In a fast changing political and digital world where there are high operational and political risks, different leadership qualities are needed from millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) in order to create the next generation of leaders. We believe that there are three skill attributes that are needed for the next generation:

1.To innovate in order to redesign existing way of doing work using disruptive technology in a cost-efficient way. In order to achieve this the Civil Service should create a culture of innovation and creativity and reward for ideas and successful delivery. The success criteria of this generation should measure user experience not solely by costs. They should be encouraged for connectivity, quality and capture of data using disruptive technologies such as Blockchain. They should be encouraged to build partnerships with local community and local businesses;

2.To train management the skills to create a culture of challenging the status quo using a diverse workforce. And they should foster a risk-taking within the overall strategy of the Government Department. They should be trained in resilience and scenario testing to plan for extreme and unknown-unknown events;

3.To develop sustainable development skills to create a fairer society.

The reason for the change is simple. The speed of change in the geopolitical and corporate environment requires a new breed of Civil Service leaders who can react to these disruptive changes and encouraged to challenge status quo. This is the generation that can relate to connectivity (internet of things), a generation that has grown up during the financial crisis and one which cares about equality and environment. Better leaders will make for a more innovative, risk-taking, sustainable, efficient Civil Service able to cope with a world which is connected, digital and disruptive in a societal and geopolitically risky world.