Editorial: Integrity shake-up must take heed of leadership lessons

Two recent examinations of how the world’s most powerful autocrats operate behind closed doors is a cautionary tale for our own system of government, writes the editor.

We have highlighted here before the vital lessons for leaders provided by the children’s fable The Emperor’s New Clothes.

That classic Hans Christian Andersen tale is, of course, about an emperor duped into believing that new clothes being “woven” for him were a test. If you could see the (fake) clothes, you are fit for service. If not, you are “stupid” and a fraud.

The story progresses as person after person is sent by the emperor to check on the work being done by the fake weavers – and each one, fearful of the consequences of telling the truth, reports that the clothes are looking ever more magnificent.

The story ends with the emperor stark naked in procession down the streets, his “new clothes” being cheered on by all until a little child breaks the spell by being the only one brave enough to tell the truth and points out that he actually “hasn’t got anything on”.

The fable is a reminder of the importance of not letting fear keep you from speaking up when you know something is wrong.

For leaders, it is a warning about the consequences if you fail to foster a culture where those around you tell you the truth. After all, the only person who walks down the street naked is the emperor himself.

And so far from a fairytale, this is a life lesson. And it is exactly the type of leadership Professor Peter Coaldrake advocated for earlier this year in his landmark review of the culture in the Queensland public sector – when he warned that “neither trust nor confidence are built if there is trepidation, even fear, in providing advice which might differ from the official line”.

When Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk commissioned the Coaldrake review she said: “It is always good to look at things with fresh eyes.” That attitude is, of course, central to the leadership culture Prof Coaldrake is promoting.

We can therefore only hope it is the way the Premier operates personally behind closed doors – for the sake of the state she leads.

A brief reflection on these leadership lessons is particularly prescient this week, with presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin of China and Russia both making headlines. Two recent examinations of how these two autocrats operate behind closed doors show why.

The first is from a new book by a former US deputy assistant secretary of state Susan Shirk, Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Ride. In the book Ms Shirk outlines the “stifling environment” in which policy is now made in Beijing, where President Xi discourages the airing of different viewpoints at meetings – and where much of his subordinates’ time is spent trying to outdo each other with praise for their leader.

The second is from an essay in Foreign Affairs magazine by former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev. He lifts the veil on the culture within the Russian foreign service – where not only do diplomats know to only report back to the Kremlin “how we had sold the world on Russian greatness, and demolished the West’s arguments”, but where any criticism of Mr Putin is withheld.

Mr Bondarev also reveals that it is well known within the Russian diplomatic corps that President Putin prefers subordinates who he considers to be “comfortable” to work with. That is, the ones who “always say yes to the president and tell him what he wants to hear”. The result? The failed Ukraine invasion.

Every leader should consider how they compare, and the risks to their legacy if they don’t learn the lessons.

WHEN A HOSPITAL ISN’T

Words matter. And so to call a health facility a “hospital” when it is not matters, too. So well done to the senior Metro North Health director who blew the whistle on the Palaszczuk government’s “satellite hospital” program in a staff briefing.

As we exclusively reveal today, the senior director was asked what the difference was between satellite hospitals and hospitals. She replied that the satellite hospital program was “a political direction and intent that was released in 2020, and is being driven strongly through the state government”.

That is, it was a political decision designed to convince voters in seven electorates that a re-elected Labor government would be building them a hospital when in fact – as the director says – “these are satellites to the hospitals, rather than hospitals in their own right.”

While open every day, the facilities “don’t work overnight and they don’t have beds”. That is, they are not real hospitals. It matters.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details available here