Leading Cadres Must Both Plan Affairs and Do Real Work

Cadre, cadre — the character “do” comes first. How to do is the touchstone for testing whether a cadre can establish and practice a correct outlook on political performance. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that leading cadres “must not only lead everyone together to set the plates well, sort out the paths, and prescribe the right remedies, but also personally deploy important tasks, personally check key links, and personally supervise implementation; they cannot stand high above, tread on empty air, or merely take command without going into battle.” This important exposition profoundly elucidates the responsibility and mission of leading cadres and provides a scientific direction and fundamental guidance for leading cadres to unify planning affairs with doing real work.

干部干部，干字当头。怎么干，是考验干部能否树立和践行正确政绩观的试金石。习近平总书记强调，领导干部“既要带领大家一起定好盘子、理清路子、开对方子，又要做到重要任务亲自部署、关键环节亲自把关、落实情况亲自督查，不能高高在上、凌空蹈虚，不能只挂帅不出征”。这一重要论述，深刻阐明了领导干部的责任使命，为领导干部把谋事与干事统一起来指明了科学方向、提供了根本遵循。

Adhering to formulating policies and advancing work from objective reality is a practical requirement of the Marxist worldview and methodology, and it is also a fine tradition and style consistently upheld by Chinese Communists. Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out when working in Ningde, Fujian: “This requires our leading cadres at all levels to go deep into reality, go deep among the masses, and adhere to the mass line of coming from the masses and going to the masses.” Merely reading materials and listening to reports, making perfunctory gestures and going through the motions, making decisions by slapping the head, making promises by slapping the chest, and walking away by slapping the backside — the essence of this is a misplaced outlook on political performance and a lack of sense of responsibility. What is obtained on paper is after all shallow; to truly know a thing, one must practice it personally. To plan affairs, one must comprehensively grasp the situation and accurately understand reality; this is the prerequisite for scientific decision-making, the foundation for benefiting the people, and an inevitable requirement for leading cadres to practice a correct outlook on political performance.

坚持从客观实际出发制定政策、推动工作，是马克思主义世界观方法论的实践要求，也是中国共产党人一以贯之的优良传统和作风。习近平同志在福建宁德工作时就指出：“这就要求我们的各级领导干部要深入实际，深入群众，坚持从群众中来到群众中去。”只是看看材料听听汇报，表表态度走走过场，拍脑袋决策、拍胸脯表态、拍屁股走人，其实质是政绩观错位、责任心缺失。纸上得来终觉浅，绝知此事要躬行。谋事，就要全面掌握情况，准确把握实际，这是科学决策的前提，是为民造福的基础，更是领导干部践行正确政绩观的必然要求。

Between planning affairs and achieving results lies doing real work. As leading cadres, “setting the plates well” is only the first step; the subsequent “sorting out the paths and prescribing the right remedies” requires treading on solid ground and persevering over time. Reality is concrete, historical, and changing; finding development paths suited to local conditions and solving practical problems with the right medicine both require leading cadres to get down to the grassroots, thoroughly understand specific circumstances, clearly grasp difficulties and challenges, and accurately identify the needs of the masses. Only through genuine and solid work can one gain genuine knowledge and insight. Faced with constantly changing reality, only by going to the front line, practicing personally, and checking personally can one continuously correct one’s bearings, adjust one’s thinking, and improve one’s methods. Setting plates and sorting out paths are important responsibilities conferred by the post on leading cadres. The true color of practicing a correct outlook on political performance is ultimately seen in the quality of genuine and solid work and benefiting the people. In those years, Jiao Yulu, already seriously ill, wanted to write an article; the first subheading was “Assumptions Are Not Reality.” Although the article was never finished, he led the people of Lankao to battle the evening frost and morning snow, to control the “three evils” [1]1 The “three evils” (三害) refer to the three major natural disasters — waterlogging, sandstorms, and saline-alkali soil — that plagued Lankao County, Henan Province, during the early 1960s, which Jiao Yulu (1922–1964), the county Party secretary, led the local people to combat., and to put assumptions into practice with concrete actions, leaving behind an immortal political achievement. Upholding the heart for the people, discarding selfish thoughts and distracting ideas, doing practical things and achieving practical results — only then can one see real effects and produce real achievements.

