John Tizard
Public Services Summit
Croke Park, Dublin
18th September 2013
Good morning!
It’s great to be in Dublin for this public services summit.
Leadership matters. Here at Croke Park we turn to sport.
Successful teams have great leadership on the field and on the touch line!
David Moyes or Sir Alex. Leaders matter.
Public services can learn from sport.
I am looking forward to hearing from colleagues and to learning. A first requirement of any leader is to listen, to learn and to adapt.
Public services matter. They are core to a modern civilised society. Everyone benefits from and relies in some way on public services:
Business needs good infrastructure; security and a safe environment; well-educated and trained staff; healthy people. And much more.
Children and young people require and are entitled to excellent education.
Some people require social care and specialist support to enable them to live their lives to the full; and to play their role in society.
Take public services out of society and you have no society.
Take public services out of the economy and you have no viable economy.
Indeed without public services including regulation, planning, infrastructure, education and so much more there could be no viable market economy.
Public services matter because they serve the community, society as much as they do individuals.
That is as true in Ireland as it is in England or Australia or the USA or anywhere else.
Public services should always put their users; and the community first. Community and society are fundamental to public services.
Public services are not consumer services. They are on a different plain. They have a different relationship with their users and the wider community.
We can learn about customer relationships and service from the retail sector. It an learn from public services too. The fact is that they are different.
As citizens we are concerned about public service and public services.
As tax payers – and paying tax is part of our contract with society as citizens.
Some services are very individual and personalised. Others are collective.
Some are regulatory; some enforce the will of the state on behalf of society; and some empower their users.
May public services are delivered by public sector employees within the public sector. However, others are delivered by charities, voluntary and community groups, faith groups and even businesses.
The degree of outsourcing public service delivery to the business sector is not as great in Ireland as in England. Indeed it is not as extensive in either Wales or Scotland as it is in England.
Public services may be funded by the public sector not necessarily.
Some services are paid for entirely by their users; some through some form of co-payment between the state and the user; and others are funded through tax based public spending.
The balance between these delivery and funding models is changing and will continue to change. However, it would be a big mistake to assume that there will only be one direction of travel. I believe that we are already seeing some reversal in the rush to market based solutions and away from collective organisation and financing of public services even in a country such as England.
Public service markets are often very artificial. There is asymmetry of power and information between service users – especially individual users – and providers. Often there is a lack of competitive supply so as is too often the case in England for major government contracts. There are few contractors.
For many public services the public sector cannot transfer ultimate risk to an external provider.
Regulation is required for markets and services. This is often expensive.
Public procurement costs money and takes time. In a period of austerity and uncertainty why would the public sector want more and more elements of their budgets frozen in inflexible long term contracts?
And what is more the outcomes from public service outsourcing has been mixed. It has not proved to be a panacea.
There is no one form of public service. There is no right and no wrong model – every situation is different. But we can learn from others; across and between sectors.
Public sector leaders have to make choices as to how best deliver public services and to secure the right outcomes. There are no easy answers which is why excellent leadership is so critical. Leadership underpinned by judgement, evidence and values.
Across the globe and especially in Europe public services are under severe pressure. Change is afoot. More change will follow more change!
The only certainty is change!
Public expenditure cuts of unprecedented levels.
Public expenditure is unlikely to increase for some time
We can argue for a different macro-economic policy in the Euro-zone and in the UK but politicians seem determined to stick with austerity and cuts.
Public service leaders will have to work within these financial parameters.
Rising demand.
Managing demand will be a critical leadership task.
Public expectations for high quality responsive services.
Public leaders will have to encourage new behaviours and expectations.
Technological advances.
Public leaders have to embrace and utilise technology. But ensure that they set the agenda and are not systems led. And outcomes led. And values led.
We may not know what tomorrow heralds for public services but we do know that there will be ever more change and uncertainty.
A paradigm shift to greater collaboration between agencies and across sectors are placing ever-greater demands on public services.
This is why leadership is so important.
Collaborative leadership increasingly important.
Leadership of place too.
You will hear later from Cheshire West and Chester Council in England about their exciting Community Budget project – uniting and aligning the public sector for the benefit of local communities and local people. Local government as community leader. Place shaper.
Leadership not management.
Yes we need excellent management but above all we need excellent leadership.
Political, executive and professional leadership.
Leadership at the very top and throughout public service organisations.
Authentic and competent leadership.
Leadership driven by passion and mission.
Public services will die or thrive depending in no small part on the quality and effectiveness of leaders.
I now want to talk about the core qualities, attributes and behaviours that public service leaders require today and for the foreseeable future.
