Artem Shaipov

About the interview

The chairman of the board of the Professional Government Association about the formation of his personality, studying in Cambridge, cooperation with Francis Fukuyama and values that inspire to achieve the dreamed goals. *The Professional Government Association (PGA) unites 3,000 Ukrainian graduates with a Western education. The activity of the association is aimed at reforming the civil service in Ukraine.

Among the active members of the association are such parliamentarians as Dmytro Natalukha, who heads the Committee on Economic Development, Yehor Chernev, who works on the digital transformation of Ukraine and heads the permanent Ukrainian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as well as Elizaveta Yasko, who headed the Ukrainian

Study experience in Cambridge

Teaching. I call Cambridge a place of missed opportunities. It’s just that there are so many opportunities that Cambridge offers that most of them pass you by. You physically cannot keep up with everything.
This is a very serious challenge, especially for those people who have the so-called FOMA syndrome (Fear of missing out) – when you are afraid of missing an opportunity. During my studies at Cambridge, I clearly understood that I needed to have my own agenda. You should have priorities that will help you navigate and make the right choice.
The fact is that almost immediately you are immersed in an atmosphere where you either go with the flow and don’t belong to yourself, or take matters into your own hands and prioritize leaving behind what is really needed.
There is a student saying in Cambridge that you can do two out of three things, study, sleep and socialize. You always have to sacrifice something.
Networking. In my opinion, one of the serious purposes of a top university is to help you build great contacts. The environment in which you are immersed should help you realize your projects and you should also help others.
The value of diversity. The college system of Cambridge puts you in such a framework that whether you want it or not, you will communicate with people from different fields. For example, there was a girl mathematician who had just defended her PhD. A girl who studies geology lived across the wall from me.
In such communication, you open up other areas for yourself. You are forced to explain in simple language what you are working on. And when different worldviews meet, very often new interesting ideas are born that otherwise could not be born.
Cambridge is famous for the fact that many discoveries were made there that changed our understanding of the universe. The same Newton, on whom the famous apple fell on his head and as a result he discovered the law of gravitation. It was in these walls that human DNA was decoded, the atom was split, and the jet engine was invented.

Leadership

Shared values. The PGA has its own code of honor. First of all, it assumes such qualities as integrity, professionalism and competence. In addition to these qualities being written in our code, I believe they should also be written on everyone’s heart. Only under this condition can you implement changes sincerely.
Mission of the organization. It is very important to focus on the organization’s mission. When you manage an organization, the mission is for you the compass against which you compare your every decision. You should understand how much what you or your team members are proposing to do now will contribute to the achievement of the organization’s mission.
Interaction. When you work with very ambitious people, especially when they have different visions of how to get an ear, it’s a big challenge. Also, difficult situations occur when someone sometimes, for example, says that it will be only this way, and no other way. In such a case, I try to find harmony in relations with colleagues and make a wise Solomonic decision that would allow everyone to save face.
Harmony. For me, it is very important that there is harmony and understanding between team members. I try to integrate people into the team and smooth out conflicts if they arise.
If we talk about where this craving for harmony comes from, then my year-long experience of living and studying in China most likely played a role here. When I was an exchange student at Peking University, I was impressed that the principle of building harmony in society is very important in Confucianism.
When people join your projects and as a result get an opportunity for a certain personal and professional growth, meet new interesting people, discover new exciting opportunities for themselves – this is what gives me a sense of self-realization.
My task as a leader is to unite and direct, help to do our joint work better.

