How 20 Years in Public Sector Leadership Prepared Me for Business Success

After 20 years leading teams in high-pressure situations, I thought I understood what real leadership meant. I was wrong.

Leading others within an established structure, with clear policies and hierarchies, is one thing. Leading yourself when there's no handbook, no safety net, and no one checking if you've shown up?

That's a completely different challenge.

This is the leadership transition nobody talks about - what happens when the structures that have supported your leadership are removed. It's not just about transferring skills or finding new opportunities. It's about fundamentally reshaping how you lead yourself and what success means when you're the one setting the standards.

I've also seen this transition happen in reverse - entrepreneurs who've grown their businesses and suddenly find themselves leading teams without ever having a leader to learn and grow from themselves. The challenges are different but equally significant when you're navigating leadership without a roadmap.

My journey from police manager to business owner taught me lessons about leadership that 20 years in uniform never could.

Here's what I learned during that transition, and the leadership insights that might help you on your own journey.

From Wanting to Make a Difference to Learning What Leadership Really Means

I always wanted to be a Police Officer. From a very young age, I knew I didn't want a 9-5, I wanted to work with people, and I wanted a job that made a difference and that would challenge me.

At 18, as I finished my 'A' levels and as the majority of my friends went off to university, I had a plan to find a job that gave me 'life experience' while I waited for the police recruitment process to open.

The perfect opportunity came up when a vacancy for a police staff post at the local police station was advertised. A part-time role in the enquiry office.

I still remember the interview, being offered the job, going to HQ to get my uniform fitted and having the first-day obligatory uniform photograph taken!

At 18, straight out of sixth form, this role was such a steep learning curve. My eyes opened to worlds I did not know existed. Back in those days (1997) there wasn't a course you attended, you shadowed whoever was on duty, you watched them, they watched you, and then you got on with it!...and there wasnt Google to find the answers.

I spent multiple times daily, back and forth to the Sgt's office with a paper form in my hand with the words 'Sarge I've got...' with no clue what to do or even where to start!

I was incredibly fortunate to have had fantastic mentors and supervisors who helped me learn to ask better questions, ascertain what information was needed and how to make decisions.

Looking back, this was my first real lesson in leadership. It wasn't about having all the answers. It was about knowing how to find them, who to ask, and how to make decisions with incomplete information. Skills that would prove invaluable years later when I was the one people came to with problems.

When Plans Don't Work Out: The First Leadership Lesson

In 1999 the recruitment process opened. I spent hours on the application and entered the process. I got as far as the final psychometric tests and failed one of them, something to do with train speeds and distance travelled, annoyingly, nothing to do with policing, and I came to the end of the process.

Gutted was an understatement. I had lots of support and settled back into the enquiry office role while I waited for the recruitment process to reopen.

At the risk of this becoming a book rather than a blog, I will gloss over the next bit!

Long story short, I didn't ever apply again.

My circumstances changed, my priorities changed, and by the time the recruitment process opened again, I was a wife, pregnant, and my police staff career was accelerating.

This was my first real lesson in leadership adaptability. Sometimes the path you think you want, isn't the path that's right for you. Sometimes what feels like failure is actually redirection towards something better suited to your strengths and circumstances.

As leaders, we often get so focused on one particular route to success that we miss opportunities that might actually serve us better.

Learning to pivot when circumstances change, rather than stubbornly pursuing a plan that no longer fits, became a skill I'd use repeatedly throughout my career.

Building Leadership Skills in High-Pressure Environments

Over the next 20 years, I worked in some incredible roles that shaped my understanding of what it means to lead in complex, high-pressure environments:

• Enquiry Staff Officer

• Senior Enquiry Staff Officer

• Customer Service Manager

• Force Service Centre Supervisor

• Major Crime Logistics Manager

• Secondment to the Operating Model Programme Team

• Business Change Manager

I was involved in:

• Setting up the local call-handling units

• Setting up the Force Service Centre

• The implementation of the workforce modernisation of the major crime teams

• Creation and implementation of the regional collaboration of major crime teams

• Review and reorganisation of the force as part of the comprehensive spending review

• The rollout of bodyworn cameras

• The rollout of laptops and mobiles

• Initial phases of the mobile policing app design and test phase

Each role taught me different aspects of leadership. From my first leadership position in my early twenties to senior management in my early thirties, I learned to lead teams, manage change, and navigate the complexities of being one of the first police staff managers to manage police officers.

