Maintaining & Developing Leadership Competence

Nitzan Nuriel believes the State of Israel should set up a professional enrichment program for drilling the various cabinets that would be assembled following the elections, so that a professional and controllable process will accompany all of the decision-making processes facing us in the future

Maintaining & Developing Leadership Competence

Prior to the general elections in 2012, I published a column calling the newly elected Members of Knesset to invest some time in a professional enrichment program that would qualify them to do their jobs more effectively and even suggested a mechanism that could lead such training processes.

Regrettably, in effect, too little has been done, so ignorance and populism were often perpetuated in preference to the professional facts that should provide the platform for decision making. Back then, I argued that it is an impossible task to switch from the status of a candidate in the primary elections to the status of a Member of Knesset without any basic training. For example, Members of Knesset should familiarize themselves with the platform of the agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians, so that they may not throw into the air groundless “suggestions”.

This time I would like to attempt and set up an orderly process for drilling the various cabinets that would be assembled following the elections, so that a professional and controllable process will accompany all of the decision-making processes facing us in the future.

The recent “Sony Pictures – North Korea” incident is a relevant current example of the need to train and drill the decision makers in the proper ways available to them for handling such incidents, so that they may prepare for such complex incidents and not just “run into” them when they actually occur.

From early childhood we are taught that anything we neglect to practice and put to the test again and again is likely to be conducted incompetently instead of professionally, as a “random chance” attempt rather than as a structured, orderly process. For this reason, we drill our children in the proper way of crossing a street, for this reason paramedics practice the insertion of infusion catheters countless times and our pilots practice endlessly to maintain their competence. At this time, I do not address the question of how to establish the basic competence to begin with – whether through war games, scenario analysis or simulations – but rather the very need to improve that competence through practicing and drilling. In this particular field, there are structured concepts and methodologies applied by numerous organizations worldwide, with academic involvement or under the leadership and guidance of experienced, senior professionals.

But, lo and behold – our most substantial elements, the Government of Israel and the various cabinets, seem to know it all only too well, so they exempt themselves from the need to practice.

Just for full disclosure, when I served as Head of the National Counterterrorism Bureau (2007-2012) and was responsible for the national defensive effort against the cyber warfare threat, we realized that national-level practice sessions were required so that the relevant forum will be aware of what it faces. Indeed, we prepared a series of practice activities which made a substantial contribution to the understanding of the issue. However, we were unable to get the cabinet involved in the situation appraisal or alternative analysis processes. In order to correct this distortion, I hereby suggest that all those running for national leadership positions present a structured plan for how they intend to ensure an orderly, proper oftraining and practicing so as to improve the competence of the cabinet they aspire to lead.

The Israeli Government conducts its activities through the government secretariat mechanism generally and the Government Secretary in particular. This is the mechanism that ensures proper conduct and effective performance. It would be right to embed the element of practice and drilling in the activity routine of the government and its various committees, so that this significant element becomes an integral part of the standard operating procedures and never be the subject of trends and whims.

To quell any doubts, the fact that someone had served as Prime Minister for a number of years does not mean that he actually acquired the competence and knowledge required in order to manage crisis situations in an orderly and methodical manner, through structured, instructive practicing and drilling. It has already been said that successful preparations for the exercise are 90% of accomplishing the required achievements of the exercise. In this respect, too, I believe that the National Security Staff should have the responsibility and capability to organize and conduct national-level training exercises intended to improve the decision-making capabilities of the cabinet, in the context of a structured and budgeted annual plan, and the sooner – the better.

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