Values and inspiration

Childhood. At a young age, I was fond of oriental martial arts. It was a kind of self-immersion, the beginning of self-improvement. Acquaintance with Eastern philosophy required constant willpower. As is well known, it is the will that forms a person’s ability to manage himself and, as a result, makes it possible to change the world around him. It’s a rule: if you can’t manage yourself, you can’t produce change.
Viktor Frankl’s experiment. He advised to imagine yourself as a person of very old age and look at yourself now. Look at the time that separates you from that elderly person, and try to understand what you would like to do now, what would bring you the feeling of the greatest self-realization, the joy of living life at that old age.
It doesn’t matter how many zeros there are on your bank card account. In the end, it is much more important how many people you helped change for the better, how many projects you implemented that helped develop your country.
It is clear that the financial resource is important, but another motivation took over me. I had no other option but to deliberately return to Ukraine and work to change our country for the better.
Self-realization. I realized that I can best express myself if I help my society to develop. This is exactly what will bring me the highest professional pleasure, satisfaction and a sense of self-realization.
Overcoming problems. When you are faced with a problem and you cannot solve it, it is advisable to think in broader categories, to expand the horizons of your planning. At this moment, you should always think back to the fact that you never know what is waiting for you around the corner.
It is necessary to exert much more effort, work much more on yourself, set an even higher bar for yourself every time. When you go through all this and come out victorious, you realize that actually what you were denied before was good for you. Otherwise, you would have stopped at the previous level.
PGA. The core of PGA is people with a global outlook. They see possibilities beyond what they see in everyday life. The establishment of this association became possible only thanks to them.

The beginning of the journey

— Hello, Artem! Tell us about how it all started, namely about the town in which you were born and about your family?

— I was born in the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. There is a very powerful historical tradition. This city has long been the center of the Cossack region.

My parents always supported me and never tried to impose their point of view on future choices and encouraged personal responsibility in me. It helped me become more independent much earlier than I would have otherwise. I am very grateful to my parents for this.

— However, it was very difficult for my parents, especially my mother, to let me go to study in Kyiv. I still remember our farewell at the station, with tears in my eyes. However, the decision was made and it had to be implemented.

— Before you mention the university, could you remember your school years and what exactly do you remember about them?

I was very lucky with my teachers. Despite the fact that my city may seem provincial by the standards of Kyiv, the school I went to is, in my opinion, one of the best in Ukraine.

The people who teach there are real stars. For example, my law teacher, Volodymyr Lukich Sutkovy, who trained a whole host of graduates who won prizes at the All-Ukrainian Law Olympiads. Three years in a row, I was one of them.

— Do you continue to communicate with your school teachers?

— Just the other day, I returned from my hometown, where I had the opportunity to talk with my teachers. Yes, one of my teachers, starting from the 5th grade, taught me biology and philosophy. It greatly developed my outlook.

This teacher recently defended her PhD thesis in biology. A very talented person, she could teach at any university. I asked her: why do you teach at school? In response, she said that this is the place of her ministry. Like, if she will continue to work here, she will be able to influence the minds of children even more. In the long run, this will have the greatest positive effect for the development of our society.

Her philosophy of service made a very strong impression on me. She was fundamental in the formation of my worldview.

It’s a rule: if you can’t manage yourself, you can’t produce change.

— In addition to studying, did you have any activities that you could trace the influence of on you today?

— Even at school age, I was fascinated by oriental martial arts. It was a kind of self-immersion, the beginning of self-improvement. Acquaintance with Eastern philosophy required constant willpower. As is well known, it is the will that forms a person’s ability to manage himself and, as a result, makes it possible to change the world around him. It’s a rule: if you can’t manage yourself, you can’t produce change.

University

— How did you enter the university?

— When I started winning at the All-Ukrainian Olympiads in law, I immediately had a progressive desire to study at a better university.

Regarding the choice of profession, my desire for law actually played a role here. I remember a flash in my mind when I discovered the basics of jurisprudence for the 9th grade, and at the beginning of the book there was such a Latin expression: “Law is the art of goodness and justice.” This moment is forever etched in my mind. At that moment, I clearly understood for myself that this is probably what I should dedicate my professional life to.

— How exactly did you choose a university?

— It so happened that I won the first place at the international tournament-symposium on law, which was held at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. The victory gave me an invitation to study. At that time, I was impressed that the certificate was signed by the Minister of Education and the rector of the university. Actually, all I had to do was come during the recruitment campaign and submit the documents, which I did.

— Tell us about your move to Kyiv, about your university years?

— It was a difficult period, because before that I was a bit of a “home” boy. Despite this, in another city, whether you like it or not, you break out of your familiar surroundings. When I first moved to Kyiv, I had neither relatives nor close friends who were local.

When you move away from your parents, you immediately enter the mode of independent living. Even if your parents help you financially, you still have to cover all household items yourself: on your own time, with your own resources.

