Leadership

Simon McDonald is a British former diplomat who was the British Ambassador to Germany and later Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service. He is Master-Elect of Christ's College, Cambridge.

In his first book, Simon McDonald assumes that thinking about leadership before you lead helps you to lead better. No matter the circumstances in which we might be called to lead the example of top leaders in politics and public service can help you figure out your own approach.Over nearly four decades in HM Diplomatic Service, Simon worked for a dozen senior ambassadors before becoming permanent under-secretary himself and leading the Service for five years. He also worked directly for six foreign secretaries and saw five prime ministers work at close quarters. Observing these people undertaking the most important and often the most difficult work in the country, Simon saw the behaviours which helped them achieve their objectives, and those which hindered them.In a closing chapter that considers the future of leadership in the UK, Simon McDonald makes a compelling case for the reform of the monarchy, the cabinet, civil service and, in particular, the House of Lords, of which he has been a member since 2021. Leadership of the United Kingdom is being debated as never before. This book is a clear-sighted and insightful contribution to that debate.