Supervisors Have To Supervise

The frontline enforcers in any government, and indeed, the ones who have the greatest power to effect change, are the field supervisors. I'm talking here about office managers, shift leaders, OIC's, and all the other people who directly manage the workforce.

A supervisor's role is to make sure the employee knows his job, and that he performs his duties properly. If a traffic cop is not at his post, or is not working aggressively, his supervisor is responsible. If a city inspector is operating so independently that he is able to accept bribes, his supervisor is not supervising. Corruption doesn't usually happen behind closed doors. In all likelihood, the supervisor sitting in the next room knows what's going on and has a responsibility to take action.

A few years ago there was a scene in a movie in which a terrorist kept control of his hostages by threatening "If anyone moves, I will shoot you and the man next to you!" Any hostage who thought his neighbor was about to try something was quick to discourage the act, for fear of suffering the consequences himself. The point is, if you can't motivate the individual to behave responsibly, then motivate those nearby, by holding them accountable for the actions of their coworkers. If a supervisor knows, without a doubt, that he'll be penalized for the poor performance of his subordinates, I guarantee he will watch over their shoulders as they work. Nothing motivates people better than fear of consequences, and if you apply that motivation all the way up and down the chain of command, and demonstrate that you will actually hold people accountable, both for things they have done and for things they know have been done, you may find a working government buried beneath the bureaucracy.

Firmly holding managers responsible for the performance of their subordinates is a critical part of cleaning up the mess in this country. And the very top rung of this leadership ladder is in Malacanang.