Civil Service Leadership Statement · truthful and candid in our communications, ... (Shortlisted for CS Leadership ... Communication Skills for High Stress and High Risk Situations

Civil Service Leadership StatementPocket guide

Inspiringabout our work and its future

Empoweringour teams to deliver

Confidentin our engagement

ContentsOverview of the Statement 1

Why do we need a Leadership Statement? 2

What does good leadership look like? 3

What does it mean for me? 4

How can I improve my leadership capability? 6

Leadership Development opportunities 8

Tear-off Leadership Statement 9

Overview of the Statement The 2014 Civil Service Reform Progress Report and Talent Action Plan committed us to developing a Leadership Statement that explicitly sets out the behaviour that is expected from all leaders across the Civil Service. It was envisaged that such a Statement would explain the difference people wanted to see and provide the first step towards further cultural change.

Civil Servants across the country were consulted and a clear Statement was produced that reflects their comments about the positive attributes they want to see in their leaders and in their own approach to leadership.

Civil Service Leadership StatementAs Civil Service leaders, we take responsibility for the effective delivery of the Government’s programme and Ministers’ priorities, living the Civil Service’s values and serving the public.

y We will give our teams the space and authority to deliver their clearly set objectives

y We will be visible, approachable, and welcome challenge, however uncomfortable

y We will champion both difference and external experience, recognising the value they bring

y We will invest in the capabilities of our people, to be effective now and in the future

y We will show our pride in and passion for public service, communicating purpose and direction with clarity and enthusiasm

y We will value and model professional excellence and expertise

y We will reward innovation and initiative, ensuring we learn from what has not worked as well as what has

y We will be straightforward, truthful and candid in our communications, surfacing tensions and resolving ambiguities

y We will give clear, honest feedback, supporting our teams to succeed

y We will be team players, and will not tolerate uncollaborative behaviour which protects silos and departmentalism




Find out more, Google search Civil Service Leadership Statement or email [email protected]

TOP TIP - Raise awareness - download the Statement and use as a poster / postcard

1

Why do we need a Leadership Statement? Empirical evidence, independent reports and best practice from the private sector show that strong leadership is critical to the culture of high-performing organisations. The Cabinet Secretary made a clear commitment in the Progress Report on Civil Service Reform (Oct 2014), to set out the behaviour that is expected of all leaders across Civil Service grades to exemplify, and ensure that reality matches rhetoric.

The publication of the statement is a signal to leaders at all levels to hold up as a mirror to their own behaviours in a challenging and constructive way, and to be honest about where they are falling short and take appropriate action to address it. Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary, February 2015

The statement of intent takes as its starting point the responsibility of the Civil Service for the effective delivery of the Government’s programme and Ministers’ priorities, living its values and serving the public. It then highlights the three key characteristics that Civil Servants have indicated they expect from effective leaders, and that Civil Service leaders promise to live up to. They are:

y inspiring - about their work and its future

y confident - in their engagement

y empowering - their teams to deliver

TOP TIP: Understand the context: read the Cabinet Secretary’s full blog launching the Statement


2

What does good leadership look like? The thousands of Civil Servants who contributed to the Statement said they wanted to hear about examples of what ‘good’ looks like. To recognise and share practical tips and experiences a number of ’60 second interviews’ and blogs with celebrated leaders have been completed and are available on the website. A snapshot of these is below:


3

Ian Marson, Home Office(Shortlisted for CS Leadership Award 2014)“I think the question every leader should ask themselves, and I ask myself is: ‘would you follow you?’ Leaders who inspire are those who talk with you, messages delivered in person are more effective.”


Debbie Cropanese, HMCTS(Winner HMCTS Regional Inspirational Leadership Award)“I deal with [challenges] by always reflecting on my own behaviour. I seek and give feedback in all sorts of ways…at virtually every meeting or event”


Jackie Heron, HMRC (Winner of HMRC People Award 2011)“When asking people to do challenging and stretching things, personal relationships with them allow trust. I learn by listening to senior people …how they phrase sentences and contextualise situations.”

What tips could you share about leading?

Learning from others has been a key theme from all of the communications around the Statement. Taking time to reflect on what you do well, and what you find challenging will help identify where you can develop.

Every employee of the Civil Service is a leader – some lead front line services to members of the public, some manage large teams, but we can all make time to reflect on what we do, how we do it, and how it affects others.

TOP TIP: Get good ideas from our top tips ‘Be’ cards on GOV.UK


What does it mean for me?Every Civil Servant - a leader

All Civil Servants, regardless of grade, role or organisation are expected to reflect the Leadership Statement. They should display the behaviours in all aspects of the work they do to fulfill their objectives.

As a result, the Civil Service competency framework has now been aligned to reflect the Statement. In addition, key HR processes including recruitment, talent management and performance management are also being aligned to the Statement. All Civil Servants are expected to reflect the Statement in their performance management objectives.

4

TOP TIP: Read the Civil Service competency framework and ensure the Statement is reflected in your performance objectives

This approach encourages all Civil Servants to commit to taking positive action to improve their leadership capability. It also sets a clear standard for which new, developing and ambitious Civil Servants can aim.

Seeing a positive change in your leaders

The Cabinet Secretary noted in his first blog about the Statement, “We expect you to follow closely how the Statement translates into real and observable behaviour change in your leaders.”

Many senior leaders have already taken the opportunity to lead visibly by hosting sessions in regions, reflecting on their own capabilities, and making pledges to improve their leadership; but you can continue to expect to see changes which you can feed back to them on. We will also monitor the overall impact of the Statement with the use of various data measures.


5

How can I improve my leadership capability? There is a wide range of learning and development available to support you in expanding your leadership capability:

Classroom and online learning

Civil Service Learning (CSL) offers a range of opportunities to improve your leadership capability regardless of your grade. These include:

y Leadership development programmes - for those taking on new leadership roles (HEO to Directors level)

y Leadership masterclasses and management development workshops – highly interactive and practical courses available for people at all levels

y Access to a wealth of leadership articles, exercises and learning materials from Ashridge Business School and Good Practice.

Whitehall and Industry Group and Windsor Leadership Trust, also provide the opportunity for more experienced leaders to learn alongside people from the private sector. See the summary overleaf of the face to face and e-learning available via the CSL website.

Coaching and mentoring

CSL can offer experienced coaches and mentors to provide a personalised learning experience. Coaching provides a confidential space to explore issues of leadership or personal development, while a mentor shares their experience and knowledge to help address leadership issues. Find out more by visiting the coaching and mentoring pages on the CSL website.

6

Giving and seeking feedback

The SCS 360 degree tool, designed around the Leadership Statement, will be compulsory for all SCS in the 2015/16 performance year.

Everyone can use the self-assessment tool and 360 development tool on CSL, which incorporates the Leadership Statement, to inform their mid and end of year development discussions.

On a more informal basis, everyone can develop themself by giving and seeking feedback, and acting on it wherever possible.

Civil Service Live 2015

This year’s Civil Service Live has a ‘Leadership and People’ theme, with numerous seminars and workshops linked to the themes of the Leadership Statement. This is a great opportunity to hear from inspirational speakers, as well as to pick up practical tips about leadership.

TOP TIP: Download the team discussion kit which includes a short slide-pack, top tips and pledge cards


7

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Documents

Civil Service Leadership Statement · truthful and candid in our communications, ... (Shortlisted for CS Leadership ... Communication Skills for High Stress and High Risk Situations