A note on public acuity, from a former public sector employee

I've alluded to political acuity before, but it's worth noting in a blog post since it's a skill that you might want to adopt for yourself, especially if you're working with public sector stakeholders. I worked in the public sector for so long and I still operate in this manner for many things - and for our clients, this is a glimpse into what it's like working with us. To back up a bit, let's define political acuity. I use the term political acuity but lots of people use "political astuteness" as well. In short, let's call this:

"the art of getting things done"

Professor Jean Hartley, Professor in Public Leadership at The Open University Business School, talks about political astuteness as an essential skill in the workplace and discusses "how political astuteness is about working with contest and conflict to achieve organisational and social goals". In simpler words, political acuity is about that ability to get things done while somehow navigating the ins and outs of working in the public sector (or really any workplace).

Categories of Competencies

Peter Constantinou, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University breaks down the overall skill of political acuity in four categories of competencies in this article on the savvy civil servant on Apolitical: 1. Personal and interpersonal - includes emotional intelligence and communication skills

2. Reading people and situations - like body language and active listening

3. Stakeholder engagement and strategic alignment - like stakeholder engagement and building alliances

4. Environmental scanning - like strategic planning and issues management (Side note: seriously, if you don't already know Apolitical and work in the public sector - please sign up. This is not sponsored; they're just a fantastic organisation):

Developing public acuity

As Professor Constantinou says, this used to be seen as a skill that you either had or didn't but that the truth is that anyone can develop this skill. The truth also is that nobody has this right all the time. There are times you might drop the ball - whether it's a plastic ball that will bounce back or a glass one that will break and cause an impact.

I'll take this a step further and say that people working inside and outside public sector could certainly learn this skill (and if not, honestly, that's where we come in at Strides Insights). So if you do want to develop this, how do you go about it? Here's what Professor Constantinou suggests: 1. Learn more about yourself; you'll better know how to deal with others if you know yourself.

2. Be more observant to the people and the dynamics around you, to establish base-line data about things like body language and meeting dynamics, which will better allow you to know when to say something and when not to.

3. Start thinking very deliberately about networks, alliances and proactive and strategic stakeholder engagement; it could mean less conflict, less delay, fewer budget overruns and less bad press and reputational damage when you have these things on your side.

4. Finally, accept that the world around you affects everything you do; you don't operate in a vacuum.

What this means for clients

And what does this mean for our clients? Here is what I can tell you, in simple terms: 1. We will look at everyone who can help you - all your networks, alliances and proactive and strategic stakeholder engagement (and ours when appropriate): that's a big part of the work we do and we'll help you with your networks and alliances too.

2. We will help you see the bigger picture and contextualise everything, meaning we will look at both internal and external factors when looking at any data, research or public policy work for you

3. We will help you understand and articulate your impact even better, in ways you can share with stakeholders (especially funders and the community!)

If this sounds great to you, drop us a line or email us at hello@stridesinsights.com