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Will Hutton is chief executive of The Work Foundation, an independent, not for dividend research‐based consultancy that is an influential voice on work, workplace and employment issues in Britain. Will began his career as a stockbroker and investment analyst, before working in BBC TV and radio as a producer and reporter. Prior to joining The Work Foundation, Will spent four years as editor in chief of The Observer.Will has written several best‐selling economic books including The World We're In, The State We're In, The State to Come, The Stakeholding Society, On The Edge with Anthony Giddens and The Writing on the Wall. In addition, he won the Political Journalist of the Year award in 1993. Other roles that Will performs outside The Work Foundation include: Governor of the London School of Economics; Honorary Fellow, Mansfield College, Oxford; Visiting Professor, Manchester University Business School and Bristol University. He is also a member of the Scott Trust and a Fellow of the Sunningdale Institute.

Numerous contributors to the BJLPS have commented about the importance of a conceptualisation of leadership at a range of organisational levels. For our interview in this issue Graham Towl was in conversation with Alan Griffin, Children's Services Manager at the Chilston Service at Barnardos in Tunbridge Wells. The Chilston project enjoys a national reputation as a centre for good practice in working with some challenging and vulnerable children. The high‐quality resources of the project are drawn upon from throughout the South East (and sometimes beyond). Such effective local leadership is probably one of the more demanding but hidden roles in public services.Alan Griffin has a background working in both the health sector and Social Services. Working for Barnardos has been his first job in the third sector. He is a qualified social worker and therapist.

Derrick Anderson is on a ‘leadership journey’ ‐ a journey that has been informed both by his response to leadership roles of ever‐increasing challenge and the consequences of his willingness to engage with his own active and creative talents. In this interview he elaborates on this willingness to learn, grow and deliver public service value at every level.

I invited service user representatives and mental health association leaders to comment on the benefit system in just 50 words. A torrent of criticism poured out of my fax machine. In this we are united. They are demanding a system free from fear which enables and rewards working as and when health allows.The Green Paper March 1998 failed to remove ‘serious barriers to work’. The modest improvements are described on p34.The Snakes & Ladders of the system remain as real life: shake the dice, move four steps forward and find you've landed on the wrong square. The DSS regulations snatch your security and toss you down. You are worse off than before you started.The Government invites our response to the Green Paper; we must ensure that they get it.