I've never managed anyone. Can I still score well?

Yes. At junior grades, leadership is about setting an example, owning your work and helping others. Many strong statements involve no line management at all.

Can I use an example from outside work?

Yes. Leading a society, a sports team or a volunteering project can work well, as long as you show what you personally did.

Leadership: Civil Service behaviour examples and how to write yours

Updated 2 November 2026 · 3 min read

In the Civil Service, Leadership isn't the same as being a manager. It's about showing pride and passion in public service, creating an inclusive environment, setting an example and giving others direction. At junior grades, you can show it through how you behave and how you help others, without anyone reporting to you.

Leadership is one of the nine behaviours in the Civil Service Success Profiles. If a job advert lists it, you'll usually write a behaviour statement for it at application, often up to 250 words, and may be asked about it again at interview. Our guide to behaviour statements covers how they're scored; this page goes deep on Leadership alone.

What assessors look for

You took ownership and set a positive example for others.
You made sure everyone could contribute, including people who were quieter or newer.
You gave clear direction or purpose when it was needed.
You showed you cared about the service and the people it's for.

How it changes with grade

Every behaviour is described at several levels, roughly: AA and AO, then EO, then HEO and SEO, then Grade 7 and Grade 6, then the Senior Civil Service. At AO and EO, leadership is mostly about your own behaviour: being a role model, welcoming new colleagues, owning a piece of work. At HEO and SEO, expect to show you led a team or project, set direction and created an inclusive culture. At Grade 7 and above, it's about leading through change and shaping the organisation's culture. Always read the indicators for the level on your advert, on the Civil Service Careers website, and use them as a checklist.

How the question is usually worded

Please provide a behaviour statement for Leadership.
Tell us about a time you took the lead on a piece of work.
Describe how you have made sure everyone in a team felt included.

An example statement

Example · Example at AO level (around 220 words)“Please provide a behaviour statement for Leadership.”

In my role answering calls for a government helpline, our team took on three new starters during our busiest month. There was no formal buddy system, and I noticed the new starters were eating lunch alone and hesitant to ask questions on the team chat. I asked my manager if I could support them informally, and she agreed. I set up a short daily check-in for the four of us, where they could ask anything without feeling they were interrupting. I also wrote a one-page guide to the five call types that had caught me out when I started, with the steps I followed for each. One new starter was very quiet in team meetings. I noticed she had good ideas in our check-ins, so I encouraged her to share one at the next team meeting and backed her up when she did. Her idea, a shortcut for finding customer records, was adopted by the whole team. Within a month, all three new starters were handling calls on their own, two weeks sooner than usual. My manager asked me to turn my guide into the team's official induction document, and I now run the check-ins for every new starter.

Why it works

Shows leadership without line management
Creates an inclusive environment for new colleagues
Sets an example and gives others a voice
Has a clear, measurable result

Use an example from your own work, volunteering or study. Assessors read a lot of statements and can spot borrowed ones. The structure above is what to copy, not the story.

Common mistakes

Thinking you need to have managed people, and choosing a weaker example because of it.
Writing about what 'we' did, so your own leadership isn't clear.
Leaving out inclusion; it's a big part of this behaviour at every grade.

Once your Leadership statement is strong, save it. The same behaviour comes up again and again across departments, so next time you'll adapt it for the grade and role instead of starting from a blank page. See the STAR method for the structure behind every good statement.

Frequently asked questions

I've never managed anyone. Can I still score well?: Yes. At junior grades, leadership is about setting an example, owning your work and helping others. Many strong statements involve no line management at all.
Can I use an example from outside work?: Yes. Leading a society, a sports team or a volunteering project can work well, as long as you show what you personally did.