To Introduce a Group, Activate a Region, and Drive Local Development: An Investigation into Guizhou Province Appointing Cadres from Relatively Developed Areas as County Party Committee Secretaries
Introduce a Group, Activate a Sector, Drive a Region: An Investigation into Guizhou Province’s Introduction of Cadres from Relatively Developed Areas to Serve as County Party Committee Secretaries
In 2010 and 2011, Guizhou Province selected and introduced 12 outstanding cadres from five provinces and municipalities—Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hebei, and Chongqing—to serve as County Party Committee Secretaries in two batches. What is the significance of introducing these secretaries? How have these comrades performed? What is the evaluation from cadres and the masses? With these questions in mind, we made a special research trip to Guizhou. By interviewing provincial and municipal leaders, conducting on-site inspections in the counties where these cadres were placed, interviewing members of county leadership bodies, holding symposiums with grassroots cadres, and conducting categorized questionnaire surveys, we experienced firsthand and witnessed the new changes brought by these outstanding cadres to local development, the new outlook they brought to the cadre corps, and the new atmosphere of Guizhou’s latecomers striving to catch up and surpass.
Focusing on Transformation and Leapfrog Development; Selecting Personnel with an Open Mind and Wide Vision
Facing the vigorous momentum of competitive development across the country, Guizhou Province has closely seized the important strategic opportunity period of the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" [1] and the great opportunity of the deep implementation of the Western Development Strategy [2]. To accelerate the pace of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the province proposed the strategy of "accelerating development, speeding up transformation, and promoting leapfrogging," alongside "strengthening the province through industry and driving development through urbanization." It has vigorously built "united, pragmatic, diligent, and clean" leadership bodies, focusing on selecting and appointing development-oriented leadership bodies and cadres. Earnestly implementing the spirit of the Central Committee’s Several Provisions on Strengthening the Construction of the Ranks of County Party Committee Secretaries, and based on an in-depth analysis of provincial conditions and the current status of the county secretary ranks, the decision was made to select and introduce outstanding cadres from relatively developed regions to serve as county secretaries in this province.
The key to both "transforming" and "catching up" is selecting the right leaders. Guizhou is an under-developed and under-advanced province. The problems of slow development speed and insufficient total economic volume coexist with extensive growth models and low economic quality. Development faces the dual pressure and dual task of both "transformation" and "catching up." The Provincial Committee analyzed that for Guizhou to transform well and catch up quickly, promoting leapfrog development of the county-level economy is crucial. The construction of the ranks of County Party Committee Secretaries must be treated as a major strategic project, specifically by selecting and strengthening these "leaders" of scientific development to provide a firm guarantee for Guizhou’s transformation and leapfrog development.
Cross-provincial introduction of county secretaries is a convenient and effective method. The Provincial Committee analyzed that while adjustment and internal cultivation are important for strengthening the ranks of county secretaries, the tasks cannot wait and development cannot be slow. Introducing urgently needed and scarce talent from relatively developed regions is a convenient and effective way to "borrow wisdom and strength." Practice has proven that doing so helps introduce advanced development concepts, excellent human resources, and new working methods. It also helps local cadres transform their mindsets and stimulates their passion for work. Furthermore, it facilitates the utilization of development resources, strengthens exchange and cooperation with developed regions, and accelerates local opening-up and development.
Recruiting talent with a "thirst for the virtuous." The Provincial Committee attached great importance to the work of introducing county secretaries, actively seeking support from relevant central departments and proactively communicating and coordinating with the relevant provinces and municipalities. Principal leaders of the Provincial Committee issued instructions several times, personally reviewed and approved work plans, and specifically listened to reports on the inspection of candidates and recommendations for their use. The Standing Committee of the Provincial Committee held several special meetings to study the introduction work, providing specific guidance on candidate criteria and post determination. The principal responsible comrades of the Provincial Committee’s Organization Department directly led the effort and provided specific guidance on work procedures. The Organization Department established a specialized agency and transferred elite forces to carry out various tasks meticulously. Brother provinces and municipalities cooperated actively and provided great support, with the principal leaders of their Party committees or organization departments seriously reviewing the introduction plans and recommended candidates.
Introduce the Most Needed Cadres; Place Them in the Most Appropriate Posts
Who to introduce and how to introduce them is critical to the success of this work. Based on the reality of accelerating the leapfrog development of the county economy and following the principle of matching personnel to posts, Guizhou Province implemented a layer-by-layer differential selection [3] process to introduce talent in a targeted manner, ensuring candidates were accurately selected, successfully introduced, and effectively utilized.
