There’s no free pass from politics to the business world
The ethos involved in running . . . business organisations is both different and divorced from the ambitions of those with political aspirations.
Former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley is not the first high-flying politician to hit the wall after trading the game of thrones for serious economic responsibilities at the helm of a private enterprise operation.
However, she is the most prominent former politician in recent times to demonstrate that success in politics is not a free pass to success in business.
In fact, the circumstances surrounding her commercial demise have a poignant resonance, given that the former National Party leader left the political lists declaring that she was not interested in pursuing a career in business.
The truth is that commercial options for most former MPs are limited, given that entrepreneurial business operators in this country make no secret of their inherent suspicion of the body politic. They will, of necessity, play the game while individual leaders are in the political driving seat, but the chance of a former political heavyweight evolving into a serious private business operator are few and far between. There are exceptions.
John Key is perhaps the most obvious and recent example of an operator who made an indelible impression in both camps. But his ability to engage across a broad spectrum of the New Zealand political landscape was instinctively based on his free enterprise ethos and relaxed demeanour rather than a politically dogmatic agenda. His ability to relate to the wider electorate and the specific interest of the business community was both seamless and unique in recent political history.
In the past, Christchurch-based businessman Philip Burdon also demonstrated a similar ability to bridge the demands and expectations of both camps and prove that politicians can be pragmatic and compassionate. But these individuals are exceptions in the political mix rather than the norm.
Prime Minister Helen Clark never wavered from her instinctive Labour Party ethos, but her extraordinary strength of character and unflinching ethical behaviour ensured there was little room in the political mix for challengers less dedicated to the cause of a balanced budget and a decent society. And she rarely made the mistake of wading into commercial waters she had no definitive background in.
Generally, the same can be said for her prime ministerial predecessor, Jim Bolger. While a committed free enterpriser, the business-oriented National Party leader carefully steered a wide
course around vested interests while in power, and exercised similar caution after he exited the Beehive, opting for public service in preference to private enterprise options.
However, the lesson seemed lost on Shipley, and now the former prime minister is in the unenviable position of defending her less than competent administration of a substantial international business enterprise in the face of compelling evidence that she was not up to the task.
The circumstances of the Mainzeal collapse are complex, and the case against those involved pivots on a civil rather than a criminal action, but the result of the investigation is a devastating indictment of business leadership.
While it seems obvious that Shipley’s Mainzeal role was designed to invest credibility into a business structure that was aimed at a range of Asian investors, who have a higher regard for political history than is the norm in this country, the reality is she accepted the responsibility that goes with the office.
Now, no matter what the outcome of legal arguments, a former prime minister’s professional reputation is irrevocably tarnished.
It is not that she was missing in action. Her dedication to the job at hand is basic to her character and upbringing. Indeed, while that focused drive was a major factor in her political success, it was probably also a contributory factor to her serious health glitches in the last phase of her political career.
That said, it does seem the former competitive swimmer was way out of her depth when it came to performing in a pool awash with commercial sharks.
It also suggests that this is yet another illustration of the extraordinary chasm between business and politics.
The ethos involved in running even the most probity-driven business organisations is both different and divorced from the ambitions of those with political aspirations. The goals and objectives pivot on different poles, and suggestions from the commercial sidelines that good government should operate like efficient business operations are fatuous and fundamentally flawed.
It does seem that success in business generally depends on dedication to the enterprise, and intelligent decisions made on the basis of the best possible information available.
The same cannot be said about politics – as British Prime Minister Theresa May would no doubt attest to, if she ever surfaces from the Brexit morass she chose to march into.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern continues to forge a previously untested path of positivity to the political heights with a focused and seemingly effortless oversight, despite the continuing hapless performances of some of her ministers.
Her extraordinary performance in the role of political leader is a credit to her personal brief and the generational change in political concepts.
It is a lesson the CEO of a Nelson-based major primary industry operation might like to take on board. His contention, not that long ago, that there was no place in the real world of political cut and thrust for ‘‘a little girl with stars in her eyes’’ highlights just how different perceptions can be when viewed through the lens of cowboy commerce and the lens of political reality.