The general office is a key department within a unit, system, and organ. How the work of general offices is conducted has a great impact on the work of the Party committees and even an entire region. Therefore, leaders in every location are concerned with and show great care for the work of their general office. “Planning takes place within the tents of command, victory is achieved thousands of miles away.”[1] If the general office is well run, we can guarantee that all work will be smoothly carried out.
I previously worked as a secretary in the General Office of the Central Military Commission, so I am a colleague of you all. I later worked in county, city, and prefecture Party committees and governments, and I am intimately familiar with their relationships to their general offices. From my experiences, I have learned that there are four words that best describe the work of the general office:
First is “important” – the position is an important one. The work of the general office can be summed up in three parts: playing a policy advisory and brain trust role; serving those both above and below them; and secret and confidential work. All of these are important tasks. In 1975 Deng Xiaoping said while talking about rectification that these people are critical to the work in any given place: director of the general office, chief of the public security bureau, and head of the organization department. This shows the importance of the work of the general office. Since it advises decision-making, the general office always works closely with the leading authorities. When done well, advisory work can advance the smooth implementation of Party principles and policies. When not done well, it will impact the big picture and even lead to serious consequences. Within a work unit, the general office is the gatekeeper for the core secrets of leading authorities, and any leaks will harm the Party and the nation. Even something like a leak of confidential personnel information from our prefecture would impact the unity of the leadership and stir up emotions. The general office also serves as “a window” to the outside. The impressions grassroots officials and visiting officials make of our prefecture and leaders are related, to a great extent, to the work of the general office. When the quality of work is outstanding, people will say that this place does good work. If office personnel do sloppy work or take on brash attitudes, people will think that the work done in this place must be a mess. Therefore, the work of the general office is closely related to the overall work.
Second is “hard” – office work is not a walk in the park. Everyone working in the general office experiences hardships, with in-trays that are never empty, frequent calls to work overtime, and even working through the night. Even the arrival of Saturday does not guarantee free time. Secretaries rushing to meet deadlines have it even harder, as their work is extremely intense and the workload is particularly burdensome. Liu Zhen[2] of the Eastern Han Dynasty described such work vividly in a poem, “Writing all day without stopping to eat, skipping dinner when the sun goes down; after burying my head in books all day, I return home with eyes in a daze.” Such is a secretary's life.
Third is “complex” – the job is quite complicated. Work in the general office ranges all the way from top-level affairs of state and important decisions to indoor sanitation and officials' welfare, from receiving top leaders to contacting ordinary citizens, and from the innermost secrets to public sentiments – everything is fair game. Internal work may cover things such as research, information, investigations, petitions, reception, classified information, archiving, printing, and dispatching. Office officials have to deal with several, dozens, and even hundreds of matters each day. We are constantly being pulled in every direction, and feel like what the poet said that “it is so beautiful on the Shanyin road that one can hardly catch all the scenes along the way.”[3]
Fourth is “difficult” – the level of difficulty is quite high. The work of the general office is all-encompassing and open in every direction. We both have to manage relationships all around us, and also adapt to the leaders' work styles and methods and serve them well. There are a million things to take care of when it comes to implementing tasks assigned by leaders. Some of these things must be done immediately without delay, and some are continual, ongoing tasks that must be attended to at all times. It takes incredible concentration and a continual state of heightened awareness to determine what is most urgent and what can wait, and not overlook things or make mistakes. At the same time, the general office deals with many everyday affairs. When achievements are made, those of us who work in general offices do not receive credit and remain unsung heroes behind the scenes. When there are problems, we may become the focus of everyone's attention, which can make us run the gamut of emotions until the situation is resolved. Sometimes we will be blamed for others' mistakes and make accommodations for the sake of over-all interests. This type of situation is truly difficult to deal with. In a sense, each task is a result of the hard work and dedication of our general office colleagues.
How should we perform the work of general offices? All of you are the most qualified to speak on this subject. I can only express three wishes based on my own experiences and work.
