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Tag: Cabinet Secretary

A Masterclass on Leadership: Learning from the Cabinet Secretary

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

In the final week of being Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill KCMG managed to find time to speak with this year’s cohort of Patchworkers. While Sir Mark was Cabinet Secretary he held an impressive remit: 

  • Serving as the most senior adviser on strategy and policy to the UK Government 
  • Leading over 400,000 Civil Servants as Head of the UK Civil Service, 
  • Advising the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on security, defence, intelligence, and areas of foreign policy matters as the National Security Adviser 

While the Masterclass session ranged across topics; covering diversity in the Civil Service to working in the diplomatic role; leadership was a consistent theme of this discussion. As someone who is currently developing my leadership skills and style within the museum sector, I found this consistent theme a valuable element of this masterclass session.

When asked about what leadership qualities, skills and values were important, Sir Mark went beyond a generic response. To paraphrase Sir Mark, being a good leader is not only about you as an individual; it’s about the people and the teams you are leading. Of course, this is dependent on the context and Sir Mark emphasises the importance of adapting yourself and leadership style to the circumstance. Meaning, this advice could be practically applied to our individual context. This was contextualised via Sir Mark’s personal experiences, where he referred to different moments in his career such as being a NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan (2009-10). 

Within this discussion of leadership, Sir Mark emphasised the importance of working effectively as a team, referring to his experience as Head of the Civil Service. Sir Mark shared the following insights on teamwork: 

  • Communication – it is important to keep people engaged
  • Big picture thinking – consider what the big issues/ ideas and be ready to take on ideas from different spaces 
  • Building the right team – checking if you have the right people around you and/ or a big enough team to act
  • Staying calm – being confident in the team and confident in your approach 

To conclude, Sir Mark not only dropped several practical gems on the topic of leadership, but he also reminded us to have fun whatever career path we chose. So on that note, from myself and the rest of the Patchwork 2020 Masterclass cohort, we wish Sir Mark all the best on his future endeavours and to make sure fun is somehow incorporated in this!

Written by Lisa Kennedy

An evening with the Head of the Civil Service; the modern day Sir Humphrey. Masterclass with Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

I have been involved with the Patchwork foundation for the last 3 years. During this time I have been privileged enough to attend masterclasses with Rt Hon David Lidington MP, Mishal Husain and even former Prime Minister Rt Hon David Cameron.

However, I was most looking forward to the masterclass with Sir Mark Sedwill. As Cabinet Secretary he takes the minutes at cabinet meetings and advises the government on public policy. As the Head of the Civil Service, Sir Mark is in charge of setting the strategic direction of the civil service workforce. He also holds the role of National Security Advisor. When conducting my research my interest in Sir Mark grew. Unlike his predecessors he career was mainly with the Foreign Office, rather than the Cabinet office or the Treasury.

On the day all who had attended were very excited. The attendees included people from the current cohort and Patchwork alumni, many of whom were now working in the Civil Service. To add to the occasion the event was hosted by KPMG, at their headquarters in Canary Wharf. We were all nervous, but Sir Mark immediately put us at ease. He joked that we looked army officers, when we stood up as he walked in.

He started by telling us about his humble upbringing. He grew up in a small town and attended the local grammar school. He then joined the Foreign Office and was posted to multiple countries. This included Egypt, Syria and later Afghanistan as the Ambassador. From 2013 to 2017 he served as the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, working with Rt Hon Theresa May, before becoming National security advisor, and then taking over from the late Sir Jeremy Heywood as Cabinet Secretary.

The most memorable comment that Sir Mark said was that he had “never planned his career”. However he did say that he was very competitive, and tried to set a high standard for every role that he had.

During the Q&A the Cabinet Secretary was asked about his role and advice that he could give to young people interested in a career in the civil service. When asked about leadership he spoke about building coalitions within the civil service, the public sector and the private sector. He gave three key tips, which were; “getting the big ideas right, building teams and to remain calm whilst maintaining a work life balance”.

The masterclass exceeded all of my expectations. Sir Mark was very open and honest with us throughout the evening. As an aspiring civil servant, I was encouraged and inspired by the session we had with the Cabinet Secretary.

Written by Daniel Oso