Only the candidate can pass the promotion board….

In 1998 when I applied for promotion direct from Inspector to Superintendent I had 8 years policing experience and had progressed within the service at pace due to being on the national Accelerated Promotion Course. This was the second time West Midlands Police had run a process where applicants could skip ranks. I had observed the first process and my mindset at the time was to compare myself with others and see promotion as a competition, namely, who could progress the fastest.

How self-focussed, self-interested and short sighted was my outlook! An outlook that was totally at odds with the values of public service which I had cherished and held dear as the reasons for joining policing. I joined policing for one fundamental reason which was to help others and make a lasting difference in people’s lives. This was underpinned by a personal experience as a teenager when my father had died suddenly and I will forever remember the police officer who came to our house to break the news and who helped my Mum and younger sister in our hour of greatest need.

I was paper sifted and did not make it to an interview. The feedback I received was comprehensive and very accurate. I still have a very tattered copy of the feedback to this day and have regularly shared it with others to assist them in their approach to career development. These were some of the key headlines……’there was too much self focus in some responses. A particular weakness was the outcome of measures which she had introduced in various roles. The identification of problems was good and comments and responses to those problems was also good, but as yet there was little evidence of the outcome of her activity. There needs to be a demonstration of the sustainability of the actions she has taken. Her current role gives her tremendous opportunities for developing her strategic awareness of the direction the force is going in some very crucial areas, but it was the view of the panel that the candidate should seek opportunities in the future to develop an operational awareness to complement this strategic vision’.

It is no exaggeration when I say that this feedback fundamentally changed my outlook and approach to career development and progression throughout the remainder of my 30 years policing service. The honest and ethical feedback provided enabled me to understand the importance of authenticity; to understand what makes you tick; to be clear about and hold true to your values, and, to make career decisions that reflect those values. Linking your values to opportunities in the organisation gives you the opportunity to be authentic and fulfilled and most importantly to consistently put the public we serve at the heart of everything you do.

I did not apply again for promotion until 2000 when I was successful in becoming a Chief Inspector. I used the time to continue to develop impact and outcomes through my work. During this time I grew in self-confidence through new experiences. By focussing on the importance of values, I made career decisions with which I was comfortable rather than decisions based on comparing and competing with others. The importance of being driven by clear values enabled me to be authentic maintaining a focus on public service both in my daily work and also when approaching new career development opportunities. 

My second experience of failing boards was two unsuccessful attempts at the Chief Superintendent promotion in 2008 and 2009 before eventually succeeding at the third attempt in 2011. A rank where the opportunities to influence were immense and with leadership responsibilities that I loved until I retired from policing in 2020.

Feedback from the first promotion board in 2008 states ‘this was in one sense an atypical interview, emotionally charged, with Sally’s application a far greater reflection on life, in all its contexts, than then traditional approach. The interview, itself, in terms of the exchanges, took us to new boundaries, and caused us to reflect on where we judged Sally to be in terms of her career’. In a nutshell, the boards members told me that they saw too much Sally Bourner and not enough Chief Superintendent.

I felt an overwhelming sense of hurt and sadness following the board’s feedback in 2008. I had approached this with absolute authenticity and shared a number of formative and significant experiences. My approach, the evidence and my presentation of the evidence had clearly not convinced the board members of my readiness for promotion to Chief Superintendent. The experience made me think a lot about how I ensured I did not compromise my authenticity and values, whilst seeking to continue onwards to the goal of promotion to Chief Superintendent. This goal was founded on the desire to bring wider influence to developing and improving the service we provide to th public we serve.

So, I applied for a second time in 2009. I adopted a fundamentally different approach to both prevent the hurt, sadness and dent to my confidence that I had experienced from the previous failure, and also to give the board members greater confidence of my potential to be a Chief Superintendent. Guess what……..I failed again!

This was some of the feedback I received……’This was a fundamentally different performance to her last performance before this board. Sally demonstrated a tight control of her emotions and her responses that was in marked contrast to her previous board. This, however, on occasions, prevented the board understanding what Sally really believes and makes her tick. By way of example, there was an over reliance on a formulaic use of lists and an attempt to revert back to a safe structure when the interview attempted to take her into areas where she appeared less comfortable’. The greatest learning from the whole experience was that you can absolutely be authentic and remain true to your values but to be an effective communicator not only do you need to be emotionally and self-aware but you also need to understand your audience and understand yourself in the context of the organisation. You need to communicate with others in a way that connects with your audience cognisant of their needs so that they hear and understand your message. Learning that was invaluable not just for promotion boards but also to be an effective leader. And the good news is that I carried on doing my bit, making a difference in my daily working life and passed a promotion board to Chief Superintendent in 2011.

Only the candidate can pass a board. There are no magic ingredients for success. However, there are some key foundations that I think might help. Be honest as to whether or not you are ready to be considered for promotion. The CVF is not a framework just to be dusted off when you are considering promotion. It is a vital framework to assist you in your ongoing career development. Use the CVF routinely to assess your strengths, your areas for development and the impact you are making through your daily contribution. When you are able to articulate clear and consistent evidence for the rank to which you are seeking promotion that is the time to consider applying.

Preparation is key. Focus on the here and now because doing a good job and making a consistent contribution in your daily work is the foundation to longer term career development. If you are always looking for the next opportunity you won’t have the opportunity to value the present and make a sustainable impact. Pulling together your evidence in line with the CVF and taking time to understand the promotion process you will be undertaking is fundamental preparation. Approach things with a clear head and understanding the rules by which your evidence will be assessed.

And finally, be yourself. Authenticity is key. Reflect lots on your values, what makes you tick and why you are seeking promotion. Understand yourself in the context of the organisation and ensure  you consistently connect the two by demonstrating what you bring that will help make an invaluable contribution to the direction of travel for your organisation and for policing. 

In summary, I have come up with the 3 R’s approach to responding to failure which stand for:

Resilience (don’t give up and stay determined to follow your goals and dreams).

Reflect (every failure is an opportunity to understand more, to learn and to improve), and, 

Regroup (take time to pause, to take stock, to reevaluate and to come back with clarity of thought and stronger as a person).