Mon 20 Mar 2023
The Head of Infrastructure Delivery at Cabinet Office on becoming a leader in the civil service and the importance of helping others as you climb
By Murielle Gonzalez
"We all have dreams and goals, and these change over time, but one thing that has been constant for me at all times is that I need to do things that make me happy." With this statement, Marsha Osivwemu, Head of Infrastructure Delivery at Cabinet Office, opened her presentation at last year's personal development conference Ethnic Minorities into Leadership (formerly known as BAME into Leadership). She reflected on the meaning of leadership, asked whether civil servants from ethnic minorities support each other, and highlighted ways to support each other further.
"I've been in the civil service for a very long time," she said, noting she landed her first job as an EO nearly 20 years ago. She found the executive officer role after several attempts to make a living by doing the things she loved, from art to interior design and dance. "Life changes everything. I got pregnant and had a son, which meant my goals changed. I had someone I needed to provide for. I had to rethink and focus," she explained.
Shaping your career
Reflecting on what defines her, Osivwemu said: "I'm a middle-aged black woman. I'm a mother, a provider, and I'm successful." She recognised that doing the best she can in everything she does is her main driver in life. "I'm very direct, and I know that either you like me or don't, and that doesn't bother me because I am who I am."
Osivwemu has served in different government departments, including the Home Office, DEFRA, and HM Revenue & Customs, but her first role was a temporary position. "I had great line managers who encouraged me to apply for the permanent role. So I went for it and worked my way up to where I am now," she said.
She recognised that her line managers put her in several development programmes leading to the senior civil service pipeline. "Unfortunately, it hasn't resulted in me breaking down the glass ceilings," she noted.
"I love my job, and I love my team, but I love a challenge as well, and the civil service has given me all kinds of challenges," she said before reflecting on the people who had helped her in her work life.
"I've done well in the civil service," she said. "I earn a decent wage, but I've not achieved that on my own. My mother has been my greatest supporter and backbone," she said, noting she never had someone from the civil service taping her shoulder.
"I've had support from senior leaders, don't get me wrong," she explained, noting that she has always been thinking about how to shape her career and what roles she should be doing next. "Some have been good, and some have been bad. Nothing has been perfect," she added.
Breaking the glass ceiling
Osivwemu recognised that only when she attended some of the civil service's development programmes she had the opportunity to engage with fellow civil servants from various backgrounds and cultures. However, she said that, unfortunately, "sometimes the people who look like you can be your barriers".
She explained: "There are very few people who look like me trying to knock down the glass ceilings. We are the minority, and sometimes it feels like we're competing with each other and that we need to show that I am the best ethnic minority person in the room.
"I was put on a very high profile project, leading it within a department, and it was someone that looked like me who didn't feel like I should be doing it, and then became a bit of a barrier for me to the point of embarrassing me in a very high senior meeting. It was quite upsetting," she said.
For Osivwemu, being a minority in the civil service is not a competition, and while it would be good to find support in each other, it is more important to believe in yourself. "Leadership starts with you," she said.
Reflecting on how fellow civil servants from ethnic minorities can help each other, she said: "One of the biggest joys of being a senior leader is the ability to help others. I'm not power-hungry, but I thrive on helping others and take pride if they succeed."
For Osivwemu, bringing people up is what leadership is all about. "I recruit someone because they are the right person for the job," she explained, noting that "if they look like me, the better".
She also explained that when you bring people up and past you, they will remember that you helped them and will bring you up with them too. "That's how we support each other," she concluded.
The next Ethnic Minorities into Leadership takes place in Birmingham on 23 March. The conference will cover everything you need to know to communicate with confidence, manage difficult conversations and prepare for your next role while gaining the skills to get through the sift and the interview, and understand what influences the selectors. Register to attend today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Murielle Gonzalez, content strategy manager at Dods Diversity & Inclusion, is an experienced journalist and editor. She can be reached at murielle.gonzalez@totalpolitics.com.
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