By the end of my career, I was working at a superintendent equivalent level, leading programmes that affected thousands of people.

These experiences taught me that effective leadership in high-pressure environments requires you to make decisions with incomplete information, manage competing priorities, and maintain team morale during constant change.

You learn to lead people through uncertainty while maintaining your own clarity about what matters most.

What I didn't realise at the time was how these skills would translate when the traditional leadership structures were removed, and I had to learn to lead myself as a business owner.

20 Years Long Service and Good Conduct Ceremony

The Leadership Crisis: When You Question Your Value

In 2017, I was told that my role was being made redundant. I knew that redeployment was not possible due to the level that I was working at, and lack of other roles at that level that matched my skill set.

My twenty-year service anniversary was on the 28th of July 2017.

My redundancy date was 01st August 2017 - I just made it!

Redundancy was tough. Being in the police was a big part of who I was. All of my adult years were in the service. Friends, colleagues, and experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly) were all attached to different roles, and different teams and all part of who I had become.

One of the hardest parts was being taken off the programme I was working on. I was removed from meeting attendance lists as it was felt that there was little point in me being there if I was leaving.

All of sudden, I had gone from feeling like a significant cog in the wheel to 'no longer required'. My diary and inbox went from full, to empty.

It was tough. I was clearing down my list and told to hand things over. The hardest part was having to stay and watch the work continue as I stood on the sidelines.

My request for gardening leave was declined and ironically, I was told that I was too important to be released.

Even though the logical part of your brain knows that the change to your role is a business decision, an economic/financial decision, there is still a part of you that questions how important you are or have ever been.

We know that significance, contribution and belonging are all key human psychological needs. The redundancy process had me questioning all of these.

This experience taught me something crucial about leadership identity. When so much of who you are, your identity, is tied to your role, losing that role feels like losing yourself.

As leaders, we invest so much of our identity in our positions that we can lose sight of who we are beyond the title and the responsibilities.

The isolation I felt during those final months - watching work continue without me, being excluded from decisions I'd previously been central to - is something many other leaders experience when they're sidelined, restructured out, or simply feel undervalued despite their contributions.

Why Redundancy Became My Greatest Leadership Opportunity

At the point of the redundancy notice, I had been exploring the idea of exiting the police and moving into coaching. At this point, it is fair to say that I had a hobby with a logo. I had been completing some training courses outside of work and had been working with a couple of 'guinea pigs' to practice what I had been learning.

I certainly did not have a business model and I most definitely did not know how to run a business!

I did float the idea of applying for a job elsewhere, but not for long!

I had a short period of time to get a business up and running. I dialled into webinars, I downloaded free resources and on August 1st 2017 I launched the business. 'Phoenix Life and Wellbeing Coaching'.

I gave myself until Christmas to throw myself into the business and do everything I could.

I called trusted friends and told them not to let me talk myself out of it or apply for jobs until after the Christmas break. I gave them permission to give me tough love when I called or had a wobble.

I never made that call. I haven't made that call in 7 years.

Ultimately, I had to make it work. I had a dependent child and a mortgage to pay and I was the sole earner. It simply had to work!

This forced transition taught me the difference between leading with a safety net and leading without one. When you're an employee, even in senior leadership roles, there's always someone above you, systems around you, and a predictable structure. When you're running your own business, especially with real financial pressure, you learn to lead yourself in ways you never had to before.

The accountability shifts entirely to you.

There's no manager to report to, no performance reviews to guide you, no colleague to share the load.

You become responsible not just for the decisions, but for making sure you show up to make them in the first place!

Discovering Leadership Skills You Didn't Know You Had

I think this is one area that leaders can really struggle with, especially those from structured environments like the public sector.

