 Interview with the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police |  Interview with the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police
Sara joined Thames Valley Police as the Assistant Chief Constable for Specialist Operations in November 2000 and was appointed Deputy Chief Constable in August 2003. She chairs the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Intelligence Portfolio and is a member of the ACPO Business Crime Area. She leads on the National Intelligence Model and was responsible for ensuring all forces complied with the model by April 2004.
Your leadership journey
What have been the most significant moments in your leadership journey (both positive and negative)? And what has been your greatest achievement?
My first significant moment occurred three years into my time in the police service. When you join, it is very easy to conform and lose your own ideas. I was sent on a personal development course, which lasted for 4 months, and was for those identified as having the potential to go a long way. Here I realised that you must hold on to your ideas and be bold, have moral courage and dare to take risks; to have confidence I suppose.
Ten years later in 1999, I was working for the Metropolitan Police on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. I was able to watch the pressure that the Commissioner was under and how he dealt with it, because although he hadn’t personally been involved, it was on his watch. I also learnt about the issues surrounding discrimination and disadvantage; it was when I really became aware of the reality of racism and the importance of understanding diversity.
Finally, the moments when I have to take command are significant - when I have to make difficult and tough decisions. It is often not about right or wrong choices, but right and right choices, or wrong and wrong choices. You have to choose the least worst option.
My greatest achievement is not what I achieve but what the people who work for me achieve. For example, last October the force got the highest performance record they have ever received, which is a great achievement for my force, and therefore for me.
What was the best leadership advice you were given as you progressed through your career?
You shouldn’t concentrate on growing your career, you should concentrate on growing the organisation, similar to Jim Collins idea of level five leaders. I realised that it is very important to have the right people around you because it is as much about your team as it is about you.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known 15 years ago?
I wish I’d known about the frailties of senior leaders. I used to be in awe of them, but now I know that they are just normal people.
Your current leadership role
What does your role entail with respects to leadership? i.e. how many people do you lead, what challenges do you face, what decisions do you have to make?
I lead 8000 people including police officers, volunteers and administration staff. My main challenge is having the direction and control of something that operates 24/7, where the potential for something to go wrong is massive, but the potential for something to go to right is also massive. Risky issues are dealt with everyday, so if you add up all the risks you are running it proves to be a very high risk job.
I find it very helpful that I was promoted from within as I am able to empathise with the issues facing colleagues – I know what those I am in charge of are going through.
My role as Chief Constable is to work on strategy but I am also accountable for the direction and control of the force. I appoint the senior leaders in the force, ensuring I have the correct people around me and this is very important.
In the future
What would you like to be your lasting legacy of leadership that will continue once you have left this role?
I hope to leave leaders who are confident in the way they respond to the public. In order to be more responsive they will need to understand diversity, including gender and minority groups. Within the next five years I hope the force will be more responsive with a different feel around service delivery. I would also like to leave a diverse team of leaders in place.
Leadership in general
What are your three golden rules of leadership?
1. Have lots of energy. The best leaders are energetic
2. Be engaged. You must know what is going on within the lower levels of the organisation, although if you as the boss know more than the manager, there is a problem
3. A team needs each other. It is important that a leader performs well for their team. ‘Standing on shoulders of giants’.
What makes an effective leader?
Effective leaders don’t worry about their own ambition. They focus on where they are now. They must enjoy their jobs to be effective as if don’t like what they are doing they will not perform to their maximum. They should concentrate on what they are delivering at the moment. And of course they should adhere to my 3 golden rules of leadership; have lots of energy, be engaged with their staff and perform well for their team.
Who is the leader you admire most and why?
I admire Nelson Mandela for his graciousness, energy over a long time, his engagement and his team work.
Women and leadership
Have you found it difficult to progress in your career as a result of your gender? And do you feel it has become easier for women to take on leadership roles?
There was a time when women weren’t given truncheons. As time progressed they were given very small ones to fit in their handbags! There couldn’t be two women in a police car together, a male police officer would have to accompany a female. There was a form of discrimination in the way that the police service operated. I have witnessed changes throughout my career, nowadays it is easier for women to achieve in the police.
Being part of a minority of female Chief Constables in a male dominated organisation I am very visible. Chief Officers from other forces will know me, but I won’t necessarily know them. This is great when it comes to networking, but if something goes wrong then it isn’t, it’s the case of visibility and vulnerability.
One problem is that the concept of leadership can tend to be male. While men tend to be more assertive in their careers, women are often less so, therefore they maybe don’t go for what they want and ultimately avoid the leadership position. For example, when looking at a job description a woman may think ‘I’ve only got 8 out of the 10 criteria required for the post’ and not apply, while a man will see he only has 7 but will still apply. Recently, after the Inspectors exam, I was talking to those who passed with the highest grade, four of whom were men, and four of whom were women (this does not represent the ratio of males to females who took the exam, there were more men who sat it than women). While the men were ready to go straight into the Inspectors job, the women had decided they wanted to cover a few more areas before moving on into the leadership role.
What have you taken from your time with the Windsor Leadership Trust that has helped you develop in your leadership position?
The Trust has given me many things including:
• Access to ideas about leadership
• Contact with people from radically different backgrounds
• Support networks
• Encouragement from the success of others who have connections with the Trust.
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