Right path to power

"Secretary, you've misunderstood. I just wanted to standardize the procedures and uphold the authority of the five-person group. I had no other intentions."

Faced with Lin Xiao's assertiveness, Wang Kangzhou hurriedly offered an explanation.

"The authority of deliberation relies on acting in accordance with regulations and ensuring openness and fairness, rather than on solidifying the conventions of small circles."

Lin Xiao spoke calmly but forcefully, giving no one a chance to argue further, and made the decision directly: "Comrade Guangyan, notify all members of the Standing Committee to convene a meeting of the District Party Committee Standing Committee at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. There are two main topics: first, to study and decide on personnel adjustments for the Environmental Protection Bureau leadership; and second, to report on the recent district-wide survey, deploy the key tasks for the next stage, and unify the thinking of all district staff."

"Meeting adjourned!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiao got up and left.

Yang Songfeng, with a gloomy expression, got up and left without saying a word.

Wang Kangzhou's face was ashen, his heart filled with resentment but with nowhere to vent it.

Jiang Yanming followed silently behind, notebook in hand, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Back in his office, Yang Songfeng said to Wang Kangzhou and Jiang Yanming, "See? This is what a top leader looks like!"

Wang Kangzhou gritted his teeth: "We really underestimated him."

"Yes, he's so assertive right after taking office." Jiang Yanming was also quite displeased.

"He's blatantly running a one-man show, and I'm afraid it will become increasingly difficult to check and balance him in the future. He can overturn things that the five-person group could have decided with a single sentence, and then dump all the conflicts on the Standing Committee."

Yang Songfeng was very unwilling.

Previously, in return for Luo Weida's "generosity," he personally promised to do his best to help him win the position of Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau.

They originally thought that with the majority of the three, they could easily finalize the situation at the five-person group meeting, especially since Lin Xiao was a newcomer and would always have some reservations.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Xiao was not buying into the idea of ​​forming a group to exert pressure.

Ultimately, they failed to recognize a fundamental fact—Lin Xiao was the true leader.

A night passes in the blink of an eye.

The district party committee standing committee meeting was held on time at 9:00 a.m. the following morning.

All the Standing Committee members were present, and the atmosphere seemed calm on the surface. Some people were smoking and chatting, while others were exchanging whispers, but undercurrents were actually surging.

Everyone knew that today was Lin Xiao's first meeting to discuss personnel matters since taking office.

Yesterday's five-person group meeting ended in a stalemate, with all five candidates vying for three leadership positions. The news had already spread within the leadership team.

Therefore, today will inevitably be another real power struggle.

After everyone was seated, Lin Xiao gave a brief introduction and got straight to the point: "The focus of today's meeting is to discuss the plan for filling the Environmental Protection Bureau's leadership team. Now, I would like to invite Comrade Yanming to introduce the basic information of the five candidates."

Following this, Jiang Yanming introduced himself and then stated, "The candidates for Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau in this reshuffle are Luo Weida and Xu Wenbo; the candidates for Deputy Director are Lu Yingxiong, Huang Limei, and Chen Hongxuan. All five are candidates for this round of selection. That concludes my introduction."

Then, Lin Xiao raised his eyes and said, "Next, please speak one by one and clarify your opinions."

Xie Guangyan, director of the district party committee office, spoke first: "I support Comrade Xu Wenbo to serve as director of the Environmental Protection Bureau, and Comrades Huang Limei and Chen Hongxuan to serve as deputy directors. These three comrades have a clean work style, a correct stance, and are pragmatic and willing to take responsibility, which is suitable for the current needs of the overall environmental remediation campaign."

Previously, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection had given Xie Guangyan a reprimand. Duan Huafeng, the deputy secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, personally talked to him, telling him to learn from his mistakes, unload his mental burdens, devote himself wholeheartedly to his work, and live up to the organization's cultivation and trust.

After that, Xie Guangyan easily took the lead, firmly established himself in Lin Xiao's camp, and became the most steadfast supporter in the group, always taking the lead in every matter.

Subsequently, Fan Shixin, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Guo Yuanzheng, Deputy District Head, and Zhou Guodong, Minister of the People's Armed Forces Department, spoke in turn, unanimously agreeing with Xie Guangyan's opinion.

When it was Qu Ningbo's turn to speak, Yang Songfeng and Wang Kangzhou immediately focused their attention on him.

Last night, the two called Qu Ningbo specifically to communicate, promising him many conveniences in hopes of gaining his support.

Although Qu Ningbo did not give a clear answer at the time, Yang and Wang were still hoping for the best.

At this moment, facing the suggestive and expectant gazes of the two, Qu Ningbo remained calm and slowly said, "I agree with Comrade Guangyan's opinion."

That one short sentence shattered the other person's last illusion.

Yang Songfeng's heart tightened, and he instantly realized that the situation was hopeless.

He had originally hoped that Qu Ningbo would remain neutral or even defect, thus creating a balance of power.

But now, it's all gone to waste.

Immediately afterward, seeing that the situation was settled, Propaganda Minister Luo Hongqi tried to smooth things over, vaguely saying, "These comrades are all excellent and each has their own strengths. I will submit to the majority..."

In fact, last night he readily agreed to support Yang Songfeng and Wang Kangzhou's proposal.

"The Standing Committee meetings are serious matters, and ambiguity and muddling through are not allowed. Every member of the Standing Committee must be responsible to the organization and to the work, and must clearly state their position and make their views explicit, without being vague. Comrade Hongqi, please clarify your opinion."

Lin Xiao interrupted Luo Hongqi on the spot, his tone becoming more serious.

Luo Hongqi blushed slightly, no longer daring to be evasive, and could only state the truth: "I support Comrades Xu Wenbo, Huang Limei, and Chen Hongxuan."