Literally two more people from my class moved to Kyiv to study. We met approximately once every two weeks. They visited museums together, explored the city together.

— How would you summarize your studies at Shevchenko University?

— It was a difficult period, but it is a challenge that helped me become stronger. The years of study, again, were accompanied by the formation of character, hardening of the personality.

We continue to communicate with the friends I made at university, moreover, from time to time we work on joint projects. Maybe just not as often as we would like.

— After graduating from Kyiv University, you tried to enter an Italian university. Can you share this story?

— While studying at the university, I wanted to go abroad to study for a master’s degree, in order to better understand the world. My first attempt was to study at the University of Turin.

I planned to enter together with a friend. Still, it would be easier together. It so happened that he prepared better, submitted his documents earlier and entered this university, unlike me.

I was somewhat stressed because when you invest a lot of effort and time, take an English exam, submit an academic paper, and as a result get rejected – it’s very derailing.

You must have priorities that will help you make the right choice

— We will return to this later. Tell us about your studies at Cambridge University?

— I call Cambridge a place of lost opportunities. It’s just that there are so many opportunities that Cambridge offers that most of them pass you by. You physically cannot keep up with everything.

This is a very serious challenge, especially for those people who have the so-called FOMO syndrome (fear of missing out), when you are afraid of missing an opportunity. What I learned for myself during my time at Cambridge is that you need to have your own agenda. You should have priorities that will help you navigate and make the right choice.

Photographs by Cambridge University

— Tell me in more detail, why so?

— The fact is that almost immediately you are immersed in an atmosphere where you either go with the flow and don’t belong to yourself or take matters into your own hands and really prioritize what you really need.

There is a student saying that you can do two out of three things: study, sleep and socialize (laughs). You always have to sacrifice something.

In my opinion, one of the most important purposes of a top university is to help you build great contacts. The environment in which you are immersed should help you realize your projects and you should also help others.

The environment in which you are immersed should help you realize your projects and you should also help others.

— I couldn’t help but pay attention to the modern building of the Faculty of Law, where you studied. Tell me, what exactly is the space inside the room filled with?

— The premises of the faculty are somewhat reminiscent of a library. When you go inside, you will see only a small number of classrooms. The rest of the space is occupied by a huge library, and a purely legal one at that.

Looking at the huge bookshelves, you clearly see your limitations. However, it is the electronic library that fascinates me, because your access password actually gives you the opportunity to discover the knowledge of the whole world. Having the password to all the knowledge of the world, you still understand that you can master only a small part: less than one percent.

This awareness of the limitations of your own knowledge stimulates an important feeling in you – intellectual humility. Even if you study at such a powerful global university. This is what is cultivated within those walls, what is felt while staying in such institutions, what is embedded in Kem even from the point of view of the construction of space.

Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

— It is a little surprising that a classical university gives itself the opportunity to move away from past architectural manners. Looking at the photo, one gets the impression that this space simply has to be a place for the implementation of innovative approaches. Is this true?

— It is clear that such universities cannot afford not to be at the cutting edge of new approaches. I really liked the approaches that the university has to building work with students, to recruiting professors, they are definitely innovative.

In general, in my opinion, a university cannot remain a leader in its field if it is not at the forefront of creating new knowledge and new approaches to the transmission of education and teaching.

— Could you tell us a little about the professors you remember most during your studies?

— In general, what is a professor in the United Kingdom, in particular in Cambridge? This is a person who simultaneously reached the heights in both academic career and practical activity.

For example, James Richard Crawford (James Richard Crawford) is my professor of international law, he himself is Australian, and Australia nominated him to be a judge of the International Court of the United Nations. Before that, he was regularly a member of the panels of judges of international tribunals. He was one of those who developed the doctrine of modern international law while working in UN bodies. This is a person who has missed a lot of experience in his life, which gives him the opportunity to understand what he tells. His knowledge is not from books, not from stories.

— Can you remember another teacher whose approach had a strong influence on you?

— Another professor, Alan Dashwood, a very famous British jurist, taught me European Union law. When I was studying for a master’s degree, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. He defended Her Majesty’s interests at the Court of Justice of the European Union for 40 years and headed the legal service of the European Commission. A person who is a titan of practice, who has worked with almost all the cases he talks about.