When your experience is purely based on practice and you don't have a certificate or qualification to evidence your skills, it can be really hard to identify what they are.

Communication skills are without doubt one of the key transferable leadership abilities. Not just for coaching and training but for all the other elements of business leadership. Networking, building trust, rapport and relationships and being able to communicate well with those who you work directly with and the decision-makers at CEO level.

Resilience, in particular, the ability to adapt when something happens is incredibly important in leadership. When COVID hit, many businesses found themselves in chaos as they tried to adapt to new ways of working and new demand.

Whilst many hated the uncertainty and the unknown, I found myself thriving in the chaos. It took me back to the times of decision-making in the control room as information came through, or dealing with the situation in the enquiry office when the person was standing right in front of you, expecting you to have all the answers and know exactly what to do!

These aren't skills you can learn in the classroom, they are leadership behaviours we develop through practice. Learning to remain calm under pressure, learning to gather information, assess risk, consider options and contingencies as well as impact on others are all skills you use in any leadership role.

The ability to make decisions with incomplete information, lead through uncertainty, and maintain your team's confidence when you're not entirely sure what's coming next - these are the leadership skills that matter most, regardless of the context you're leading in.

The Leadership Skills Nobody Taught Me

Let's be honest. Structured organisations don't prepare you for every type of leadership challenge.

They might have some similarities to entrepreneurial leadership; however, a lot of the mindset is completely different.

The key differences for me coming out of a structured environment were:

From reducing demand to increasing demand and building relationships. 

In many organisations, you're managing workload and demand. In business leadership, you're actively seeking to create demand and build lasting client relationships.

Being visible. 

Proactively talking about who I am and what I do both online and in person. Many leaders are comfortable leading within their organisations but struggle with external visibility and personal branding.

Being a personal brand rather than representing the organisation. 

This shift from institutional authority to personal authority challenges many leaders who are used to the credibility that comes with their company or role.

Not having processes, procedures, guidelines and legislation to make decisions on. 

When you're used to frameworks and policies to guide decisions, learning to trust your own judgment without external validation is a significant adjustment.

Creating a new identity, stepping away from what I had always known and working out who I was when I was no longer defined by my role.

I think the last one was the hardest for me and one I needed to work out to help with personal branding and being confident in visibility.

I consciously chose to step away from the 'police world' for a couple of years to work on this. It wasn't easy but it was an important thing for me to do personally as well as professionally.

These transitions take time to work through and get used to. Leadership strategy evolves, so having flexibility in your approach is important. Having goals and measures that centre around growth rather than maintenance requires a fundamental mindset shift.

Large organisations are like big ships. Changes often have a chain of command and have to go through multiple approval processes.

As a business leader, it's more like being in a canoe! You can make small changes that have a big impact, but this agility can take some getting used to.

You no longer have the frustrations of 'jumping through hoops' however, you do hold complete responsibility and accountability for every decision you make.

What Leadership Transitions Cost You (And Why It's Worth It)

What do I miss most?

Without a doubt, the camaraderie and the connection with colleagues. I am not sure anyone ever finds this after coming out of operational roles where you face intense challenges together.

I would say this is part of the acceptance of any significant leadership transition. Something that cannot be replaced in its entirety, that's for sure.

Many business owners find leadership incredibly isolating when they don't have people to consult or inform. You have to regularly check in with yourself to assess what you are doing and the impact it is having to ensure that you are not going around in circles.

This isolation isn't unique to entrepreneurship. Many leaders experience it when they're promoted to senior roles, when they're leading through difficult changes, or when they're the only one in their organisation with their particular expertise or responsibility.

The trade-off is autonomy and alignment. There is no denying it is a completely different world. However, it is a world you get to create and shape.

Creating Leadership That Aligns With Your Values

I see a lot of leaders looking to make changes who are trying to mirror what is familiar from old ways of working in a different or new environment.

Whilst I can understand the benefits of transferring skills I do feel there is a missed step in the process.

Understand what it is you want from your leadership role, and how you want to spend your days.

What are your logistical and psychological and emotional needs?

What are your values that you need to align?

