RE FORM - Making the grade

1 There is growing acceptance in the private sector that people and talent matter more than the systems and structures – Steve Jobs said the secret of his success was going to “exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world”. [...] The analysis is of the subset of public servants that are, on a daily basis, supporting the government of the day to govern. [...] All of these merit analysis and debate, but the focus of this particular paper is threefold: the recruitment of exceptional talent, the progression of talented individuals, and the drag of poor performance. [...] The Civil Service People Board is a sub-board of the Civil Service Board, responsible for the strategic leadership of the whole civil service. [...] Pay for external candidates, recruited outside of normal bands, would be agreed solely by the CTO and their team, rather than the current system whereby approval needs to be granted from the Cabinet Office, the Treasury and the Civil Service Commission depending on the role and the level.