing with people working in the organisation should be on the top of the list. An administration which is fair, transparent and humane will ultimately score over all else. I learned this lesson at the beginning of my long career in the civil service, and consider it as one of the most important attributes of managers even in today’s technology-driven approach to management.
I was a newly minted civil servant in the latter part of the 1960s when I got posted as the second-in-command in a large, politically charged field office, virtually thrown into turbulent waters to learn swimming. After the Chinese aggression, there was a palpable feeling of insecurity all over the country. Economy was in dire stress and inflation was climbing; and the salaries in the public sector were woefully inadequate. The atmosphere was propitious for self-seeking political interests to exploit the pervading frustration among the low-paid employees; and their influence was visible among the staff associations and unions alike. Strikes of different hues were the rule than exceptions. In fact, on the day I assumed charge, there was a “pen-down strike” and the activists of the union were prowling around to stop anyone from attending to work. Officers were their class enemies.
Though I started my new official life in a hostile environment, the mantra that I was trained to follow religiously was to be fair and transparent as much as the rule books would permit. Each day, meanwhile, turned out to be a day of unease, with the staff representatives trying their best to dominate aspects of administrative interactions. One of their tried and tested strategies was to shout personalised slogans against senior officials with a view to demoralising the weaker ones.
Devising hard-hitting slogans and shouting them to maximum effect was a creative work. There were a few vociferous staff who had specialised in the art. The slogans would be rhythmical, personalised and witty, except ro the ears of the victims! The best way to deal with such slogan-shouting was to ignore them; even better, if one could enjoy them for their lyrical impact! Among the ones who used to indulge in the histrionics was a tall, thin and angry-looking young man, roughly of my own age, figuratively spitting venom at the class enemies.
So, it was a surprise to me when, on an innocuous day, the angry young man came to my room unobtrusively and placed an invitation card on my table. I was a bit surprised that he had cast aside his class prejudices and come to invite me for his wedding. It struck me as unusual. Nevertheless, I thanked him and forgot all about it. I still do not know what made me, however, to go to the given address on the day of his wedding. It was a holiday, and perhaps, I had nothing particular to do. Being new to the place, I looked at it as an idle drive. But when I reached his house, what I saw made me feel sorry for him. His was a very small thatched hut proclaiming the extremity of his apparently poor financial circumstances.
The bridegroom seemed to have been totally taken by surprise to see me arrive, quite unexpected; and to his embarrassment, there were a few of his union colleagues also present. I wondered whether they would take him to task for inviting me for the wedding, a representative of the ruling class. In any case, my friendly gesture seemed to have made no difference and his dexterity in shouting slogans including against me continued unabated.
A few months later, there was an occasion to consider the appointment of a person closely related to the newly married activist as a low-paid employee in the office. Some of my staff, drawing attention to his nuisance-value, cautioned against offering the appointment; but to my mind, denying the job would have been unjust.
That was a turning point. The former agitator and class enemy turned out to be a valuable source of information on crucial occasions. On his own, the slogan shouting expert started providing valuable inputs on their agitation plans in advance which enabled the office to be prepared to face the adverse situations. I still do not know whether receiving such inputs was truly ethical; but the fact remains that it helped the administrative machinery to survive in a hostile atmosphere.
A career in civil service will offer several challenges as well as opportunities: to serve people, to be helpful and to work for the common good of society. But there is nothing more effective than treating every individual within the organisation as well as outside with fairness and compassion blended with firmness which will throw up opportunities to overcome hurdles. After all, as the Bard said, “Mercy is twice blessed: it blesses him that gives and him that takes!”
thayyil_sethumadhavan@yahoo.com
