Leading Questions

Latest Episodes:

It takes two to tango in public service delivery: a conversation with Ed Balls and Sir David Bell Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

“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 is not necessarily someone to be shaped in content or style to the previous way of doing things.”

In this special episode, Sir David Bell and Ed Balls explore the minister-permanent secretary relationship.

The two joined forces in 2007 at what was the Department for Children, Schools and Families – David as permanent secretary and Ed as secretary of state. They discuss first impressions and how they built a coherent team and vision together based on chemistry, trust, and openness, with plenty of fun thrown in there too.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing. The department faced a series of crises including SATs results, payments of Educational Maintenance Grants and the tragedy of Baby P. Both Ed and David talk about how they worked together in a crisis, and personally managed the pressure.

If you would like to suggest an interviewee for the show, or tell us what you think, you can get in touch by emailing ggfeditor@gmail.com. If you are enjoying the show, we would really appreciate it if you could share it widely and give us a rating.

Your host was Siobhan Benita. Kate Hodge edited the episode, and it was produced by James Ede.

A steep learning curve: in conversation with Sir Peter Housden Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

“Did I feel equipped to become a permanent secretary? I thought I was, but I was very quickly disabused of the notion.”

In this episode Sir Peter Housden reflects candidly on his first permanent secretary role at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He talks about how he prepared in all the wrong ways, what he learned from the experience and the coping strategies that kept him going.

In 2010 he put his lessons into practice when he moved to become the permanent secretary of Scotland. Here he explores how different the environment was, trust between civil service and ministers, public service reform, the Scottish Independence referendum and how good habits can save you.

Your host was Siobhan Benita. Kate Hodge edited the episode, and it was produced by James Ede.

It takes two to tango; lessons on cooperation for government officials – Ed Balls and Sir David Bell Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

“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 is not necessarily someone to be shaped in content or style to the previous way of doing things.”

In this very special episode, Sir David Bell and Ed Balls explore the minister-permanent secretary relationship.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing. The department faced a series of crises including SATs results, payments of Educational Maintenance Grants, and the tragedy of Baby P. Both Ed and David talk about how they worked together in a crisis, and personally managed the pressure.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A steep learning curve for civil servants – Sir Peter Housden Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

“Did I feel equipped to become a permanent secretary? I thought I was, but I was very quickly disabused of the notion.”

In this episode, Sir Peter Housden reflects candidly on his first permanent secretary role at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

He talks about how he prepared in all the wrong ways, what he learned from the experience and the coping strategies that kept him going.

In 2010, he put his lessons into practice when he moved to become the permanent secretary of Scotland. Here he explores how different the environment was, trust between civil service and ministers, public service reform, the Scottish Independence referendum and how good habits can save you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding what’s expected of government officials – Dame Helen Ghosh Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

“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… what would I do?’”

Dame Helen Ghosh enjoyed a long career in the civil service, becoming permanent secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2004 and then the Home Office in 2011. She then led the National Trust before becoming master of Balliol College, Oxford in 2018.

In this episode Helen discusses the importance of embedding in and understanding what different organisations expect from a leader, drawing on her extensive experience of taking the helm in very different environments.

She also considers the role of the civil service in serving the government of the day, and shares insights into her own hinterland and where she draws resilience from, as well as female leadership, dealing with public scrutiny and being open to the fact you may have made a mistake.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.