Politicians prepared to raise their game

'Be the change' is a mantra now in the general consciousness. The question is whether politicians really want to change. Politics will also remain the territory for those who are both personally ambitious as well as ambitious to make a difference, but there should be a culture where political learning is seen as legitimate. In practice most opposition leaders will denounce any investment in political learning by the administration as wasteful. What is perhaps most striking is how bad most political leaders are at group dynamics when being able to cement better group dynamics is not a nice-to-have option, but core business.

We believe this argument is not about re-creating politics as a moral debating society, but politicians being better at their core business.

This means not just performance management for the system, but continual learning and development for the politician. We should bring in modern understandings and assumptions about human resources, but ally it with what the practical realities are for the political cycle – succession planning, change of control and recognising talent.