Salma Shah was a Conservative Special Adviser in government 2014-2018 and is now a political commentator.
One of the most important yet overlooked skills in politics is the ability to attract talent. For both Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch, those they choose to surround themselves with matters.
Political leaders are often hobbled by lack of choice; their colleagues are self-selected, and their civil servants not only pre-date but often outlast them.
The only real choice they have is the advisers they pay, so it must be done with care and careful consideration. It’s surprising then, neither main leader has a strong, well-defined recruitment strategy.
Looking backwards for talent rarely turns out to be the right answer, and yet Starmer has already recruited for his reset many Blairites, old hands racing in returning to Number 10 to lend credibility to the operation, whilst Badenoch continues to appoint former MPs to big, back-room jobs on her team. Retreads, it seems, are all the rage.
Recruiting in Westminster is undeniably hard work: the talent pool is limited, it is not attractive to those that value a work-life balance, and there is no vast array of riches awaiting your success.
It’s an abnormal set up, difficult to navigate, often mirroring a royal court with all its intrigues and patronages than a streamline corporate structure. What you imagine as the West Wing is actually more Wolf Hall.
Despite this, there are stars out there and leaders themselves have to go in search of them. Hiring cannot be delegated. The burden is at the top to have passion and a sense of mission that inspires people to take the leap of faith (and a likely pay cut). People that come to Westminster start as idealists and tend to want to work for a person with an idea.
In turn the leader needs to be specific about what they need. Are they trying to challenge their own prejudices or reinforce them? Do they need expertise? Do they know their own weaknesses? Are they honest enough to ask themselves that question? Leaders have to know where they are headed before they can hire the people they know can help them deliver it.
Recruitment in business is different, as the pace of politics is break-neck. There isn’t always the time to go through long processes of arduous interviews and tests but there are principles to share. Business thinks long term, but in politics recruitment decisions are often taken on fleeting notions of what a team needs.
Leaders should assess where they want to be in three years and recruit, accordingly, not hire the campaigner du jour. They should understand what they lack and be scrupulous in finding the right skill set to fill that gap and, most importantly, they should consider what type of culture they want to foster. What do they want people to say about their team?
The people you hire create the environment for success. But the recent examples aren’t always helpful models. David Cameron’s ‘chumocracy’, Theresa May’s ‘command and control’, and Boris Johnson’s ‘chairmanship’ each had their strengths: loyalty, discipline and freedom. But there is always a flip side: arrogance, belligerence, and chaos.
In Badenoch’s case, challenging orthodoxy and seeking radical solutions will require a different crop of adviser, those that share her views but perhaps, with a strong and strident leader, someone also able to speak truth to power and be heard.
She has spoken about her current team in a recent interview with her old mentor Michael Gove, now Spectator Editor, and Katy Balls:
“…the ‘biggest difference’ so far between being a secretary of state and leader of the opposition is that the role is ‘actually a lot less lonely’. ‘We are creating an office in our image and our mindset and that’s different to going into the civil service and government departments.’
“The man helping her to shape that image is her chief of staff, Lee Rowley, the former North East Derbyshire MP who was one of the 175 Tories to be booted out of the Commons at the last election. ‘He is pretty much my closest friend in politics, so I have my friends with me,’ Badenoch says. ‘I have always wanted to make copies of myself – you know, when you are so busy – and it’s like having another me there. It’s absolutely brilliant.’”
Now I’m not picking fault with any individual here, or responding directly to this example, but, of course, advisers merely advise and as recent history has shown us, in general terms, for whichever party, the selection of these roles can potentially make or break a leadership. A misstep in recruitment can cost dear.
We only need to cast our mind back a few months to Sue Gray, a square peg being stuffed into a round hole, or Dominic Cumming’s attempt to hire ‘misfits and weirdos’ into a closed establishment setting.
Whilst some people make sense on paper, there is a delicate balance of chemistry and personality that has to fit and a clarity on who calls the shots to get the equilibrium right. And despatching poor fits is inevitable and should be done early. Not every hire however promising or talented will be the right one.
Political recruitment is wrongly an emotional exercise rather than an intellectual one. There are advisers who tend to offer opinions rather than advice. They are driven by their own belief or ideology and loyalty is often prized above all things, erroneously.
John Mcternan a former Blair aide, often refers to these types as ministerial ‘comfort blankets’, which may make you feel better but don’t always get you to your goal. Of course in this highly pressured you value trust – but trust in what? In their ability to deliver, or their ability to flatter your ego?
There has to be a mix of expertise, experience and judgement and everyone needs to bring their own unique skill to the table. Particularly in LOTO’s office where it’s not just the leader you need to satisfy but create a sense of camaraderie to support that mission. Feeling like you’re a part of something on the cusp of achieving something is an incentive money cannot buy for the budding politico.
There is no such thing as a perfect team; there isn’t a handy list of requirements to satisfy that gets you to victory. These entities are painstakingly built and they are dynamic things. People will fall out, there will be things that the team gets wrong but any team can do a lot if they believe in the cause and are clear on the mission.”