My first wish: have a strong sense of responsibility. The work of the general office affects all work. This requires that all of our office colleagues have a strong initiative, earnest work attitude, and scrupulous work style. The work of the general office involves many secrets, and there are specific rules on where each document can and cannot go, which we must carefully follow. In particular, some matters involve political and economic intelligence, requiring from us an even greater sense of responsibility, habit of maintaining silence, and restraint from opening one's mouth where one shouldn't. The work must be done meticulously. As the old saying goes, “One word out of place can wreck the entire sentence; one mistaken sentence can throw off the entire passage.”[4] Documents drafted in the general office don't need to be written in flowery language, but they must be carefully completed. This is not an over-the-top requirement, as it is directly related to decision-making. Therefore, we must train and employ workers who can deftly wield the pen, so the leaders don't have to wrack their brains for the right choice of words. This is a minimum requirement. Except when we are working under tight deadlines, all written materials we send to our leaders to look over must be a clean copy. We cannot look on this as being additional work. If all sorts of revisions are made on a messy draft for which we cannot tell who made the final revision, no one can be held responsible for the final document. Therefore, we must have a strict manner of work that has a high degree of responsibility and strong sense of initiative.
The general office is the main organ of a work unit, and it must always be acting as a model for the entire unit. It must pay attention to all aspects of work, including reception, sanitation, and impressions it makes on people. As part of the office, secretaries of leading officials often relay the leaders' intentions and handle matters on their behalf. Their quality and manner of work directly reflects the spirit and appearance of the leading organ. Therefore, the general office must care about the political and work performance of these secretaries. The general office should make sure that they receive criticism for poor performance, and that they frequently report on their thoughts and work. Secretaries serve the leaders out of a need for their work and do not have any political privileges. On the whole, the general office is a complete machine. This machine requires a clear responsibility system, strict management, and sensible measures, so those of us working in it will know our position, act within the rules, perform our given duties, and take up our responsibilities. We must react nimbly, operate quickly, and adapt to the needs of all sides.
My second wish: work with high efficiency. The general office has to handle many, many tasks each day and resolve conflicts and problems in all sorts of places. This means that we must always be improving our work efficiency. Otherwise we will not be able to properly provide the “three services,”[5] and this will impact the work in general of the entire prefecture. To improve our work efficiency, I believe that we must learn to apply dialectics, be clear about priorities, and earnestly reflect. We must “plan based on importance, arrange based on urgency, connect with above and below, and balance between internal and external.”[6] That is, we must make use of the office as a whole, consider what affairs are major and urgent, always keep our eye on matters of great importance, and get a handle on urgent tasks first. We must communicate with those all around us, let those below us know what is happening above, and remember the difference between the internal and external. All tasks must be properly assessed and methodically completed.
Another important job that the general office performs is in its advisory role. The office is expected to promptly provide policy recommendations and solidify leaders' decisions into concrete opinions. If our office can analyze situations from every angle just like foreign “thinktanks” do, and frequently offer suggestions for major policy decisions, it can greatly help the leaders to make decisions and choices. Currently, there are many tough problems and hot-button issues in our economic development and social work. They require us to conduct thorough investigation and research, provide targeted measures for analyzing and resolving problems, and offer leaders at all levels valuable policy references.