There were 10 students in my group, and when we had classes, we sat at a round table and analyzed how certain arguments were used in a specific case. He talked about the mistakes he made and what he would have done differently today. For example, how to build a line of defense.

He reflected primarily on his own experience. This gives you an opportunity to ask questions of the person who worked with it directly. When you have the opportunity to communicate with specialists of this scale and learn from them, you open up new horizons for personal growth. This is a huge opportunity.

— In Ukrainian realities, it is probably somewhat unusual to hear about how a person of such rank not only admits his mistakes to himself, but also shares them. In general, what did you take away for yourself when faced with such an open approach not only to teaching, but also to communication in general?

— When you understand at what level people work with you, how open they are, how easy they are to communicate with, not superior, and how focused they are on constant learning, standards of professional behavior appear in you. When you see such examples, it inspires you to rapid personal growth.

You see that these people really want to teach you and transfer their knowledge and experience to you as much as possible. It’s just a matter of how much you can fit and how much you want to take. In general, this approach to communication is an example of what I talked about about intellectual modesty. This is exactly what I am trying to practice and spread in Ukraine.

— During your studies, were you able to gain any practical experience?

— Actually, there were various communities in Cambridge, and one of them, with a more professional direction, provided this experience. The community is called the Cambridge Pro Bono Society, which unites law students who help develop decisions for international judicial institutions.

For example, we received a case from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and we were asked to provide a legal opinion on a number of issues that arose around this case. We worked very hard: we did thorough research, worked through a lot of literature, communicated with our professor, and finally offered our legal opinion to the Court. It was a great practice for me.

— What was your student life like?

— The college system of Cambridge puts you in such a framework that whether you want it or not, you will communicate with people from different fields. For example, there was a girl mathematician who had just defended her PhD. A girl who studies geology lived across the wall from me.

In such communication, you open up other areas for yourself. You are forced to explain in simple language what you are working on. And when different worldviews meet, very often new interesting ideas are born that otherwise could not be born.

Cambridge is famous for the fact that many discoveries were made there that changed our understanding of the universe. The same Newton who had the famous apple fall on his head, and as a result he discovered the law of gravity. It was in these walls that human DNA was deciphered, the atom was split, the jet engine was invented, and many other things useful for humanity.

Photo from the hero’s personal archive

— Now that you have graduated from Cambridge, how do you look at the unsuccessful admission to the University of Turin? Can you share your thoughts?

— Already in retrospect, I drew certain conclusions for myself from this life lesson. When you are faced with a problem and you cannot solve it, it is advisable to think in broader categories, to expand the horizons of your perception. At this moment, you should always think back to the fact that you never know what is waiting for you around the corner.

Thus, with much more effort, much more work on myself, I set an even higher bar for myself and eventually reached it. When you go through all this and come out victorious, you realize that what you were rejected before was actually good for you. Otherwise, you would have stopped at the previous level.

The main thing is to continue working on yourself, each time set yourself a more ambitious goal and achieve it

Photo from the hero’s personal archive

— What prompted you to return to Ukraine?

— When I was walking through the narrow streets of Cambridge, I had time to think about what my life goals are, what I want to do with my life.
Unfortunately, few people ask themselves such questions and think about them seriously for, say, a few days or a week. Actually, I have a certain period of reflection associated with this, and this is very important.

As a result, I concluded for myself that I will be able to express myself best if I help my society to develop. This is exactly what will bring me the highest professional pleasure, satisfaction and a sense of self-realization.

Then, I also conducted an experiment on myself that Viktor Frankl advised to conduct.

The streets of Cambridge

— What kind of experiment? And what conclusions, based on it, did you draw for yourself?

— I conducted an experiment on myself that Viktor Frankl advised to conduct. He advised to imagine yourself as a person of very old age and look at yourself now. Look at the time that separates you from those elderly people and try to understand what you would like to do now, what would bring you the feeling of the greatest self-realization, the joy of living life at that old age.

It doesn’t matter how many zeros you have in your account. In the end, it is much more important how many people you helped change for the better, how many projects you implemented that helped develop your country.

