Permanent secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In a year of political and economic change, what was your highlight of 2010?
Hearing our new ministers say, at the first staff event we held after the election, that they had been so impressed by the professionalism with which we had responded to a new set of priorities and a new government. It shouldn’t have surprised them, since that is what being a professional civil service means. We’d held lots of face-to-face discussions across the department in the pre-election period, talking about the election and what it might mean for us, so I felt all that time invested had really paid off.
On a more personal note, having been chair of the interdepartmental coordinating committee for the Papal Visit in September, the sight of the Pope’s plane taking off at the end of a very successful visit was both a highlight and a great relief!
What is the biggest opportunity that coalition policies have created for the civil service?
To think differently and more creatively about how we can make a difference. The old world of central targets and regulation was in many ways very comfortable for us. The new world, in which we have to build on our skills in working with local communities, civil society groups and individuals, to see how we can help them to find their own solutions, is much more challenging and complex.
I think that’s really exciting.
What is the most challenging management task facing the civil service now?
Making sure we keep and continue to attract the best talent. We need to paint an inspiring picture of a leaner but stronger organisation, which will develop skilled and talented people and give them an even stronger sense of doing a worthwhile job.
And what’s the key to succeeding in that task?
Not just describing what the role of the civil service will be in the future in theoretical terms, but bringing it to life, right here, right now, in how we behave, what we reward, and who we pick as leaders. Gandhi’s message about ‘Being the change you want to see’ may be over-used, but it’s still absolutely true.
What was the best Christmas present that you’ve ever given or received? And the worst?
The best I’ve given is probably the ‘IOU’ to my children to get a cat (a ‘companion animal’, as we call them in Defra!) from the Cats’ Protection League. Years of entertainment and de-stressing have followed. The worst I’ve received was probably a hand-held vacuum cleaner, given by a very well-meaning friend who perhaps didn’t understand my attitude to housekeeping...
Since writing this article, Helen Ghosh has been named as the new Home Office permanent secretary