Many of these qualities, attributes and behaviours are common to all sectors – public, business, social and voluntary. Some are unique to public services in whatever sector they are delivered – and some unique to the public sector.
Public services must be legitimised by the public. They use them. They benefit from them. They pay for them directly or through taxes.
This requires political leaders to be clear about their vision, their strategies and their objectives for public services. And for specific public services.
They must be honest about the level of service they are funding and why.
They must not hide or avoid hard unpopular decisions. That’s not leadership.
Inevitably some public services will stop. Some will be delivered in very different ways. Some may be funded in different ways too. So politicians must ensure that they have consulted the public but also that they explain to them what can be achieved. Their choices. And the basis for these choices.
For example the extent of the cuts required here and in England cannot be achieved simply my efficiency savings – important as these are – or by doing ‘more for less’
‘More for less’ – a ridiculous phrased. Used by those seeking to avoid honest leadership.
No leader worthy of the description should be saying ‘more for less’.
Political leaders should be inspired by their moral compass; their values; and their ideology. Too many political leaders at national and local level seem embarrassed to be political.
Ideas and values matter!
Political leadership is not about management or technocracy. And certainly current times about timidity. It should be visionary and bold; honest; and authentic.
The public should be able to expect certain actions and decisions based on the ideology and values of the politician.
Political leaders have to ensure that they have the necessary executive and managerial firepower to achieve their aims and their plans.
The same goes for a public sector board or a board of charity trustees.
Leadership is about ensuring that ambition matches resources – well actually slightly exceeds them! It is about ensuring that there are the right people in place to do the doing.
It is also about strategic performance management and holding those employed or contracted to deliver to account.
Throughout public services there will be executive and non-executive leaders – be they politicians or trustees or board members. Usually the ultimate responsibility and accountability rests with the politicians or trustees or board members.
They cannot hide. Leaders should not hide. They should not seek to hide.
How often, for example, when there is a serious child care failure the local authority Director of Children’s services is put in front of the cameras and not the lead councillor. Wrong! Both are accountable but the ultimate accountability rests with the lead councillor and the council leader.
The same applies in national ministries.
Leadership is about taking the knocks and not just the plaudits.
Saying sorry and learning the lessons as much as cutting the opening ribbons.
It is about being visibly accountable.
The good leader will meet staff and service users. Listen and learn.
They will also use the services for which they are responsible. How can a leader in the public education system justify using the private sector. The same applies in health or social care. If it is not good enough for you why expect others to use the service?
This is about morality as well as practical leadership.
Example! Leaders must show and lead by example.
Across public services and especially the public sector executive leaders and politicians and trustees must agree how they will relate to each other and how they will work together.
There has to be a two way challenge and shared vision.
Excellent governance is a perquisite for excellent leadership.
However, on its own governance is not enough nor is effective board or ministerial level leadership.
More is required of contemporary public service leaders.
I am going to outline twelve core attributes and behaviours that I would expect to witness if effective leaders.
First they must have a clear vision for the organisation and or service. A vision that is backed up with an equally clear strategy. The vision has to be articulated and understandable to all stakeholders.
Second they must be excellent communicators – able to explain what they are doing and why. But more importantly they must be fantastic listeners able to empathise and hear what service users, citizens, staff and other stakeholders are saying to them.
Third they must be able and willing to take heed of what they hear and to experience. They must not be so rigid that they cannot change. And when they decide not to
change in spite of the evidence and/or people saying that they should, they have to be able to explain and defend their decisions.
Fourth they must be able to ‘park’ their own ‘egos’. To be accessible and visible across the organisation, services and amongst stakeholders. Able to say sorry and mean it – and to be seen to mean it!
Fifth a public service leader must be willing to be transparent and open. To be and to be perceived as being honest at all times. To be willing to be scrutinised by services users, politicians and the media. Indeed they must expect this. And facilitate it.
They should also expect their organisations to support them in this and to offer protection when and if the so called scrutiny turns to harassment – as is too often the case from some of the tabloid media.
Sixth they should be open to new ideas from inside and outside their organisation. Not just from their profession. Or only from groups of like-minded people. How many public service leaders actively scan the international horizon to see what is being done; and to question if they can learn and import some other better practices?
Seventh they must be self-challenging and also critically but supportively challenging those who work with and for them. ‘Why?’ ‘What is it achieving?’ ‘Could this be done differently?’ ‘Should it be done at all?’ ‘What do you need to do this better or to achieve better outcomes’ should be frequently asked
Eighth public services leaders must praise and celebrate success.
