Civil Service Behaviour: Developing Self and Others

What the Developing Self and Others behaviour means

The Civil Service Success Profiles framework describes Developing Self and Others as investing time in your own learning and providing others with the feedback, development and support they need to achieve their best. In the Civil Service, professional development is both a personal responsibility and an organisational value: the Civil Service Learning framework, departmental talent programmes and the Senior Civil Service Academy all reflect the institution's investment in growing capability. Candidates are expected to show that they take their development seriously, seek and act on feedback, and actively support the growth of colleagues and direct reports.

What good looks like at each grade

EO / HEO: At EO/HEO level, you take ownership of your own development, seek feedback proactively and act on it, engage with learning opportunities and support colleagues by sharing knowledge and providing informal mentoring. You identify gaps in your skills and take practical steps to address them.

SEO: At SEO level, you manage the development of direct reports through regular one-to-ones, performance conversations and development planning. You identify strengths and development needs in your team, provide constructive feedback of both kinds, positive and developmental, and facilitate access to learning opportunities. You coach rather than direct.

Grade 7: At Grade 7 and above, you build the capability of your team and your wider function. You identify talent, create stretching opportunities for high performers, manage underperformance fairly and in line with HR policy, and contribute to departmental talent programmes. You model a growth mindset and create psychological safety for learning from failure.

Example interview questions

Success Profiles questions want evidence, not opinion. Every answer needs a real situation underneath it.

• Tell me about a time you actively developed your own skills or knowledge and how it improved your performance.
• Give me an example of when you helped a colleague to develop their skills or overcome a challenge.
• Describe a situation where you gave a colleague difficult or developmental feedback. How did you approach it?
• Tell me about a time you identified a gap in your team's capability and took action to address it.
• Give me an example of when you sought and acted on feedback to improve your own performance.

A STAR example answer

Situation: I was an SEO managing a team of four analysts in the Department for Work and Pensions. One of my team members, a capable analyst who had been in post for eighteen months, was consistently producing technically strong work but was struggling to communicate her findings clearly to senior stakeholders. This was limiting her influence and holding back her progression.

Task: I needed to support her development in stakeholder communication without undermining her confidence or making her feel criticised for the quality of her analytical work, which was genuinely strong.

Action: I had a private one-to-one in which I acknowledged her analytical strengths explicitly before opening a conversation about development. I asked her how she felt the recent senior briefing had gone, which allowed her to identify the communication challenge herself rather than having it presented as criticism. We agreed a development plan together: she would attend a presentation skills workshop, shadow me on the next two senior briefings and then lead the following one with me present as support. I provided written feedback after each briefing, focusing on specific behaviours rather than general impressions, and celebrated her progress openly in our team meetings.

Result: Over the following quarter, her confidence and clarity in senior forums improved markedly. Her grade 7 reviewer commented specifically on her improved communication at her mid-year review. She was subsequently asked to lead a stakeholder engagement session independently and did so very effectively. She told me the development process had been one of the most useful experiences of her career to date.

Tips for a strong answer

Read these, then say your example out loud and time it. Panels notice the moment an answer starts drifting.

• Show that you tailored the approach to the individual. A one-size-fits-all answer on people development worries a panel.
• Demonstrate feedback that was specific, timely and constructive rather than vague or blandly encouraging.
• On the "developing yourself" half, be precise: what you learned, how you learned it and what changed in your practice afterwards.
• Reference the Civil Service Learning framework or your department's talent programme where it fits. It shows structured development, not just picking things up as you go.

Frequently asked questions

How do I demonstrate developing others if I have not managed a team?

You can demonstrate developing others through informal mentoring, peer coaching, knowledge-sharing, supporting a new colleague through induction or providing constructive feedback to a peer. These are all valid examples of the behaviour at EO and HEO level.

What does a good Civil Service performance conversation look like?

A good performance conversation is structured, two-way and focused on development as well as delivery. It includes recognition of strengths, specific and evidenced feedback on areas for development, agreement on development actions and a clear record of the discussion. It happens regularly rather than once a year at review, and it creates enough safety for an honest conversation.

What is Civil Service Learning?

Civil Service Learning (CSL) is the online learning platform available to all civil servants, offering e-learning modules, virtual classroom sessions and resources on leadership, policy, commercial, finance and digital skills. Engagement with CSL is a straightforward way to demonstrate commitment to your own development at interview.