Find out what governments’ priorities will be in the year ahead - BONUS EPISODE

Understanding what’s expected of you: in conversation with Dame Helen Ghosh: “I have used the term over the years of ‘having running away money’. That doesn’t mean having a stash of savings, but it does mean all the time thinking to yourself, ‘If this job doesn’t work, if I can’t stand this a moment longer…... by Leading Questions

41 min listen

When Whitehall leadership dictats don’t work: in conversation with Professor Ciaran Martin CB: “The worst piece of leadership advice I got was: ‘be an authentic leader.’” Of course be true to yourself and your values, says Ciaran Martin CB, professor of practice in the management of public organisations at the University of Oxford’s... by Leading Questions

44 min listen

It takes two to tango: in conversation with Ed Balls and Sir David Bell: “On the one hand, the cabinet minister has to understand that nature of the civil service role and the role of the permanent secretary as a leader alongside you… “But I think the permanent secretary also has to respect that the cabinet minister... by Leading Questions

57 min listen

Adjusting your leadership to the grain of the organisation: in conversation with Baroness Minouche Shafik by Leading Questions

43 min listen

The Treasury boy who supported four prime ministers - in conversation with Lord Gus O’Donnell: “The idea that in any sense I planned my career is completely wrong.” Lord Gus O’Donnell’s long career in the civil service started in 1979 in the Treasury and included stints as a diplomat in Washington, press secretary to prime minister John... by Leading Questions

55 min listen

Staying sane while managing change, with Suma Chakrabarti: “You should never pick me for any job which is business as usual… I am my best or worst, depending on your point of view, when dealing with change.” From helping to establish the UK Department for International Development (DfID) after its... by Leading Questions

42 min listen

Leading the digital revolution with Professor Sir David Omand: “GCHQ is an example for the rest of the public service… here is a case where civil servants have made technology sing.” In 1996 David Omand faced his first major leadership challenge: he had become the director of GCHQ and was charged with... by Leading Questions

52 min listen

Public management perspective – Colin Talbot: “You don’t really understand your own system until you compare it with someone else’s.” Professor Colin Talbot took an unconventional route into academia, having spent time in the private sector before landing his first university... by Leading Questions

57 min listen

Championing diversity of thought – Yazmine Laroche: “Talent comes in every shape, colour, size and we have to be able to tap into that.” Yazmine Laroche had a varied 30-year career in the Canadian public service, rising to become public service accessibility chief and the first person with a... by Leading Questions

53 min listen

Engaging with risk – Stephanie Foster: I’m really kind of glad I didn’t know all the rules because if I’d stuck to the rules, we would never have done it.” Stephanie Foster had been in defence for 23 years when she volunteered to take responsibility for a floundering AUS$1bn... by Leading Questions

41 min listen

Taking the good with the bad – Michael Wernick: “Any kind of meaningful career is going to experience setbacks and defeats. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful career.” Michael Wernick spent nearly four decades in the Canadian public service, rising to become the country’s most... by Leading Questions

47 min listen

Getting to grips with the ‘friendly monster’ – Gertrud Ingestad: “It really was an adventure. But I was ready for it.” Gertrud Ingestad – now director general for human resources and security at the European Commission – had been a language teacher in her native Sweden for 13 years before she decided to... by Leading Questions

43 min listen

‘I always knew that my anchor was health’ – Dame Una O’Brien: In this episode of Leading Questions Dame Una O’Brien, who was permanent secretary of the UK Department of Health between 2010 and 2016, joins podcast host Siobhan Benita for a chat about her unconventional route into the civil service, and what she... by Leading Questions

56 min listen

What makes for a responsive government? BONUS EPISODE: This special episode of Leading Questions shares the results from the 2023 Responsive Government Survey. Report author Richard Johnstone shares the headlines from the research, while contributors to the report - Grete Kvernland-Berg, the managing... by Leading Questions

31 min listen

BONUS EPISODE: pursuing gender parity in the public sector: To mark International Women’s Day, we bring you a special edition podcast in which two top civil servants discuss their experiences as women in government, their public service’s journey towards gender parity in the highest ranks, and what more... by Leading Questions

26 min listen

BONUS EPISODE: find out what governments’ priorities will be in the year ahead: In this bonus podcast in the Leading Questions feed, GGF executive editor Richard Johnstone and GGF event moderator Siobhan Benita set out the top trends affecting government in 2023, setting out insight on key topics including economy and finance,... by Leading Questions

40 min listen

‘Unless you fight for it, it’s not worth it once you get there’ – Phindile Baleni: Phindile Baleni was appointed secretary to South Africa’s cabinet and director general of the presidency – the first woman in the country’s history to hold these roles – amid the pandemic in April 2021. It’s a good thing she likes a... by Leading Questions

45 min listen

‘Serve your country – you will never regret it’ – Noreen Hecmanczuk by Leading Questions

50 min listen

‘Empowering people with a sense of possibility’ – Iain Rennie: Iain Rennie spent 30 years in the New Zealand Public Service culminating in eight years in the top job – that of state services commissioner. In this episode, Iain tells podcast host Siobhan Benita about talent management reform, his realisations... by Leading Questions

49 min listen

‘Find your references, your mirrors and your mentors’ – Israel Pastor Sainz-Pardo: Podcast host Siobhan Benita speaks know-how and knock-backs with the deputy director of learning at Spain’s National Institute of Public Administration. Israel Pastor has more than 20 years’ experience as a senior manager in the... by Leading Questions

46 min listen

From COVID-19 to Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Estonia’s top public servant Taimar Peterkop's tips for dealing with crises: Estonia’s most senior civil servant, secretary of state Taimar Peterkop, shares his insights into leading through crises. From dealing with a vulnerability in the country’s digital ID system – which involved updating thousands of... by Leading Questions

35 min listen

Flipping the script with former Bank of England chief economist – Andy Haldane: In this, the last episode of Leading Questions series 3, talks about thriving on leading through crisis and the challenges and opportunities “when the old is broken and the new is yet to be forged”. Having spent 32 years at the Bank of England,... by Leading Questions

48 min listen

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Find out what governments’ priorities will be in the year ahead - BONUS EPISODE

Find out what governments’ priorities will be in the year ahead - BONUS EPISODE

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