Ninth they must ensure that staff are treated well, respected and involved. Excellent public service organisations are exemplar employers. Public service leaders must speak to staff and be accessible to them and to their trade unions.
When are arguing for change leaders must respect what has gone before. They should recognise what Al Gore has described as ‘good people trapped in poor systems’. You don’t motivate people by rubbishing them. Trust and engage. Respect and speak. Listen and respond. Involve not exclude. Explain don’t use megaphones.
Macho-leadership is not effective leadership in modern public services. It is not required.
Resolute leadership. Focussed leadership. Leadership that motivates staff and others.
Public services require well trained professional staff – motivated and enthused.
Staff at all levels and in all roles should be empowered. Not waiting to be told or having to be told. Not always working from the rule book. Doing what is right for users and society. Taking initiative. Showing leadership.
Leadership is not simply about people at the top of an organisational structure. Leaders should the everywhere within it.
Leadership will be in the successful organisation’s DNA.
Leaders have responsibilities and must empower others.
They have to lead but they will also have to hold staff to account. Good leaders can make the tough decisions even with staff – but must do so for the right reasons and with evidence and the users’ interests at heart.
Tenth public service organisations are only as good as their staff so leaders must ensure effective appraisal, personal development and talent development. They must nurture talent within and be ready and willing to import talent as necessary
Eleventh public service leaders need to be good collaborators and partners. I will speak a little more about this later.
Twelfth they must be entrepreneurial. This is not to say that they must be business women or men. It does man that they should be ready to challenge; to innovate; to experiment; to ally with others; and to take understood risks.
The focus must be on outcomes which for public services will be more complex and comprehensive than in most other areas. Public services have to secure wider social, economic and environmental outcomes not simply a service outcome.
Getting the right balance between these is a core call for the public service leader.
Leaders must encourage and facilitate staff and others to act similarly.
Learning from mistakes – and there will always be some – and praising experimentation rather blaming or punishing failure is preferable.
Contemporary public service leaders have to have good commercial skills; understand and be able to manage risk; and to ensure effective project management and procurement. They have to be able hold partners and contractors to account.
As I said previously increasingly public sector leaders have to be collaborative leaders, for the truth is that community well-being, better health, economic growth and so much more all require collaborative rather than single agency solutions.
Really effective collaboration requires: a recognition of inherent and structural differences between them; more mutual understanding and easier career movements between the sectors; a readiness to respect and learn from each other; and a recognition that no one sector has the monopoly or moral high ground on expertise, efficiency, imperatives, ethos, ethics, accountability or governance.
This is not to argue that the sectors are merging or should do so.
Respect the differences. Learn and share ideas and experience.
Understanding and sharing across the sectors and a recognition of mutuality whilst respecting their differences are what are important.
Ego, control and command are much less important and far less relevant than empathy, influence and persuasion.
It follows that effective collaborative leadership requires the right behaviours and approaches, the most important being to:
– put service users and communities first
– focus on outcomes
– be strategic
– listen and communicate
– understand and respect others
– understand and be the custodian of their own organisation’s objectives, statutory duties, limits to compromise and governance
– know when to partner and collaborate and in what form; and when not too
– build the trust of and in others
– influence, persuade and negotiate
– be willing to let go, share and support others; and to ‘trade’ or ‘barter’ with others
– empower staff and partners to act in the same way
– control over-sized ‘egos; and behave as a leader not a contoller
All of this requires the right mind-set and behaviours, rather than un-ending sets of competencies and rules.
Drawing to a conclusion let me reiterate that public service leaders have to recognise their responsibilities to the community, service users and staff. They have to fulfil these responsibilities in practical ways. Outcomes and public value matter.
Whilst leadership has always been critical in the public sector – this has never more so than today.
The quality of political and executive leadership has always been of variable quality. The reality is that poor leadership serves the public badly. Bold excellent leadership must be the goal.
Public service leaders must be ready and willing to use the services for they are responsible. It is not right that a leader can make decisions about the education of the majority of her or his fellow citizens whilst opting for the independent sector. The same applies to health and social care.
Public service leadership has to be values driven and underpinned by principles of
– equity
– equality
– opportunity for all
– fairness and social justice
– accountability
– transparency
– probity
– value for money and efficiency
– effectiveness
– inclusiveness
Public services are critical to the future of society, the environment and the economies.
Excellent leadership (or its lack) will literally enable the public sector and public services to survive and grow – or cause it them to collapse.
Citizens and businesses cannot afford such a collapse.
This is not the time for timid leaders and even less, managers masquerading as leaders.
The times we are in demand bold, imaginative, innovative brave public service leaders!