As soon as he finished speaking, the situation became completely clear.

Lin Xiao's side received a full seven votes, while Yang Songfeng and his group only received four votes.

Four votes to seven, a complete and utter defeat.

Yang Songfeng's face was ashen, and his brows were furrowed.

Now, he should have a clear understanding of the current state of Zhenxing District; it's completely different from what it used to be.

In the past, when Huang Jingneng was in office, he and Wang Kangzhou worked together to form a tripartite balance of power and mutual checks and balances. Huang Jingneng would also always communicate in advance when problems arose.

But now that Lin Xiao has taken over the district committee, he has quickly established himself, won over the hearts of the people, and taken control of the Standing Committee.

Even if he and Wang Kangzhou continue to work together, they will no longer be able to influence the district committee's decisions.

Moreover, Wang Kangzhou was originally an opportunist who was waiting to see what would happen. After this defeat, he would inevitably side with Lin Xiao. At that time, he would only become more isolated and powerless, and eventually be completely marginalized.

With the outcome decided, the meeting room fell silent.

District Mayor Yang Songfeng frowned, his gaze unfocused; Deputy District Party Secretary Wang Kangzhou pursed his lips, his eyes fixed on the ashtray; Executive Deputy District Mayor Deng Guanglin looked down at the ring on his left middle finger; Organization Minister Jiang Yanming was drawing something in his notebook.

Lin Xiao scanned the room and slowly said, "Everyone has finished speaking, so let's proceed with the vote. Those who agree to appoint Comrade Xu Wenbo as the Party Secretary and Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau, Comrade Huang Limei as the Deputy Party Secretary and Deputy Director, and Comrade Chen Hongxuan as a Party Committee Member and Deputy Director, please raise your hands."

In a flash, all seven people raised their hands.

"Alright, I hereby announce that this personnel adjustment plan has been officially approved. Please have the Organization Department complete the follow-up procedures as soon as possible so that the relevant personnel can start working at the same time."

Before Jiang Yanming could respond, Lin Xiao continued, "Now, let's move on to the second topic. During this period, I visited many units, held symposiums, and talked with grassroots cadres and ordinary people. I'll talk about a few issues I saw during my research."

First, the cadre team lacks enthusiasm for their work. Many are just wasting time, seeking to avoid mistakes rather than achieve anything. Many tasks rank low in the city, drawing strong complaints from the public. Yet some cadres act as if nothing is wrong, coldly observing the situation, showing absolutely no sense of responsibility.

Second, grassroots Party building is poorly managed. Many Party members are unclear about their responsibilities and fail to set a good example. Grassroots Party organizations are lax in discipline, detached from the masses, and practically non-existent in the eyes of the people.

Third, the overall atmosphere in the district is unhealthy. Cadres flatter each other, form cliques, and cultivate connections. They are unwilling to work hard and lack ability, yet they can't stand seeing others work diligently; their minds are not on their jobs at all.

Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then scanned the room again. The atmosphere in the conference room had sunk to rock bottom.

He then continued, his voice still resolute: "In response to these chaotic situations, the district is preparing to fully implement a brand-new performance evaluation mechanism that focuses on practical results, completely breaking the old rules of seniority-based promotion, favoritism-based advancement, and complacency."

Let me make my point clear from the start: if you don't change your mindset, you'll be replaced; if you don't get things done, you'll be forced to step down.

Starting in March, all departments and townships in the district implemented a performance evaluation system involving monthly assessments, ranking announcements, yellow card warnings, and quarterly reviews. The system primarily judges performance based on actual results; work progress, public opinion, and ranking data are the sole criteria for cadre appointments.

Those who are capable, courageous, and perform well will be promoted, given priority, and given bold authority by the district committee; those who slack off, drag down the team, remain complacent, or rely on connections to get a job will be interviewed, given warnings, and have their positions adjusted; those who rank at the bottom for three consecutive months will have organizational procedures initiated directly.

From now on, the personnel management logic in Zhenxing District will be very simple: the capable will rise, the mediocre will fall, and the incompetent will be eliminated. This will completely sever the unhealthy practices of favoritism, connections, and easy promotions.

The top leader of each unit is the primary person responsible. The effectiveness of their leadership and the performance of their team are directly linked to their performance evaluations and appointments. The Discipline Inspection Commission and the District Party Committee's Supervision Office will conduct full-process supervision and performance verification. Anyone who dares to be perfunctory or engage in fraudulent practices will be held strictly accountable.

However, the current rectification efforts are insufficient, and too few exemplary cases have been set. I reiterate that the district committee fully supports the discipline inspection commission and the supervision office in addressing issues of conduct, highlighting exemplary cases, and holding those responsible accountable. This unhealthy trend must be completely eradicated.

Everyone's faces flushed slightly, but one thing was clear: this time they were serious!

At this moment, Lin Xiao turned to Wang Kangzhou and said in a serious tone: "Comrade Kangzhou, I previously arranged for you to take the lead in drafting a performance evaluation and personnel selection mechanism, and two weeks have passed, but I haven't seen a trace of you. This progress is obviously too slow."

At today's meeting, I formally criticized you. The main issue is the district committee's weak execution capabilities; they are simply unable to drive a change in the work style across the district. I hope you will think about this carefully after you return.

Next, this work will be led by Comrade Guangyan, with the cooperation of the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Organization Department. Combining the pragmatic orientation and reward/punishment rules I clarified today, a complete "District-wide Practical Personnel Assessment Implementation Mechanism" will be developed within a week. After review by a special meeting of the District Party Committee, it will be officially implemented throughout the district.

In other words, once this mechanism is implemented, it means that the old order of Zhenxing District, which relied on connections, cliques, and seniority, will be completely overturned.

The work atmosphere and promotion rules of the entire region's cadre team will be completely reshaped.