Abstract
This is a very different leadership book. If you are a police or law enforcement practitioner, no matter what rank, this book is for you. The Courage to Lead is one of those books that once you start reading you cannot put it down until you finish. The author draws you into the world of police leadership from a very personal perspective woven through the professional challenges and major leadership responsibilities of a police commander in a modern policing agency. Written in the first person, the style and language is uninhibited, with an organized, relaxed, and personable approach that blends the personal with the professional police officer experience.
The book accounts the professional and associated personal journey of Allan Sicard, a New South Wales police officer for 40 years and a Police Commander for the last 15 years of that career, during which time he led teams in some of the most challenging crises Australia has experienced including the Mossman Collar Bomb in 2011 and the first 2 hours of the Lindt Café Siege in 2014.
What sets this book apart is the pure sense of honesty about leadership in a policing environment that is so refreshing—there are no frills. The understanding that leadership is not all about being at the head of the line and that there are moments of ‘failing forward’ and what to do about that. The true grit of leadership comes from picking oneself up from a fail, calling on resilience, and moving forward. A unique aspect of this book is the discussion of reaching out for support to move forward, whether it be family, friends, colleagues, and/or professionals, acknowledging to oneself and others that help is needed. Too often this aspect of personal support is not openly discussed in association with leadership.
The book traces the author’s journey from joining the police force to retirement and alongside the various leaps, bounds, successes, and drawbacks in his career, discussion of how he developed leadership capability and capacity through each of his experiences—it is this approach that offers insight for police and law enforcement practitioners at the various stages of their careers. There is an opportunity to learn from the author’s experience, reflect on one’s own approach, and adapt to develop current and future leadership attributes.
A powerful theme threaded through the discussion of the many different roles and tasks for which the author was responsible throughout his police career is the style of leadership demonstrated. Here, leadership was used in part to empower others, the author talks about having the courage to give the ‘power’ to others, how to encourage them to lead and develop themselves and others. As the author states:
the story is not about being in the spotlight, the story is about empowering others to do their best every day and through those skills lead and influence others creating a workplace that is safe, kind and inclusive.
The advocacy for (a) empowering others and (b) putting one’s hand up for help when needed are the two powerful golden threads that link the phases (and chapters) in the author’s career coupled with personal experiences outside of police work. In today’s police and law enforcement services, there is greater recognition of the impact of frontline practitioner experiences on an officer’s mental health. This book delves into this aspect of a police officer’s career with a depth of honesty and openness that may resonate on many different levels with the practitioner reader audience. Importantly, the author presents this topic in a manner that makes it OK to acknowledge the need for support and through recounting his own experience demonstrates how resilience can be built from both success and failure.
This book not only offers insight into the power of leadership in a policing environment to do good for others but also offers life-long lessons on the power of humility and respect for engendering productive, valued relationships in the blending of one’s personal and professional life.
Whilst the book is focused on policing, the core ethos which came to define the author’s career centred in part on using leadership to build and empower groups of people working together, with a shared desire to achieve change. This ethos and the author’s explanation of how he demonstrated this throughout his career has the power to resonate, not only with police and law enforcement but also the wider frontline responder community and beyond.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected]
This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic-oup-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
The book accounts the professional and associated personal journey of Allan Sicard, a New South Wales police officer for 40 years and a Police Commander for the last 15 years of that career, during which time he led teams in some of the most challenging crises Australia has experienced including the Mossman Collar Bomb in 2011 and the first 2 hours of the Lindt Café Siege in 2014.
What sets this book apart is the pure sense of honesty about leadership in a policing environment that is so refreshing—there are no frills. The understanding that leadership is not all about being at the head of the line and that there are moments of ‘failing forward’ and what to do about that. The true grit of leadership comes from picking oneself up from a fail, calling on resilience, and moving forward. A unique aspect of this book is the discussion of reaching out for support to move forward, whether it be family, friends, colleagues, and/or professionals, acknowledging to oneself and others that help is needed. Too often this aspect of personal support is not openly discussed in association with leadership.
The book traces the author’s journey from joining the police force to retirement and alongside the various leaps, bounds, successes, and drawbacks in his career, discussion of how he developed leadership capability and capacity through each of his experiences—it is this approach that offers insight for police and law enforcement practitioners at the various stages of their careers. There is an opportunity to learn from the author’s experience, reflect on one’s own approach, and adapt to develop current and future leadership attributes.
A powerful theme threaded through the discussion of the many different roles and tasks for which the author was responsible throughout his police career is the style of leadership demonstrated. Here, leadership was used in part to empower others, the author talks about having the courage to give the ‘power’ to others, how to encourage them to lead and develop themselves and others. As the author states:
the story is not about being in the spotlight, the story is about empowering others to do their best every day and through those skills lead and influence others creating a workplace that is safe, kind and inclusive.
The advocacy for (a) empowering others and (b) putting one’s hand up for help when needed are the two powerful golden threads that link the phases (and chapters) in the author’s career coupled with personal experiences outside of police work. In today’s police and law enforcement services, there is greater recognition of the impact of frontline practitioner experiences on an officer’s mental health. This book delves into this aspect of a police officer’s career with a depth of honesty and openness that may resonate on many different levels with the practitioner reader audience. Importantly, the author presents this topic in a manner that makes it OK to acknowledge the need for support and through recounting his own experience demonstrates how resilience can be built from both success and failure.
This book not only offers insight into the power of leadership in a policing environment to do good for others but also offers life-long lessons on the power of humility and respect for engendering productive, valued relationships in the blending of one’s personal and professional life.
Whilst the book is focused on policing, the core ethos which came to define the author’s career centred in part on using leadership to build and empower groups of people working together, with a shared desire to achieve change. This ethos and the author’s explanation of how he demonstrated this throughout his career has the power to resonate, not only with police and law enforcement but also the wider frontline responder community and beyond.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected]
This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic-oup-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-2 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | Policing (Oxford): a journal of policy and practice |
| Volume | 17 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 08 Aug 2023 |