I am a civil servant
Case studies: Leaders in the Civil Service
Kathy Barnes
As Director of National Processing for HMRC, Kathy oversees 9,500 processing staff across 30 locations, covering Tax Credit, Child Benefit, VAT, Customs and Excise and National Insurance Processing.
How would you describe your leadership style Kathy?
I try to be a very visible and approachable leader. I want my teams to have the opportunity to share any concerns or ideas on how we can do things better. And people respond well to this; the staff forums I run are always full of volunteers.
I think this approach has helped me get the best from people - and sustain a high level of performance among the teams I oversee.
Which elements of the leadership framework are most important to what you do?
Of course they are all important, but for me personally the key things are giving direction and building capability.
In terms of an overall vision, I encourage the teams to think about the people they help as customers, who deserve the best service.
Then it's about creating the environment in which everyone can perform at their best and deliver on our objectives. That means setting achievable targets, rewarding success and constantly looking at how we can improve the way we work.
And underpinning everything is teamwork. In processing, as with any operational function, our success really does depend on how well we perform as a whole.