Understanding why you want to make a change will help you understand what you want and need next.

Frustrated at the restrictions with the decisions you can make? 

You know that autonomy is important in what comes next.

Tired of poor work-life balance? 

You know that working hours and flexibility is important.

Finding that the role has changed beyond recognition? 

What is it you miss doing? What is it that no longer aligns with what is important to you?

Whether you're considering business ownership, a role change, or simply wanting to lead differently where you are, you have the opportunity to shape these elements.

However, you have to have clarity on what this looks like so you can ensure that your leadership approach reflects this.

Don't get me wrong - being a business owner is relentless. I thought I worked hard in the police, but it doesn't compare!

However, it is different, it is yours, you are shaping it, and you have control and influence over what that looks like.

You can also do it in a way that aligns with how you want to work.

I still work evenings and weekends; however, I don't see clients in the mornings as I like to work on the business and go to the gym. I see friends for lunch and walks and I schedule my days off so that I can travel around the country watching basketball. I travel regularly and sometimes for weeks at a time and work remotely.

My business, my rules!

Working away in Cyprus

Leading Yourself Through Major Transitions

You have to show up for yourself and your goals.

Nobody is checking in on you and setting deadlines. You don't have a manager holding you accountable or a system that flags when you are behind, unless of course, you create the system that does this.

Nobody will tell you that major leadership transitions are easy, many of us will tell you that they are worth it, when you create the leadership role and life that you want.

Understand your values, your needs and your passions and purpose. This is a fundamental part of any transition process. Then, you can create an approach that generates the outcomes you want.

Building Strategic Leadership Foundations

When I was given my redundancy notice I had already been taking steps to create a full-time business.

I had compressed my hours in one of the roles to create space to give it my attention and focus however when I changed roles that was no longer an option.

I worked on the business in the time that I had. As a full-time working single parent, who was also competing nationally in the sport of strongwoman at the same time, I did not have a lot of 'spare time'. What I did have was focused time, discipline and a whole lot of stubbornness, or as I prefer to say, determination.

You have got to want this.

Whether you're building toward a career change, developing new leadership skills, or creating something alongside your current role, the same principles apply. This isn't for the faint-hearted, but then neither is effective leadership in any context.

You need to set aside time for this and understand what time you have to commit to working toward your goal alongside your current responsibilities and commitments.

Identify what time you have and what your priorities are.

• What are the key activities you need to do each week to help you make progress and keep the momentum going?

• What time can you set aside and how will you commit to it?

• Who can help you hold yourself accountable?

Leading yourself through major changes is not a 'pick up and put down' activity. It requires consistency and discipline.

Find a way that works for you that is sustainable with your current commitments. Be prepared to be flexible in your approach so that you can make it work.

Making Strategic Leadership Decisions Under Pressure

It is fair to say that I did not choose the timing of stepping into full-time entrepreneurship, although finding another paid employment role was an option, it was one I decided not to take.

My original plan was to build a client base, slowly reduce my hours with the police and then hand in my notice when I was confident that the business was stable enough to make that change.

In an ideal world, this is a fantastic approach and I suspect many of you reading this will be doing the same or building toward a change with a specific timeline in mind.

You definitely cannot wait for perfect conditions to start, and you have to be ready to seize opportunities as they arise.

Attitude is everything and opportunities are everywhere.

This applies to any significant leadership decision.

Whether you're considering a role change, stepping up to greater responsibility, or making a major strategic shift, rarely do the conditions align perfectly.

Know what needs to be in place to know you are ready to make the change.

Consider both the logistical and emotional requirements. Finances might be obvious, but what else do you require?

• What do you need to have in place?

• What do you need to see and feel to know you are ready?

• What do you need to let go of that might be holding you back?

• What will be the most helpful way to think about making the change?

Choosing work that is fulfilling is key.

What do you need from your leadership role to feel aligned and engaged?

Choosing work that is fulfilling is key. What do you need from your work?

Strategic Planning for Leadership Growth

This was one of my biggest challenges. Where to begin?

It was really important for me to define what it was I wanted to do, what I knew I didn't want to do, and to refine my different approaches.