It is clear that financial resources are important, but it is precisely the motivation to work for the public good that has taken hold of me. I had no other option but to return to Ukraine consciously and work on changing our country for the better.

It doesn’t matter how many zeros there are on your bank card account. In the end, it is much more important how many people you helped to change for the better.

— We are all about Britain and Britain, but did any of the public Ukrainian intellectuals give a lecture during your studies at Cambridge?

— In the fall of 2012, we had a seminar with the Ukrainian historian of modern times, Andrii Portnov. During the seminar, we talked about the history of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present day. Even then, he was able to very aptly reveal the concept of “Russian peace” and the threat it poses to Ukraine. Unfortunately, in Ukraine at that time, few people thought about it and thought about this huge problem.

He revealed the essence of the Russian threat in sufficient detail, and at that moment I clearly understood for myself that I was faced with a decision: which paradigm do I feed with my energy: Russian or Ukrainian. It was after this seminar that I decided to communicate in my native language.

Constantly expanding the framework is the best evidence of what you think in the global paradigm.

— Can we say that Cambridge was the necessary brick for you in the construction of life maximalism?

— Of course, studying there encourages you to set higher goals and achieve more. Since Cambridge is one of the oldest and most prominent universities on our planet, it is natural that it forms a global outlook. Based on this, he creates in you the desire to form global goals for yourself.

Now, when you work on projects, you automatically expand the scope of searching for a solution to a problem, even the way you look at the problem itself changes. This background prompts the search for some alternative ways of thinking about a specific issue.

Profession

— Tell us about the PGA, how did your association come about?

— PGA is, in fact, a continuation of the Maidan, a continuation of the Revolution of Dignity by other means. At that time, the situation in the country was very deplorable, especially from the point of view of public administration: there was a catastrophic lack of professional personnel. It was urgently necessary to close the gaps.

In February 2014, we received an impetus from the Harvard Club of Ukraine. Like, friends, let’s join forces and offer the government the best we have: human capital.

As a result, we joined forces and sent an open letter to the head of the Government at that time, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Soon, on March 12, 2014, we held a press conference at which we presented our Association.

There are no super people in the world, but there are super ideas.
As a rule, super ideas unite ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

— As you know, your organization articulates the goal of creating the best government in the world. Could you explain: do you set yourself a time frame for the realization of such an ambitious goal?

— Our logo has five yellow dots. According to some members of the Association, these five points symbolize the five generations that we need to create the best government in the world in Ukraine. According to more optimistic representatives, including myself, these five points symbolize the number of tens of years. However, in any case, this is a long time horizon.

To achieve such an ambitious goal, we unite and encourage people with Western education to work in the government. In general, the main task of the association is to unite people around a super idea. There are no super people in the world, but there are super ideas. As a rule, super ideas unite ordinary people who do extraordinary things. PGA is the carrier of this super idea for Ukraine.

— And what was the state of affairs before this, and how exactly did you manage to secure the support of the previous Government?

— When we started, it was very difficult to search for vacancies, they were usually hidden on the websites of authorities. In general, there was a very complicated procedure for submitting applications. In the final analysis, our proposals and developments contributed to the simplification of the process of recruitment into the civil service. In essence, the PGA served as a public HR agency for the government.

We must give credit to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who, after receiving our letter, sent our appeal to all ministries. We began to receive appeals from other authorities, even moved to the local level. For example, someone needed an adviser to the mayor or a person in the department of international relations.

Only in 2014-2015, in response to dozens of requests, we sent more than a thousand CVs of our members, about a hundred of whom went to power. As you can understand, the demand for support for the reform of public administration was very high, especially in the first period after the Revolution of Dignity.

Aresenii Yatsenyuk

— Give, please, some concrete example of what at that time scared away really professional specialists from applying for public service?

— When we want to interest high-level professionals in applying for vacancies, it is very important that communications are properly established. For example, a person applies for public service and needs to clarify some information. If she calls the ministry, and they communicate with her not very friendly and not in human, but office language, then this will immediately turn people away.

— Can you tell me what was your first project that started it all?

— If we do not take into account our work as a public HR agency for the government, our first project was to promote the idea of a single window of public service. This project served so that people would not have to search for information about vacancies on dozens of sites and we would not have to send out information about vacancies every time, but that everything would be on a single online portal of the civil service.

