FEATURE Spring 2025 // Canadian Government Executive / 17 of advice is always taken with a grain of salt. It rarely derails a sound and productive working relationship with the public service. When you hear such chatter, the best advice is: don’t overreact. Be professional, be prepared, be helpful, and be respectful. The new leader’s most pressing item is Cabinet selection - not who’s in which ADM role. Political staffing and public service staffing are items that will come later. What Not to Do - For Both Sides Public Service: • Don’t dismiss new ideas just because they weren’t tried your way. • Don’t talk down or imply “you don’t get how government works.” • Don’t take the attitude of “we’ve been here before you, we’ll be here after you.” • Don’t criticize the outgoing administration in front of the new one. It reflects poorly on you, and breeds trust issues that you’ll breach their confidence someday. Political Staff: • Don’t assume the public service is trying to block you - they’re trying to help. • Don’t treat policy execution as a given - everything takes work and compromise. • Don’t get frustrated by government process - realize these processes are likely in place to protect your team and the public. • Don’t waste time trying to find “your own people” before understanding the talent already in place. Why the Political Lens Matters A successful transition isn’t just about briefing notes and logistics. It’s about understanding the psychology of power change. New leaders arrive with a vision and a political narrative they’ve promised to voters. They need help executing, yes - but they also need validation that their ideas can be implemented. The public service cannot become political - but it does need to understand politics. Knowing the pressures, motivations, and challenges facing a new leader allows public servants to better support them in turning campaign promises into effective governance. The bottom line? Be informed. Be understanding. Be respectful. Be helpful. And a successful government transition will follow. Peter Miles is Vice President of Business Development at North Atlantic based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He served as Chief of Staff to Premier Andrew Furey and Deputy Chief of Staff to Premier Dwight Ball. The collection WHAT HAPPENED? The Decline of the Public Service in Democratic Governments is available at no charge, in both official languages, on the Donald J. Savoie Institute’s website at www.djsi.ca. “National political and administrative institutions are not faring as well as they did in years past. So, what happened? A team of top scholars from eleven countries have come together to answer the question from a comparative perspective. This collection of essays identifies similar challenges confronting national governments and their public services in North America, Europe and Asia, no matter the political system in which they operate.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDI0Mzg=