My third wish: provide high-level service. Providing service is an important job of the general office. First, I want to emphasize the notion of providing service both before and after events occur. For example, when an important prefecture and county meeting is held, staff in the general office must get in place beforehand. In particular, the office director, meeting secretary, and extra office hands must arrive early to prepare for the meeting. After the meeting, they must write up minutes and documents, and check up on implementation and feedback. Next, the service must be prompt and thorough. The general office must help share the burden of our leaders. Third, our service must take full responsibility and leave nothing overlooked. For example, when our office runs on a strict 24-hour schedule, those on duty cannot leave even for a minute. If an emergency or major incident suddenly occurs while the office is empty, lack of timely response will not only be considered negligence, but also have consequences. Fourth, our service not only must be diligent and earnest, but also agile. For example, we must put forth our best effort when receiving guests. We should establish a set of guidelines for reception, organize a hospitality team, and prepare consistent promotional materials and reports. Going forward, we can have designated officials responsible for reporting and accompanying visits. Meals can feature local products and traditions as long as they comply with applicable standards. Each county can prepare its own local menu that is both unique and economical. In this way, everyone can enjoy a good meal and learn about the local food culture within the limits set by the standards. Why not show our hospitality with such a simple gesture? Prefecture and county leaders should attend events in accordance with the rules and reduce participation in mere courtesy events to the extent possible. Those involved in reception work should serve the guests with warmth and consideration: put yourself in their shoes, think about what they will need, and help resolve their problems.
Secretary is a special profession. Many people believe that the most prominent feature of a secretary's work is serving in a supportive role like a supporting actor. I think this is both right and wrong. It is right in that a secretary truly does supportive and foundational work as the leader's assistant. It is wrong in that a secretary has even less space than a supporting actor on the stage, as the secretary has no spoken lines or opportunities to share the spotlight. The nature of the secretary's work means that he/she must have the proper attitude toward fame, fortune, and honor, with a selfless spirit, and continually strengthen self-cultivation.
How can secretaries strengthen their self-cultivation? During the Song Dynasty, Lü Benzhong[7], in his famous Admonishments to Officials, argued that all officials must be clean, prudent, and diligent. I think that if we update his ideas for today's age, they can serve as the minimum requirements for staff in the general office, in particular secretaries to leading officials. To be “clean” means to act with integrity and have nothing to hide. To be “prudent” means to give careful consideration and be cautious in words and deeds. To be “diligent” means to study hard and do our best to advance. Of course, these three requirements must be met while remaining politically and ideologically faithful to the Party Central Committee. Secretaries must always be studying – studying Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Party guideline, principles, and policies, and the issues of our times. In this way, we can continually deepen our understanding of theories and improve our political qualities.
Given the special nature of the work of a secretary, it is not enough just to work hard. I personally have experienced that secretaries must not only strengthen self-cultivation, but also focus on developing good manner of work, take note of the little details in personal life, and strive to stay away from five things:
First, don't be self-conceited. We cannot mistakenly believe that we have nothing to fear just because “our organization has a big name and our leaders will back us up,” nor can we allow the misuse of the names of our leaders and of the office to seek out personal profit.
Second, don't be arrogant. We must check our sense of superior-ity, and never be domineering, arrogant, bossy, or commanding with grassroots officials and people.
Third, don't be boastful. We must not show off or brag. When it comes to the work and personal life of a leader, we cannot discuss it publicly or make presumptuous comments. And a tight lid must be kept on internal Party secrets.
Fourth, don't be ashamed of yourself. We must overcome the urge to underestimate ourselves or feel like we are not up to the task. We cannot “open our mouths only to stutter, and take a step only to stumble.” We cannot be mindless yes-men with no views of our own.
Fifth, don't get a big head. We must not think we have all the answers and change or add our own views to our leaders' instructions. We cannot be careless, do the bare minimum to get by, or not take our duties seriously.
In general, secretaries must frequently check whether our own thinking and work are “in position”–it cannot “be misplaced” or“overreach.” In our relationships with our leaders, we must strive to“participate and not interfere, assist and not exceed our authority, and comply but not follow blindly.” I believe that as long as we are always clear about our own position, we can become secretaries fully qualified for the job.
Local Party committee leaders must understand, trust, and respect the work of the general office in order to truly support and make full use of it.
First, due attention must be given to the Party committee's work on the general office. Prefecture and county Party committees must hold special meetings each year to discuss the work of their general offices and help them resolve actual problems. Leading officials of prefecture and county Party committees should frequently communicate with the staff of the general office to share thoughts, discuss work, and listen to everyone's opinions and suggestions.