We are pleased that, thanks to our support and lobbying, a portal like sareer.gov.ua has appeared. We participated in the creation of this platform and then helped the government to popularize it.

Thus, in 2017, in support of the launch of recruitment for the new civil service through career.gov.ua, we created a hotline, where procedural issues were explained in an accessible manner. This contributed to the formation of a new approach to the interaction between the state and the public and the creation of a new image of the civil service.

— You said that things went particularly well during the first period of the Revolution of Dignity. What happened after?

— Unfortunately, after the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections, we saw that the demand for new specialists from outside the system began to decrease sharply. Having understood this trend, we decided that it is necessary to reformulate our mission in order to adapt to new conditions. In one form or another, we always wanted to remain relevant and continue working to improve the quality of public administration.

Since then, we have moved away from the concept of a purely HR agency, which was our main line of work before that. We started working on specific point projects that would have a direct effect on the quality of management.

— Tell us about your first steps after you headed the PGA?

— Actually, when I was elected the head of the Board, I initiated a research project in order to receive feedback from civil servants. This project became especially relevant after the members of our Association, who worked in the government, left it for various reasons.

When asked to give honest feedback about their experience working in the government, most of them complained about the toxicity of the organizational culture. Like, when a person comes who wants to deal with changes, the conservative bureaucracy puts sticks in the wheels and restrains most of his initiatives.

We conducted this survey in order to better understand the organizational culture of our civil service.

— How would you characterize the essence of the project?

— The main message of the project: to give a voice to civil servants. It is very important that a person understands that he can be heard that his opinion is important, that he is considered and listened to. Even if a person works in a lower level of public service, his answer will be taken into account. This will form the basis for improving the performance of each executive authority. In other words, this project is intended to give a voice to more than 250,000 civil servants of Ukraine.

It is very important when a person understands that he can be heard that his opinion is important.

— Can you tell in more detail how the project was implemented?

— To date, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the CMU, the Kyiv School of Economics, and the Stanford University Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, we have conducted all the planned stages of the research. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with former and current civil servants. Then they also conducted an extended survey of experts on reform issues who, in fact, recently entered the public service. We have already published a report based on the results of the first two stages of the study.

The third stage of this large project was conducting surveys among representatives of ministries and the secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers on the subject of the following three key things: to what extent is the civil service autonomous in decision-making, to what extent is the civil service politicized or not politicized, to what extent are civil servants personnel, professional and independent in making decisions their decisions. And finally, to what extent what they do satisfies them in terms of the organizational culture that we talked about.

A thorough questionnaire with almost 50 questions was developed for the interview. Thus, we were able to interview representatives of 14 ministries, as well as the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, totaling more than 1,800 people. We are currently processing the received data and preparing a report with the results of the third stage of the survey.

— Did you conduct surveys at the local level?

— We are already planning work on a survey of local employees who work in local state administrations. In this regard, we cooperate with the National Agency for Civil Service of Ukraine. We helped them develop a questionnaire for local civil servants. However, more time is needed to conduct field surveys and get a more complete picture.

— To implement the project, did you take any foreign experience?

— We were inspired to initiate this project by the fact that in such developed countries as the USA and Great Britain there are such tools that have been implemented for many years. For example, such surveys have been conducted in Great Britain for more than 10 years.

This year, as a John Smith Trust Fellow, I had the opportunity to explore this experience of the Civil Service People Survey. This tool is very good at helping to develop the civil service in the United Kingdom.

If they conducted a survey this year, specific measures are immediately planned for the next year. The following survey allows you to conclude whether the set goals have been achieved. Thus, they control the performance of assigned tasks. Moreover, each employee of the relevant department understands that he influences the situation, and the manager realizes that his success depends on the level of involvement of the team. It brings people together very strongly, it creates an understanding that every opinion matters and everyone’s position should be heard.

— What are the achievements of this project to date?

— The project has already contributed to making changes to the State Administration Reform Strategy. It is very important that the organizational culture factor received special attention.

