David Bell in conversation

David Bell, Permanent Secretary at the DCSF, participated in a 'mini plenary', sharing some very personal stories of his own leadership journey and of life at the very top of government.

David Bell said he wanted to become a teacher 'because of the inspiration of the teachers who taught me'. When he first started teaching Primary 4 in Glasgow, David says, 'I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven... What could be better? What could be scarier?'.

He shared his reflections on how he, as a leader, has grown in confidence on account of experience. That body of experiences provide templates and connections that you can bring to bear when new challenges arise. He said that as a leader, and in particular as a new leader, you have to accept that you'll not get everything right. So leadership is always work in progress. 'Don't ever think you've made it as a leader.'

When questioned about how he sustains himself, he said that resilience is key and offered some reflections:

• Resilient people tend to be adaptable. They adapt on the basis of experience.
• Resilient people have a deep inner core of values and beliefs. If you don't have it you are more likely to be buffeted from pillar to post in times if change.
• Resilient people tend to be very empathetic. If you're aware of your own frailties you are more likely to be able to undestand others.
  

He advised that if there is one book you should read over the summer it should be Doris Kearns Goodwin's 'The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln'. He calls it 'one of the most profound books about leadership I have ever read'. Most striking for him is what it reveals about Lincoln's emotional intelligence. The phrase that struck him most was the description of 'the kindness of Lincoln's disposition'. It is something he sees in the best leaders across the public sector.

David shared some reflections about what happened in parts of the banking sector. He told the story of Lehman Brothers, where the chief executive had a permanent member of staff who advised on flower arrangments. He asked how organisations can let that level of megalomania happen. His advice was:

• Don't surround yourself with people that always agree with you or who are like you.
• You always need to be able to laugh at yourself.
• You need someone who can tell you that you are going a bit bonkers... and if you don't have that your organisation can crash and burn.
  

When asked by a delegate to name the biggest challenges facing the system, David said that we've made such progress in recent years, with more young people doing better than they ever have, but this makes even starker the gap between those who do not succeed. It's the critical problem of the rising tide that doesn't lift all the boats.

He finished by telling delegates that there is no job more RESPONSIBLE than than the job they are doing as school leaders.