WRITTEN ON April 12th, 2008 BY Sir Bonar Neville-Kingdom GCMG KCVO AND STORED IN Uncategorized

Permanent Secretary at Large Sir Bonar Neville-Kingdom writes

I thought I’d share with you this delightful cutting from our departmental news letter I found stapled to a sick-note in my intray today.

The 2007 fast-streamer intake had an exciting induction day in Kent with the Departmental Trust & Personalisation group. The day is designed to make them think about Personalisation and its role in delivering departmental strategy, and also about Trust.

Highlight of the day was the opportunity to meet and interact with senior leaders from Cabinet Office Personalisation Strategy Board including Sir Bonar Neville-Kingdom who took part in a Q&A session.

Delegates also took part in Trust-building workshops. The choice was between freediving with the Red Arrows or riding pillion round Brands Hatch circuit with former world superbike champion Carl Fogarty.

Support for the day was very positive. One fast-stream participant said: “The chance to meet senior leaders, especially Sir Bonar, helped me understand what is possible in the Department if we focus fully on aspects such as Trust and also Personalisation.” Two others reported that the session had been “quite useful to very useful”.

Leadership is all about showing to the younger intake the sort of positions to which they can aspire. In some ways it’s an easy part of my job. One just shows up, gladhands, and converses a little. But in a deeper and more profound sense, one embodies what is possible in a Civil Service career if people attend diligently to what is important, such as Trust and indeed Personalisation.

And that, one feels, is a significant part of what leadership is about.

In closing I’ll mention that we sent a box of chocolates with the Department’s sincerest wishes for a full and fast-stream recovery to Sophie Ramsbotham who was making tremendous progress until Dingle Dell Corner. Her experience reminds us all vividly that, as much as one Trusts, one should never entirely let go.