Salma Shah was a Conservative Special Adviser in government 2014-2018 and is now a political commentator.
One of the most important yet overlooked skills in politics is the ability to attract talent. For both Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch, those they choose to surround themselves with matters.
Political leaders are often hobbled by lack of choice; their colleagues are self-selected, and their civil servants not only pre-date but often outlast them.
The only real choice they have is the advisers they pay, so it must be done with care and careful consideration. It’s surprising then, neither main leader has a strong, well-defined recruitment strategy.
Looking backwards for talent rarely turns out to be the right answer, and yet Starmer has already recruited for his reset many Blairites, old hands racing in returning to Number 10 to lend credibility to the operation, whilst Badenoch continues to appoint former MPs to big, back-room jobs on her team. Retreads, it seems, are all the rage.
Recruiting in Westminster is undeniably hard work: the talent pool is limited, it is not attractive to those that value a work-life balance, and there is no vast array of riches awaiting your success.
It’s an abnormal set up, difficult to navigate, often mirroring a royal court with all its intrigues and patronages than a streamline corporate structure. What you imagine as the West Wing is actually more Wolf Hall.
Despite this, there are stars out there and leaders themselves have to go in search of them. Hiring cannot be delegated. The burden is at the top to have passion and a sense of mission that inspires people to take the leap of faith (and a likely pay cut). People that come to Westminster start as idealists and tend to want to work for a person with an idea.
In turn the leader needs to be specific about what they need. Are they trying to challenge their own prejudices or reinforce them? Do they need expertise? Do they know their own weaknesses? Are they honest enough to ask themselves that question? Leaders have to know where they are headed before they can hire the people they know can help them deliver it.
Recruitment in business is different, as the pace of politics is break-neck. There isn’t always the time to go through long processes of arduous interviews and tests but there are principles to share. Business thinks long term, but in politics recruitment decisions are often taken on fleeting notions of what a team needs.
Leaders should assess where they want to be in three years and recruit, accordingly, not hire the campaigner du jour. They should understand what they lack and be scrupulous in finding the right skill set to fill that gap and, most importantly, they should consider what type of culture they want to foster. What do they want people to say about their team?
The people you hire create the environment for success. But the recent examples aren’t always helpful models. David Cameron’s ‘chumocracy’, Theresa May’s ‘command and control’, and Boris Johnson’s ‘chairmanship’ each had their strengths: loyalty, discipline and freedom. But there is always a flip side: arrogance, belligerence, and chaos.
In Badenoch’s case, challenging orthodoxy and seeking radical solutions will require a different crop of adviser, those that share her views but perhaps, with a strong and strident leader, someone also able to speak truth to power and be heard.
She has spoken about her current team in a recent interview with her old mentor Michael Gove, now Spectator Editor, and Katy Balls:
“…the ‘biggest difference’ so far between being a secretary of state and leader of the opposition is that the role is ‘actually a lot less lonely’. ‘We are creating an office in our image and our mindset and that’s different to going into the civil service and government departments.’
“The man helping her to shape that image is her chief of staff, Lee Rowley, the former North East Derbyshire MP who was one of the 175 Tories to be booted out of the Commons at the last election. ‘He is pretty much my closest friend in politics, so I have my friends with me,’ Badenoch says. ‘I have always wanted to make copies of myself – you know, when you are so busy – and it’s like having another me there. It’s absolutely brilliant.’”
Now I’m not picking fault with any individual here, or responding directly to this example, but, of course, advisers merely advise and as recent history has shown us, in general terms, for whichever party, the selection of these roles can potentially make or break a leadership. A misstep in recruitment can cost dear.
We only need to cast our mind back a few months to Sue Gray, a square peg being stuffed into a round hole, or Dominic Cumming’s attempt to hire ‘misfits and weirdos’ into a closed establishment setting.
Whilst some people make sense on paper, there is a delicate balance of chemistry and personality that has to fit and a clarity on who calls the shots to get the equilibrium right. And despatching poor fits is inevitable and should be done early. Not every hire however promising or talented will be the right one.
Political recruitment is wrongly an emotional exercise rather than an intellectual one. There are advisers who tend to offer opinions rather than advice. They are driven by their own belief or ideology and loyalty is often prized above all things, erroneously.
John Mcternan a former Blair aide, often refers to these types as ministerial ‘comfort blankets’, which may make you feel better but don’t always get you to your goal. Of course in this highly pressured you value trust – but trust in what? In their ability to deliver, or their ability to flatter your ego?
There has to be a mix of expertise, experience and judgement and everyone needs to bring their own unique skill to the table. Particularly in LOTO’s office where it’s not just the leader you need to satisfy but create a sense of camaraderie to support that mission. Feeling like you’re a part of something on the cusp of achieving something is an incentive money cannot buy for the budding politico.
There is no such thing as a perfect team; there isn’t a handy list of requirements to satisfy that gets you to victory. These entities are painstakingly built and they are dynamic things. People will fall out, there will be things that the team gets wrong but any team can do a lot if they believe in the cause and are clear on the mission.”