In this fourth and final blog in this series, I will explore how civil servants engage with the real world when developing and delivering policy. Forming policy advice This is of a critical part of the role of being a civil servant: engaging with those in the system who are…

Sir Humphrey Appleby : Yes, yes, yes, I do see that there is a real dilemma here. In that, while it has been government policy to regard policy as a responsibility of Ministers and administration as a responsibility of Officials, the questions of administrative policy can cause confusion between the…

In this second blog in a series looking at the role of civil servants, I consider one of the key features of the UK civil service — political impartiality. Political impartiality has been a key principle of the civil service since the famous Northcote-Trevelyan report of 1854, the foundation document…

The civil service is one of the largest employers in the UK, with something like 500,000 civil servants at the moment (472,000 FTE as of September 2021) and not a single person lives their life without multiple daily interactions with the areas of life the civil service is responsible for…

As Polonius has it in Hamlet “To thine own self be true.” Authenticity is sometimes viewed as the holy grail of leadership. The idea is often framed thus: there is no single model of successful leadership (which must be true) so the critical thing is to know yourself and your…

As we tentatively begin to emerge from the worst ravages of the Covid pandemic — at least in some parts of the world, and of course acknowledging that there may more twists and turns to come — there is much talk of the impact of ‘Long-Covid’. This is a consideration…

We’ve all heard the same analogy right? We are all in an airplane and the oxygen masks fall from the cabin ceiling, and the clear message is, “Put your own mask on first, before you help others.” …

How often have you had a management conversation in which it becomes apparent somebody is struggling with something in their personal life? The human experience is one of joy, tragedy, challenge, and perseverance, so it is no surprise when a conversation about work objectives or performance elides into a discussion…

Is the US Supreme Court the wrong fight for the left? I don’t think there is a good way to engage with the unedifying spectacle that is the Sentate Judiciary Committee process for considering the appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. It is hard to think of…