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Leading and Managing

Explore the skills you need as a leader and manager - part of the Government Campus learning curriculum.

• From: Government Skills
• Published: 9 June 2023
• Last updated: 7 December 2023 — See all updates

Everyone in the Civil Service is a leader and you can demonstrate leadership at all levels. Leadership can be learned through programmes and developed through practice. As you progress through your career, you may also become a manager of people, teams or even organisations.

Line management matters - the role has a significant impact on performance, productivity and wellbeing - and good management capability is essential for getting the best out of your people. With over 100,000 line managers in the Civil Service the curriculum provides training in the skills and knowledge needed for good people management as a core capability.

Contents

To find the learning you need, this page is divided into the following sections:

• Developing yourself as a leader
• Leading and managing teams

You can also explore other parts of the learning curriculum:

• Foundational skills you need as a civil servant
• Skills you need to work in government

• Specialist skills you need to grow professional expertise

• Domain-specific knowledge you need within your organisation

You can also find out more about the Leadership College for Government.

Developing yourself as a leader

Coaching and mentoring

People learn in many ways, not just through formal courses and programmes. Learning from your colleagues, manager, buddy or mentor can provide personalised support to help you develop and achieve your leadership goals. You can also access qualified coaches who have been selected for their ability to address the ever-changing challenges and context of operating in the Civil Service and have met a series of quality standards.

Coaching and mentoring works best when you have a clear view of what you want to achieve so please read our coaching and mentoring ladder (PDF, 180 KB, 1 page) to identify what is right for you. You will then be able to access this through our coaching and mentoring page.

Accelerated development schemes

Accelerated development schemes aim to develop the talent of high-potential individuals to build a robust and diverse pipeline to the most senior and critical roles in government.

Our award-winning Fast Stream programme develops talented, high-potential people to become future Civil Service leaders. It is open to graduates wishing to join the Civil Service as well as existing civil servants at grades AA-HEO.

We also have internal development schemes for existing Civil Servants at every grade:

• Beyond Boundaries - for AA-SEO colleagues

• Future Leaders Scheme - for G7 and G6 colleagues. This scheme also includes the following sub-schemes to support civil servants from under-represented groups:
  • META (Minority Ethnic Talent Association)
  • DELTA (Disability Empowers Leadership Talent)
• SCS schemes:
  • Senior Leaders Scheme - for SCS1 colleagues
  • Directors Leadership Programme - for SCS2 colleagues
  • Individual Development Programme - for SCS3 colleagues

These schemes are competitive through application and will require funding from your department or agency.

Senior Civil Servant induction

To ensure members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) get the best possible start in their new leadership roles, we offer SCS induction to new deputy directors and directors. Alongside these inductions, Civil Service Orientation supports new members of the SCS who are also new to the Civil Service to gain a comprehensive understanding of working in central Government. All these programmes are free and can be booked now.

Leading and managing teams

Managers at all levels

Our line manager induction explains what the Civil Service expects of line managers. This course will not only enhance your understanding of your role but also provide insight into what you can expect from your own line manager. This induction will sit alongside your own department’s support for new line managers, which will likely focus on the practicalities, policies and day-to-day processes of your role.

Building on the induction, our structured management programmes provide managers at all grades with the knowledge and skills they need as individuals and to deliver through their teams:

• Foundation - This programme is available for any civil servant new to management and can be booked now. It is a modular programme, including peer-to-peer learning and networking opportunities.

• Practitioner - This programme focuses on the more challenging aspects of leading and managing and can be booked now. Modules include strategy, technology, data and communicating change with authenticity.

• Senior Practitioner - This programme will focus on the complexities of being a leader and manager with a large number of people reporting to you and your teams. It is currently under development.

These courses are not designed for specific grades. For example: a G7 policy adviser who is new to line management could benefit from the Foundation programme whereas an EO who is an experienced line manager could reinforce their skills through the Practitioner programme.

Published 9 June 2023
Last updated 7 December 2023 + show all updates

1. 7 December 2023

   Added line management induction

2. 9 June 2023

   First published.