Previously, the reform focused purely on three pillars: people, processes and institutions. Now a fourth is being added – organizational culture. The entire building of the new civil service will be supported on these pillars. According to the updated Strategy, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Civil Service Agency will conduct surveys of civil servants every year. Together with our partners, we will help them in this.

— Tell us about your partnerships, both in Ukraine and abroad?

— At the state level, we started cooperation with the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers. Kyiv School of Economics is also our research partner. We also managed to attract the cooperation of our international partner – the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law of Stanford University, which is headed by Francis Fukuyama.

Francis Fukuyama

— It is very interesting, how did you manage to agree on cooperation with Francis Fukuyama?

— First of all, we received information that the Center headed by Professor Fukuyama is working on a project (Governance Project) similar to ours, only not in Ukraine, but in China, India and Brazil. When we thought about how best to approach this matter, I wrote him a letter in which I told him about the PGA, what we do, what our goal is and offered him cooperation. The idea was that the Governance Project should also include Ukraine as a point of comparison with other countries. This allowed us to similarly compare Ukraine in the context of indicators of the organizational culture of the civil service with other countries.

It can be said that exactly the intersection of interests led to such international mutually beneficial cooperation. I remember how happy my team was when we received a positive response from Professor Fukuyama. We set ourselves the ambitious goal of organizing an international project from scratch, and we succeeded.

PGA Community Meeting with International Partner Francis Fukuyama

— What are your immediate plans for the future?

— Now we are promoting the idea of including Ukraine in the International Index of Civil Service Efficiency. This international public service index was developed two years ago by the School of Public Administration named after Blavatnik in Oxford and the Institute of Government, which is located in London.

They developed a comprehensive public service efficiency index, which, based on key performance parameters, allows you to track where the country they are analyzing is located. Unfortunately, Ukraine is still not represented in this Index, but we are working to change that. The presence of Ukraine in the Index will give us the opportunity to regularly monitor progress in improving the quality of public administration. This will create an additional mechanism for ensuring the accountability of our Government.

Policy

— How would you rate the activities of the new members of the Verkhovna Rada and what expectations do you have from the new government?

— Now we can see how actively the Verkhovna Rada began to work: in the first few days, more than 400 draft laws were registered. The pace taken by the new government is of course very good, but speed can lead to a number of mistakes. Still, when something is done in a hurry, the risk of error increases.

I would like the new Government to cooperate more closely with civil society. Of course, this process will reduce the speed of progress to some extent. However, effective public consultation and inclusiveness in the decision-making process is a sign of democracy, especially when it is not formal, but sincere. And this is important for building and maintaining a high level of trust in the authorities.

For our part, we count on the active position of the new prime minister and his support for our initiatives. We would like to continue the effective cooperation that we started with the previous Government. After all, we are all interested in working to strengthen our nationhood.

Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk

— By the way, your Association did not analyze which universities the members of the new Government graduated from?

— Just recently, we conducted an analysis that revealed that 9 members of the new Government have Western education. In our opinion, this is a significant step forward compared to what we had before. We have an expectation that, having received a Western education, these people have also acquired a global worldview, learned other values. Still, these people had the opportunity to get to know the developed world better. We place great hopes on them to improve the quality of governance.

— Do you think your vision of the best government in the world could be useful for the current government?

— I would very much like the new Government to adopt our mission, so that they set themselves the goal of working to create a world-class governance system in Ukraine. Of course, the government has in its arsenal much more powerful tools for communication with society. It would be great if, with the help of the current government, we actively approached this goal.

I think it would be very good to broadcast this mission to the Ukrainian people. It is simply necessary to publicly say that Ukrainians deserve to have the best government in Ukraine, so that the quality of our public administration is one of the best in the world. When such a goal is articulated at the state level, it will be stimulating and easier to achieve.

Ukrainians deserve that Ukraine should have a better government, that the quality of our public administration should be one of the best in the world.

Leadership

— How would you describe the influence that your public activity in the Association had on you?

— To a large extent, I was shaped by the creation of this unique organization. It is unique not only for Ukraine, but also for the world. I am not aware of a community of graduates who have united for a single common and very ambitious goal.
The core of PGA is people with a global outlook. They see possibilities beyond what they see in everyday life. The foundation of our Association became possible only thanks to such people.