Basing on development characteristics and introducing cadres from the starting point of actual needs. According to Guizhou’s "Main Tone" [4] of "Two Accelerations and One Promotion" and the needs of the strategy to strengthen the province through industry and drive development through urbanization, the province selected different types of representative counties with high potential. Adopting the approach of "filling whatever is missing, introducing whatever is urgent," leadership talent was introduced from brother provinces and municipalities with similar development conditions but more advanced development stages. The focus was on leaders familiar with four areas: industrial economy, industrial park development, urbanization construction, and agricultural industrialization, achieving a match between supply and demand in talent introduction.
Layer-by-layer differential selection to choose the best among the good. The entire introduction process followed procedures including coordination and communication, registration and recommendation, organizational inspection, and deliberation for decision-making, using a layer-by-layer differential method. First, clear regulations were made regarding the professional experience, age, grassroots work experience, and economic management experience required for the talent. Following coordination, the relevant provinces and municipalities organized and mobilized eligible cadres to register based on Guizhou’s criteria, from which candidates were recommended and inspected in a differential manner. Based on the inspection results, combined with post requirements and the characteristics/expertise of the candidates, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Committee carefully studied and determined the appointments. To strictly ensure the integrity [5] of the candidates, the proposed candidates were also publicized in the news media of their original places of work.
Creating good conditions for cadres to assume their posts and perform their duties. After the candidates were determined, the Organization Department of the Guizhou Provincial Committee promptly coordinated with the relevant provinces and municipalities for their arrival. A collective pre-appointment talk was held, where the principal leaders of the Provincial Committee’s Organization Department introduced the provincial conditions and expressed expectations and requirements for future work. The Secretaries of the Municipal (Prefectural) Party Committees where the introduction counties are located held individual talks with the introduced cadres to help them familiarize themselves with the situation and enter their roles as quickly as possible. Before the official announcement of the appointments, talks were held with members of the county leadership bodies and the principal leaders of the local People’s Congress and CPPCC [6] to request their support and cooperation with the new secretaries.
Throwing a Stone to Activate a Pool of Spring Water
After the 12 introduced County Party Committee Secretaries took office, they earnestly strengthened their learning, grasped the local situation quickly, integrated into their leadership bodies rapidly, and launched their work boldly. This led to a completely new mental outlook among the cadre corps and accelerated comprehensive local economic and social development, winning the sincere acceptance and heartfelt support of cadres and the masses.
Vigorously promoting the renewal of mindsets. Upon taking office as the Secretary of Jinsha County, Ding Yiqiang proposed "exchanging resources for capital, capital for industry, and industry for space," focusing on creating seven major characteristic economic blocks, initially finding a development path suited to the county's reality. In 2011, the county's comprehensive ranking in the province rose from 15th the previous year to 6th. Addressing the mindset of "being content with small wealth and satisfied with small victories" among cadres, Ke Delai, Secretary of Nanming District, proposed that as long as it benefits accelerated development and the people, one must dare to venture, try, and act. In 2011, the district’s GDP grew by 20% year-on-year, local fiscal revenue grew by 45.51%, and fixed asset investment grew by 57.89%. Hu Zhifeng (Longli County), Xu Fenglun (Qinglong County), and Wang Junming (Yuping County) also proposed development ideas and goals for catching up based on in-depth research and full demonstration.
Strictly rectifying cadre work styles. The introduced secretaries dared to take responsibility and manage strictly, placing the construction of cadre work styles and the optimization of the development environment in a prominent position, while vigorously advocating a work style of "doing it once it’s said, and acting immediately." Upon taking office, Yin Hengbin, Secretary of Suiyang County, took drastic measures to rectify the problems of "mediocrity, laziness, and laxity" [7] among cadres. He organized disciplinary and organizational departments to conduct unannounced visits and held a county-wide cadre work style rectification conference to evaluate and expose issues, while vigorously curbing the phenomenon of "eating, taking, blocking, and demanding" [8]. The mental outlook of the cadre corps changed dramatically in a short time, and the business environment significantly improved. Cui Yingkui (Zhijin County) and Chen Daijun (Yinjiang County) launched activities across their counties for the "great emancipation of the mind, great transformation of work style, and great improvement of capability."
Increasing efforts in investment promotion. Pan Zhili, Secretary of Dushan County, utilized his previous experience as the director of an Economic Development Zone Management Committee to actively coordinate external support and plan the launch of the county’s economic development zone and industrial park, resulting in the settlement of several projects. Qi Yongmei, Secretary of Taijiang County, led teams to Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu for investment promotion, signing 12 investment framework agreements involving 8.7 billion yuan. Shen Xinguo, Secretary of Pingba County, took the lead in investment promotion, introducing 14 projects and 1.123 billion yuan in realized funds in just over two months. Zhang Miao, Secretary of Danzhai County, vigorously promoted the intangible cultural heritage of the Miao ethnic group’s "Jiali," enhancing Danzhai’s reputation.
