In the last column I argued that the five most important qualities of a public sector director are qualities that cannot be taught. Independence of mind. Curiosity. Courage. Public-interest instinct. Stamina for disagreement. These are dispositional. They are present in a candidate on the day of appointment, or they are not, and no induction programme will install them later.
Today I want to make a different argument, addressing a different question. There are technical competencies that, unlike the five qualities, can in principle be taught. Financial literacy can be learned. Strategic thinking can be developed. Sector knowledge can be acquired. But there is a practical problem with appointing directors who do not yet have these competencies on the assumption that they will acquire them in office. The institution does not have the time. The board needs to function from day one, not from month eighteen. A director who arrives without the technical readiness to engage in the boardroom contributes very little for a long stretch, and by the time they have absorbed enough to contribute meaningfully, half the term may have passed.
This is why I describe these competencies as non-negotiable. Not because they are impossible to teach, but because their absence at the moment of appointment is functionally disqualifying. The director who lacks them is not contributing to governance. They are watching it happen.
