Civil Service Developing Self and Others Behaviour Guide

What does Developing Self and Others really ask for?

There are two halves. The first is your own learning. You spot where your skills fall short of what the work needs, make a plan, and follow it through. The second is other people's learning. You help colleagues get better at their work, rather than only doing your own job well. Feedback links the two. You listen to it and act on it, and as you move up, encourage it in others.

This is not a request for a list of courses. A panel wants a gap, a deliberate response, and a difference that followed.

How does the expectation change from AA/AO to Director General?

The official wording widens at each step, from your own development to a team, then to other teams, and finally to the capability of a whole organisation.

• AA/AO. You identify gaps in your own skills, plan how to close them, act on feedback, and share what you learn so the team benefits.
• EO. You look at gaps in the team's skills as well as your own, set and meet development objectives, support all colleagues' development plans, delegate so others can learn, and encourage feedback.
• HEO and SEO. You identify capability gaps for yourself and your team, make sure objectives are achieved so current and future work can be delivered, and coach and mentor colleagues with succession planning in mind.
• Grade 7 and Grade 6. You role-model continuous learning, work out what individuals and teams need for future objectives, help people own their learning, open opportunities to everyone whether or not they want promotion, and encourage learning between teams.
• Deputy Director (SCS1). You evaluate your own learning and plan next steps, make sure colleagues own their development, coach and mentor so teams succeed, create an inclusive environment for everyone to develop, and deliver strategies that grow lasting capability across all groups, including high potential staff.
• Director and Director General (SCS2 and SCS3). You build a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing, take a strategic view of the organisation's capability needs now and in future, develop strategies that value diversity and equality of opportunity, mentor other senior people, and seek reverse mentoring from under-represented groups.

What does strong written evidence look like?

Each example below is illustrative only. Your evidence must be your own and must be true.

Example at EO level. "I noticed colleagues kept escalating the same query types because the guidance was unclear. I wrote a one-page summary, ran two short sessions, and then asked a newer colleague to lead the third so they could build their confidence. Escalations of those queries dropped over the next quarter."

Example at Grade 7 level. "I reviewed the skills my directorate would need for a policy change two years away and found a data analysis gap across three teams. I opened a shadowing scheme to all grades, not only people seeking promotion, and set up monthly sessions where teams shared lessons."

Example at SCS1 level. "I analysed our workforce data and found women were underrepresented in our senior feeder grades. I set up a capability strategy with sponsorship for high potential staff, asked my managers to own their teams' development plans, and began reverse mentoring with a junior colleague. I reviewed progress each quarter and adjusted the plan."

What mistakes do applicants make?

The most common problem is the right behaviour at the wrong level. At HEO or above, describing only your own training reads as AA/AO evidence, because the descriptor expects you to develop others. At SCS level, coaching individuals without a strategy for the organisation's capability reads as Grade 6 evidence.

• Team actions instead of your own. "We ran training" does not tell a panel what you did.
• Duties instead of outcomes. "I am responsible for inducting new starters" describes a job, not a result.
• Training lists with no gap and no effect. Completing a course is only evidence if it changed how you or others worked.
• Helping only people like you. The wording from EO up to Director General stresses all colleagues, and different backgrounds and needs.

How do you present your evidence in writing and at interview?

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result, and STARR adds Reflection. Choose a real example that fits the grade you are applying for. Explain the gap you spotted, what you were responsible for, what you did yourself and what changed. Use "I", not "we", and only claim results you can stand behind.

Reflection, the second R in STARR, is expected from SEO upwards. It suits this behaviour well, because it shows you learning from your own development work. Say what you would do differently next time.

At interview, a behaviour answer runs around five minutes spoken, so pick an example with enough substance to fill that time honestly.

Strengths are a separate part of Success Profiles. They are not named in adverts, and they are assessed mainly at interview, usually through short questions where a natural answer matters more than a rehearsed story. You can recall real moments from outside work, but you should not script them.

Where Koda fits

Koda helps you apply this to your own experience. It works from your real evidence and matches it to the role and grade you are applying for, with nothing invented. You stay in control of every word.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• The 9 Civil Service Behaviours, Explained
• The STAR Method for Civil Service Applications (and STARR)
• Civil Service Grades Explained: AA to SCS