谋事与成事之间，是干事。作为领导干部，“定好盘子”只是第一步，后续“理清路子、开对方子”还需脚踏实地、久久为功。实际是具体的、历史的、变动的，因地制宜找到发展路径，对症下药解决实际问题，都需要领导干部扑下身子、深入基层，摸透具体情况，摸清困难挑战，摸准群众需求。真抓实干才有真知灼见。面对不断发展变化的实际，只有亲临一线、亲身实践、亲自把关，才能不断校正坐标、调整思路、完善方法。定盘子、理思路是岗位赋予领导干部的重要职责。践行正确政绩观的本色，归根结底见之于真抓实干、为民造福的成色。当年，已罹患重病的焦裕禄想写一篇文章，第一个小标题就是“设想不等于现实”。文章虽然没能写完，但他带领兰考人民暮雪朝霜、治理“三害”，以实际行动践行设想，留下不朽政绩。秉持为民之心，摒弃私心杂念，办实事、务实功，才能见实效、出实绩。

“When leaders take the lead, nothing is difficult.” The words are simple, but the principle is profound: leading cadres are in key positions; they are the backbone of the masses and the vanguard in undertaking endeavors and starting undertakings. Fine traditional Chinese culture has always valued “teaching by example.” The Analects, Zilu, says: “When the person in charge is upright, orders are carried out without being issued; when the person in charge is not upright, orders are not obeyed even when issued.” [2]2 This is a classical Confucian saying from the Analects, emphasizing the importance of the moral example set by those in authority. Leading from the top and setting an example is both a leadership method and a working method. Leading cadres charging ahead and taking the lead have been an important factor in the continuous victories of our Party. Taking the lead and daring to take responsibility does not mean shouting “charge!” but taking the lead by saying “follow me!”, thereby inspiring the courage of cadres and the masses to overcome difficulties and gathering the power of a single spark to start a prairie fire. Leading cadres leading from the top and setting an example through genuine and solid work does not mean handling every trivial matter personally; rather, it means finding the right position, fulfilling duties and responsibilities, with one level doing it for the level below to see, and one level leading the level below to do it, connecting the upper and lower levels and linking the front and back, maximizing the “head goose effect” to stimulate the “vitality of the flock.”

“领导带头，万事不愁。”言语朴素，道理却深：领导干部身处关键岗位，是群众的主心骨，是干事创业的带头人。中华优秀传统文化历来重视“身教”。《论语·子路》中说：“其身正，不令而行；其身不正，虽令不从。”以上率下，既是领导方法，也是工作方法。领导干部带头冲锋在前，是我们党不断取得胜利的重要因素。身先士卒、敢于担当，不是喊着“给我上”，而是带头“跟我上”，从而激发干部群众攻坚克难的勇气，汇聚星火燎原的力量。领导干部以上率下、真抓实干，并不是事无巨细都要亲力亲为，而是要找准定位、尽职尽责，一级做给一级看、一级带着一级干，上下贯通、前后衔接，最大限度地以“头雁效应”激发“群雁活力”。

Being good at planning affairs and willing to do real work enables one to have a clear picture in mind, effective measures in hand, and purposeful action; both taking command and going into battle allows one to be responsible for one’s territory, accountable for one’s territory, and dutiful for one’s territory. Leading cadres at all levels must deeply study and thoroughly comprehend General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on political performance, lead by example, guide everyone to think with one mind, exert strength in one direction, and twist together into one rope, gather the spirit of undertaking endeavors, and continuously write new glories on the new journey.

善谋事肯干事，才能心中有数、手中有招、行动有方；既挂帅又出征，方可守土有责、守土负责、守土尽责。各级领导干部必须深学细悟习近平总书记关于树立和践行正确政绩观的重要论述，以身作则，带领大家心往一处想、劲往一处使、拧成一股绳，凝聚起干事创业的精气神，在新征程上不断书写新的荣光。