Public Service Delivery

On February the 13th I had the distinct pleasure to speak at the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) conference in London. I was honoured to be asked and humbled to be present in a room of 250 or so public servants all of whom are delivering important services, often in the face of many day to day front-line challenges. It was really informative to hear the stories first hand, to meet with many professionals and to have the chance to listen to leaders from some of the largest customer facing departments.

I was asked to say a few words, as a stand in for Sir Mark Sedwill, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service. This was a tough ask, but what I could say that had resonance, meaning and value to an audience who I have a great deal of respect for?

I spoke about two things:

First, why here at BT we are determined to play an important part in helping to Build Better Public Services, how we contribute to the UK economy, the value and impact of an employer of our scale and the innovations and investments we are continuing to make. I touched upon building stronger partnerships and how it is in BT’s nature to build ecosystems that deliver value and more directly about the support we are continuing to give the ODP and the wider Civil Service.

Second, and most important, the point I thought that needed making was that of “values”. We talk about this from time to time but it struck me some time ago, and still today, what makes the Civil Service and public servant great at what they do, are their core values, of compassion, resilience and a duty of care to their customers. Granted they work in trying times, but let’s not forget they do what they do because it’s in their DNA.

I am proud to play a small part in helping with the challenges they face and prouder still that BT, with its incredible capabilities are linking people to people and sharing knowledge. We’re helping in the dialogue of what “place” means in an increasingly mobile world and we are helping to build an innovation culture of new ideas that's at the core of a “great” Britain.

My “ask” of the audience was simple;

Connect, collaborate, trust, and work in partnership. 

Only then will the sum of the whole be greater than the sum of all the parts and with this approach we will improve our lives and continue to live in a thriving, dynamic, successful and secure country.