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The National School of Government’s leadership and strategy offer is developed with the active involvement of the leaders of the Civil Service.

Most people inside and outside the public service think that better leadership is important. But what do we really mean by ‘better leadership’?

We believe that good leaders in the public service:

* engage, motivate and inspire others
* give vision and set clear direction
* create the conditions where people can prioritise and take tough decisions
* focus on results
* model public service values.

Leaders understand the system in which they and their people operate and are able to influence the system beyond their own organisation to achieve outcomes.

Effective leaders learn every day and they help those with whom they work to learn and to apply their learning. Leadership is not just about solving problems but is also about anticipating change and identifying and achieving goals. Good leaders ask questions, build the capability of those around them and help their organisations to adapt to change.

The Leadership and Strategy Practice at the National School of Government offers programmes, tailored training, consultancy and coaching, through which we aim to:

* help people in the Civil Service and the widerpublic sector to develop themselves to lead others and to lead their organisations for the benefit of the public service, as well as to develop the talent of current and future leaders. See our Developing Leaders programmes;
* help those who lead to understand the context in which they lead, including the political dimension of their work, so that they are better able to achieve outcomes for the public. See our Leadership in Government programmes;
* help leaders work across boundaries and complex delivery systems to achieve lasting and real result for the public. See our Leading Across the Whole System programmes.

Leadership skills for middle and senior managers

We also offer a range of leadership programmes which are essential development for middle and senior managers to function effectively (see page 19).

For information on our full leadership offer, including tailored training, consultancy, coaching, SCHOR 360° and our Leadership Assurance Benchmarking tool, seenationalschool.gov.uk/leadership