Sylvia's Journal

After our meeting with our donor I had my performance review with my boss, sitting in the back of a pick up truck. By the time we arrived at the office I had my rating (meet expectations) which will be communicated with HQ to determine my salary increment. It is not easy to get the higher ratings of ‘exceed expectations,’ let alone the highest one of ‘outstanding.’

I would of course have liked to get an ‘exceeded expectations,’ but I am not sure anyone knows what can be expected of me, here, in the nebulous arena of capacity building in management and leadership. My conversation with my boss, as well as my own preparation for this, had highlighted again how difficult it is to be in the business of ‘building capacity’ at the most senior levels of a government bureaucracy in a place where there’s a bit of a leadership crisis, not just in the ministry but everywhere in this country, from top to bottom.

The dilemma in my job is that it is easy to improve leadership and management in a place that is well led and well managed; such places don’t need us of course. But here, where management skills, even at the highest levels, are inshort supply and where there is essentially a leadership vacuum, combined with much activity at various levels that cannot withstand scrutiny, there is only so much we can do.

We can, and we do suggest or, if we have a boss’ blessing, put into place processes, procedures, create plan templates, facilitate planning meetings and all that, but we cannot make the boss hold his (rarely her) staff accountable for results, get rid of dead wood or manage politically well connected non performers.

As outsiders who are not holding many strings, we can tell our superiors about corruption stories (oh there are so many, and such clever ones: donated hospital blankets sold in the bazaar while the old hospital blankets are cut in two so that the numbers add up; or old rancid oil used for cooking the hospital food while the fresh oil is sold in the bazaar) – but we can’t do much about it.

Some people at the highest levels are sincerely trying to stamp such practices out while others have a stake in not succeeding. The only way to not get too depressed about is to soldier on and hope that the honest higher ups will eventually prevail and lightning will hit the dishonest ones.

Another dilemma I was confronted with today is about speaking out as a kharidja, a foreigner, whose voice and opinion is more respected (say some people). I am encouraged to be more forceful and forthcoming with my opinion while at the other hand building the capacity of my staff to be listened to and respected. In my view the former undermines the latter and so I tend to be more of a coach than the provider of expert opinion.

And of course everything everyone tells me is only an opinion that may, or may not be shared by nil or thousands.