Second, leaders must involve themselves with office team building. Now we are facing the difficulties of selecting, transferring, and promoting officials in relation to the general office. By “difficulty of selecting,” I mean it is hard to find candidates with superior political qualities and writing skills. Even when we do find good candidates, it is still difficult to get them to work in our general offices for various reasons – this is the “difficulty of transferring.” Due to the limited number of job openings, it is also difficult to promote officials who have worked hard in the general office for a long time, who diligently do their jobs without complaint, and who perform exceptionally well. Our leaders must be determined to resolve these problems. One measure to take is to set strict entrance and exit criteria. We cannot compromise on the criteria for new hires. Incoming colleagues must be politically reliable and of excellent character. I want to stress that we must be able to transfer suitable people within our prefecture as we deem fit. To truly resolve the problem of difficulties in selection and transfers, there should be no bargaining or restrictions by department or locality. Personnel departments must also boldly promote and employ qualified office officials and resolve the issue of office personnel hanging around in the same positions for too long. We cannot afford to play favorites in general offices; those who are not suited to such work should immediately be transferred out. If office personnel have lax work attitudes, take too many liberties, and have poor political and professional qualities, the image of Party committees will suffer. Leading officials of prefecture and county Party committees should be informed about key personnel changes in general offices. On the whole, we must step up office team building and ensure that staff bring vigor to their office work so that general offices continue to run effectively.
Third, leaders must show concern for the learning, life, and political progress of our office colleagues. On the one hand, we must create favorable conditions for all who work in general offices, including organizing study sessions and tours out of the office, as we can only improve the level of our policies by gaining a better understanding of the situation outside the office. Office work is fast-paced, but we still must schedule study sessions and let our colleagues in general offices step away from their desks for new learning. On the other hand, we must also acknowledge the hardships office staff encounter in their lives. On top of performing hard work on the job, our colleagues in general offices lead very plain lives and their families often have unmet needs. However, these colleagues have made the conscious choice of dedicating themselves to the Party, taking on responsibility for their work and making contributions behind the scene. Such a choice of theirs is all the more reason for our leaders to recognize the sacrifices of our colleagues working in general offices. In particular, leaders should do their best to help address concerns that our office colleagues have about schooling for their children, housing, and other difficulties in their lives, so such problems will not come back to bite us in the end.
[1] See Sima Qian (145-90 BC), “The Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu,” in Records of the Grand Historian.
[2] A native of Ningyang, Dongping (modern Shandong Province), Liu Zhen(186-217) was a scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). He was one of the seven leading writers from the Jian'an Period.
[3] This is based on the following line from “Speech and Conversation,” in A New Account of Tales of the World by the Song Dynasty's Liu Yiqing, “Whenever I travel by the Shanyin road, the hills and streams naturally complement each other in such a way that I can't begin to describe them. And especially if it's at the turning point between autumn and winter, I find it all the harder to express what's in my heart.”[Source of English translation: Liu Yiqing, A New Account of Tales of the World, trans. Richard B. Mather (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1976), 71. Mather's English translation was revised to be consistent with the rest of the text. – Tr.]
[4] This is a line from Liu Qi's preface to Compendium of Auxiliary Characters, a highly technical reference for the study of grammatical function words in ancient Chinese texts. It was first printed in 1711, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi.
[5] At a national symposium for senior Party secretaries from general offices held in 1985, the director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Zhaoguo, put forward the concept of the “three services,” which are serving the leadership, serving government offices at all levels, and serving the people.
[6] See Feng Menglong, “Chapter 26,” Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms. A native of Changzhou (modern Suzhou, Jiangsu Province), Feng Menglong (1574-1646)was a writer and dramatist of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He was dedicated to studying, organizing, and writing popular literature such as novels and operas.
[7] A native of Shou Prefecture (modern Fengtai, Anhui Province), Lü Benzhong (1084-1145) was a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).