For me, the development of this community was a personal challenge. Over the past five years, the extent to which the organization has developed has had the same formative effect on me. It helped me meet hundreds of very talented, extremely bright professionals in a wide variety of fields. It broadened my view of the world, of Ukraine, and strengthened my faith in its great future.

The core of PGA is people with a global outlook. They notice possibilities beyond what they see in everyday life.

— Can you tell us about the values that guide you in managing the Association?

— It is worth starting with the fact that the PGA has its own Code of Honor. First of all, it assumes such qualities as integrity, professionalism, competence and orientation to the public good. In addition to these qualities being written in our code, I believe they should also be written on everyone’s heart. Only under this condition, something can be implemented sincerely.

In general, it is very important to focus on the organization’s mission. When you lead an organization, the mission is for you the compass against which you check every decision you make. You should understand how much what you or your team members propose to do will contribute to the achievement of the organization’s mission.

When you lead an organization, your mission is the compass against which you compare every decision.

— Can you tell us about the values that guide you in managing the association?

— When you are in the position of a leader, it is extremely important to take care of the team and make it a priority. It is very important to unite people around a common idea and establish processes in such a way that people understand each other and work together for a common result.

When you work with people, very often there are some misunderstandings. Sometimes it is very difficult to communicate, or simply there are people in the team with different views on work, different ideas about how something should be done. This does not mean that their ideas are wrong, they are just different. As they say, you can get an ear this way, and you can get it another way (shows). But the result will be almost the same.

For me, it is very important that there is harmony and understanding between team members. I try to integrate people into the team and promptly resolve conflicts if they arise.

— What, in your opinion, is the main difficulty in the teamwork of your Association?

— When you work with very ambitious people, especially when they have different visions of how to achieve goals, it is a challenge. Also, difficult situations occur when someone sometimes says that it will be only this way and no other way. In such a case, I try to find harmony in relations with colleagues and make a wise Solomonic decision that would allow everyone to save face and the whole team to move forward decisively.

If we talk about where this craving for harmony comes from, then, most likely, my experience of living and studying in China played a role here. When I studied public policy at Peking University on exchange, I was impressed that the principle of maintaining harmony in society is very important in Confucianism.

Informal meeting of PGA board members

Inspiration

What inspires you?

— According to my philosophy, our time is very limited and it is extremely important to hurry to do good deeds. I am especially inspired when these good deeds are systemic in nature and create prerequisites or serve as tools for introducing innovations that change entire systems. This is,
that especially drives me.

When we start another project, sometimes I can stay awake at night, instead of writing to colleagues from overseas, whose day is now, and yours is 4 in the morning. This opportunity to work for change is a great reward in itself.

The second moment, when talented people join your projects and as a result get an opportunity for personal and professional growth, get to know other bright people, open up new exciting opportunities – this is what gives me a sense of self-realization.

Our time is very limited and it is extremely important to hurry to do good deeds

— If this interview will be read by members of your team, what would you like to emphasize in your attitude towards them?

— I have this privilege now: to communicate with you and be heard. But I could list everyone here by name so that everyone can read that all our projects are a huge team effort.

My task as a leader is to unite everyone, guide and help them to do our common work better. I would very much like you to interview every member of our team, but I understand that this is objectively impossible. However, I would like to emphasize that teamwork is extremely important in this case.

City

— Tell me, please, which is your favorite Kyiv?

— I am very pleased to walk the streets and alleys of Kyiv, to admire its architecture. Volodymyrska is my favorite street. Maybe because it is home to my first alma mater – Kyiv University.
When familiar foreigners come to the city, I usually show my favorite route – from the Red Building to the colorful Podil.

— And finally, what impressions did the new pedestrian bridge give you?

It is very good that the city is changing for the better. New pedestrian routes are appearing, and this makes our city more welcoming and accessible. And from this bridge it is very nice to admire the beauty of the Dnipro.

Sometimes you walk on a sunny day, you see the beauty of people, how they enjoy life, you meet random smiles – and this is extremely inspiring.

Worked on the material

Yaroslav Karpenko

Editor in Chief

Julia Holopoteliuk

Guest editor

Lyudmila Kravchenko

Photographer