Wang Gang: Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Performance
The issue of one’s outlook on performance evaluation is a fundamental one, concerning the principles of "building the Party for the public" and "exercising power for the people." General Secretary Xi Jinping, at the opening ceremony of a thematic workshop for major provincial and ministerial-level leading officials on studying and implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [1], pointed out: "We must establish and practice a correct outlook on performance evaluation, persist in proceeding from reality and acting according to objective laws, and conscientiously produce achievements for the people through solid work." This important discourse elucidates the questions of for whom the Communists create achievements, what kind of achievements should be created, and how they should be created. On the New Journey, a deep understanding and conscious practice of a correct outlook on performance evaluation is of great and far-reaching significance for advancing Chinese-path modernization.
Benefiting the people is the greatest achievement
"Performance" (政绩, zhèngjì) refers to the results, accomplishments, feats, and actual records of governance. For whom one creates achievements is the primary question of the outlook on performance evaluation, profoundly affecting the fundamental direction and value destination of Party members and cadres in their undertakings.
Marx and Engels pointed out: "The proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority." The nature of the people is the most distinct character of Marxism, and the standpoint of the people is the fundamental political standpoint of a Marxist party. The nature of a Marxist party dictates that the Communist outlook on performance evaluation must be rooted in the fundamental interests of the broadest mass of the people. The Constitution of the Communist Party of China explicitly stipulates: "The Party has no special interests of its own other than the interests of the working class and the broadest mass of the people. At all times, the Party puts the interests of the masses first, shares weal and woe with them, maintains the closest possible ties with them, and persists in exercising power for the people, maintaining emotional ties with the people, and seeking benefits for the people [2]. No member is allowed to become detached from the masses or stand above them." This indicates that the standpoint of the people is the fundamental position from which Chinese Communists create achievements, and benefiting the people is the greatest achievement for Party members and cadres.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Whether the performance is good or not depends on the actual feelings of the masses and must be judged by the masses." The process by which Party members and cadres create achievements is the process of practicing their original aspiration and founding mission and consolidating the Party’s foundation for governance. Only by consistently committing to benefiting the people and continuously realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental interests of the broadest mass of the people can the Party win the hearts of the people and "keep the mountains and rivers" [3]. Conversely, any so-called "performance" that is detached from the masses or harms their interests erodes the Party’s foundation for governance. Thus, truly good achievements are those that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history. The criteria for evaluating performance should be how many good and practical things have been done for the common people, and whether the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security has been truly enhanced. Currently, our country’s development has entered a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. The more complex the situation, the more we must firm up the standpoint of the people. When planning and promoting various strategic tasks and major measures, we must adhere to the standpoint of the people, take the improvement of people’s livelihoods as the focus of promoting social development, steadily improve the quality of people’s lives while developing the economy, allow the fruits of development to benefit all people more extensively and equitably, and use the "satisfaction" of the common people to increase the "gold content" [4] of development.
One must perform both "manifest merit" and "latent merit"
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Firmly establish a correct outlook on performance evaluation. We must do practical things that are visible, tangible, and provide real benefits to the common people, but we must also do good things that lay the groundwork, build the foundation, and benefit the long term for future generations. We must perform both 'manifest merit' (xiǎngōng) and 'latent merit' (qiángōng), disregarding personal fame and pursuing the good reputation of the masses and the true evaluation that comes after historical sedimentation." Performance can be divided into manifest merit and latent merit. Manifest merit refers to achievements that yield immediate results and are easy to measure; latent merit refers to achievements that take a long time to manifest but whose role is often fundamental, strategic, and sustainable. At the same time, manifest merit and latent merit are dialectically unified and mutually transformative. Today’s latent merit is often the foundation for tomorrow’s manifest merit, and the creation of manifest merit can provide conditions and momentum for the advancement of latent merit. The essence of establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance evaluation lies in profoundly understanding and balancing the dialectical relationship between the two—satisfying the people’s current needs for a better life by creating manifest merit, while also, with the realm of "success does not have to be mine" [5], silently cultivating the latent merit that concerns the destiny of the country and the welfare of future generations, thereby achieving high-quality economic and social development.
Grasping the dialectical unity of manifest and latent merit requires Party members and cadres to have historical patience and strategic resolve when creating achievements. Realizing socialist modernization is a historical process of step-by-step progression and continuous development. On the New Journey, only by seeking truth from facts, respecting objective laws, performing both manifest and latent merit, being both enterprising and not over-eager for quick success, and persisting in moving one step at a time, can we ensure that decisive progress is made in basically realizing socialist modernization.
Only through real work can real achievements be made
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Performance is achieved through work; only through real work can real achievements be made." Establishing a correct outlook on performance evaluation must ultimately be implemented in action and manifested through the practical logic of solid work and responsibility.
Persist in proceeding from reality and acting according to objective laws. "Communists are materialists, and pragmatism is an essential character." Without the support of a pragmatic character, a correct outlook on performance evaluation is just empty talk; without a correct outlook on performance evaluation, pragmatism might turn into mechanical "affairism" (shìwùzhǔyì). This requires us to conduct in-depth investigation and research, accurately grasp objective reality, and truly master where the contradictions and cruxes lie. We must carry forward the spirit of "success does not have to be mine" and "the achievement of success must include me," planning for the long term while working in the present. We should adapt measures to local conditions and specific matters, unifying needs with possibilities to ensure that what is decided is achieved.
Take responsibility with the "spirit of driving nails." [6] Faced with complex and arduous tasks, only by showing the tenacity of "driving a nail"—hammering one after another—and persisting in "leaving a footprint in the stone and a mark in the iron," [7] can we push the cause forward solidly. This requires us not only to engage in honest and hard work, deepening our efforts through persisting over the long term to create solid achievements that withstand the test of practice, the people, and history; but also to focus on methods and work scientifically and skillfully. We must aim at the key areas and strike the vital points, avoiding "flipping the pancake" [8] or deviating from the course. With scientific methods and a solid work style, we should transform decision-making blueprints into reality and truly implement the task of benefiting the people.
Promote the spirit of struggle; dare to struggle and be good at taking action. Currently, the further comprehensive deepening of reform is moving into deeper waters, where various contradictions overlap and risks increase. Faced with deep-seated contradictions and institutional "bottlenecks" (gěngzǔ), Party members and cadres must have the courage and responsibility to be pioneers. They must raise their political standing, improve their professional capabilities, enhance their awareness of the rule of law, and strengthen their sense of responsibility. Only by continuously tempering the will to struggle and increasing the ability to struggle can they create achievements in complex situations that can withstand the inspection of the people.