Leading Questions

A steep learning curve for civil servants – Sir Peter Housden

Leading Questions

Show Notes

“Did I feel equipped to become a permanent secretary? I thought I was, but I was very quickly disabused of the notion.” In this episode, Sir Peter Housden reflects candidly on his first permanent secretary role at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

He talks about how he prepared in all the wrong ways, what he learned from the experience and the coping strategies that kept him going.

In 2010, he put his lessons into practice when he moved to become the permanent secretary of Scotland. Here he explores how different the environment was, trust between civil service and ministers, public service reform, the Scottish Independence referendum and how good habits can save you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Leading Questions

Jul 29, 2025

Governments around the world are all faced with meeting skills gaps and talent challenges. Many services require digitally-savvy public servants to help deliver more citizen-focused services, while there is also a need for leadership and management skills to allow government to become more risk-smart and innovative.

Jul 10, 2025

Civil servants in government make many decisions every day.

Jun 30, 2025

In this conversation, the executive editor of Global Government Forum Richard Johnstone chats to Joe Hill, the policy director of the think-tank Re:state about his recent essay, Everythingism.

Jun 27, 2025

The threat that public sector organisations face from fraud is growing. In an era when technological advancements are rapidly transforming the landscape, public sector organisations face unprecedented challenges in combating fraud.

Jun 23, 2025

The race is on, both within and among governments, to develop and implement artificial intelligence (AI) tools for greater productivity better public services.

See all episodes →