Focusing on improving people’s livelihoods. While focusing on economic development, the introduced secretaries attached great importance to practical matters concerning people’s livelihoods. Addressing issues reported by the masses such as low levels of education and healthcare and poor housing conditions, Jinsha County accelerated the construction of a new campus for the First Middle School, introduced investment to build a Grade-A tertiary hospital, and completed 1,000 units of social security housing in one year. Nanming District launched 28 renovation projects for shantytowns and "villages within the city." Suiyang County strictly curbed the bad practice of "pooling money" for excessive banquets in rural areas, which was widely applauded by cadres and the masses. Dushan County conducted in-depth rectifications of "unlicensed taxis," illegal construction, and illegal earth burials, and seriously investigated failures to implement policies that benefit agriculture and farmers.
The cross-provincial introduction of cadres from relatively developed regions to serve as county secretaries is a beneficial exploration in promoting coordinated regional economic and social development. It is an effective way to promote cadre exchange between the east, central, and western regions and to optimize the allocation of cadre and talent resources on a larger scale. It is also a powerful measure to strengthen the management of key positions and select the best for the ranks of county secretaries. Guizhou’s practice provides important enlightenment for under-developed regions in the work of introducing outstanding leadership talent:
First, eliminating ideological obstacles is the prerequisite. To introduce county secretaries from relatively developed regions, one must first overcome concerns in ideological understanding. When Guizhou started this work, some worried that introduced cadres would take up "seats" and affect the motivation of local cadres; others worried they might not perform well. Through patient and meticulous work, the Provincial Committee helped everyone deeply realize that introducing county secretaries can directly and quickly bring advanced ideas, management methods, and high-quality resources, creating a "multiplier effect" of introducing a group, activating a sector, and driving a region, thereby gaining broad support. Practice has proven that to introduce outstanding leadership talent, under-developed regions must start from the long-term development of the cause and select personnel with a broader vision, higher realm, and greater courage.
Second, focusing on the practical experience of candidates is the key. An important rule in selecting the best talent is to highlight a personnel orientation that emphasizes the grassroots and practical experience. A County Party Committee Secretary bears the heavy responsibility of developing the local economy, enriching the local people, and ensuring local security; this requires the tough capability to lead scientific development, manage complex situations, and conduct work with the masses. Guizhou attached great importance to the experience and actual ability of candidates, focusing on introducing cadres who had been tempered in multiple posts, were familiar with grassroots conditions, and were rich in practical experience, never lowering the standards to fill a post. Practice has proven that only by emphasizing practical experience and strictly controlling the quality of candidates can we ensure that introduced cadres perform well and that the introduction work achieves practical results and gains recognition.
Third, striving for support and cooperation from all parties is the foundation. Cross-provincial introduction of county secretaries cannot be achieved by a single side; it requires the support and cooperation of all parties. From the beginning, relevant central departments provided guidance and coordinated between Guizhou and the relevant provinces and municipalities. The relevant provinces responded enthusiastically, attached great importance, and cooperated closely, actively doing well in mobilization, recommendation, and inspection. Their recommended candidates were of high comprehensive quality, laying the foundation for Guizhou to "choose the best among the good." Meanwhile, within Guizhou, emphasis was placed on cooperation between the provincial and municipal levels, implementing joint inspection and quality control. Practice has proven that only by strengthening overall coordination and active participation from all parties can the introduction work be carried out smoothly and continuously.
Fourth, mobilizing the enthusiasm of local cadres is the guarantee. For the introduction of cadres to be carried out effectively and sustainably, the enthusiasm of cadres from all sides must be mobilized. For cadres in cross-provincial exchange, the environment changes significantly and they are unfamiliar with local conditions; the process of local cadres and the masses understanding and identifying with them also takes time. This requires organizationally tracking management, care, and assistance. At the same time, importance must be attached to mobilizing local cadres. While creating a good environment for introduced cadres, Guizhou Province followed the principle of "entry and exit," [9] promoting outstanding local county secretaries or cadres from the relevant counties to posts in provincial departments or other localities. Practice has proven that only by combining the introduction of outstanding cadres with the utilization of local cadres, and fully playing the role of local cadres as the main body in promoting development, can the introduction work receive reliable support, promote the unity and integration of introduced and local cadres, and form a good atmosphere for working together with one heart.
Network Editor: Jiafei