The plan has evolved over the years and I review it regularly.

It is important to scan the horizon and assess risks. Identifying opportunities, recognising emerging gaps in your field and also potential threats will help you to adapt without going off course.

I have found planning ahead one of my biggest challenges. A lot of the roles I had were reactive and my strength is being able to respond in crisis and under pressure. It wasn't until I went into senior management and project management that it became important to be able to create strategic plans, set goals, and create timelines.

Strategic thinking is a skillset and depending on the roles you have had will depend on your ability to set your goals and create a roadmap for success.

Many leaders excel at operational delivery but struggle with strategic planning for their own development and career progression. The skills are transferable, but the application to your own leadership journey requires a different mindset.

Building Leadership Identity Beyond Your Role

As I mentioned earlier in the blog, the police was a significant part of my identity. All my adult years I was in an environment where you had rules, regulations, standards of behaviour and processes, policy and legislation to follow.

All of my adult years had been shaped by the roles I was in and it was a key part of my identity.

Redundancy was tough. It is hard to convey what some of the emotions were, and I definitely struggled with this at the time.

For twenty years, I felt I was part of something. I felt that I contributed to something meaningful, that the work that I did was part of something bigger and of significance.

My coping strategy was to switch my focus onto 'what next' and so I started to create lists of things I could get started on. One of these was my brand and my identity.

I wanted to step away from the police identity. I wanted to 'shed the skin' and walk into something new, something that I could create and shape and evolve, and I knew I needed to create distance to be able to do that.

This challenge isn't unique to career changes. Many leaders struggle with an identity that's too closely tied to their current role or organisation. When that role changes, is threatened, or no longer fulfils them, the identity crisis can be significant.

Creating Your Leadership Brand and Presence

I am glad I took the time to work on this.

It helped me to spend time working with different companies and understanding the world outside of my previous environment.

I kept hold of the important things and I left the things that no longer served me behind.

I now feel I have the best of both. I can use my previous experience in the work that I do, but I also have years of other experiences to add to the mix.

My background is part of my brand, it brings a very special set of skills and experiences to what I do and it is often what companies recognise as my unique value when they are considering working with me.

It is also one of the reasons why individuals want to work with me.

Certain experiences help me to understand what clients are working through: working full-time as a single parent, being ambitious as a mother, leadership and management as a female and at a young age, navigating a male-dominated industry as a female manager.

The world and our society is evolving, it is getting better, but we aren't there yet, and these are challenges people still face today.

There are lots of experiences that I could use in my brand. There are some things that I choose not to talk about. Others talk about them frequently and openly.

It is your choice. Privacy is not the same as secrecy.

You choose what you share and what you use in your professional brand and leadership presence, in the same way that you get to choose the type of work that you do and the people that you work with.

For many leaders, the challenge isn't having experiences worth sharing - it's deciding which aspects of their background and expertise to highlight, and learning to communicate their value beyond their current job title or organisation.

Building Leadership Support Networks

One could argue that there is no better support network than the friends and colleagues you make in high-pressure operational roles. The challenges that you face together bring you together and connect you in a way that is very hard to describe - if you know you know!

I do wonder sometimes if this is one of the reasons why people discount self-employment as an option as they want to work with people.

There is no denying that leadership can be very isolating if you don't build up a network of people around you. Whether you're running your own business, leading a team through difficult changes, or stepping into a senior role where you have fewer peers, the isolation is real.

It is important, even for an introvert like me, to find mentors and peers and seek support from experienced leaders in your field. The more experience you have the more you can pass this on and support those starting on their journey.

Surrounding yourself with positivity is important but also surround yourself with people who are open and will share their experiences and work with honesty and integrity.

Most leaders only share their highlights, which is understandable. Make sure you have some people around you who will share with you their struggles as much as they share their wins and share the insights that help make leadership easier so that you can learn too.

I have been so fortunate to have some really good people around me over the years. There is a lot of performance theatre out there and a polished professional presence does not automatically equate to effective leadership or sustainable success.

Surround yourself with authentic, supportive and positive people who work with honesty and integrity.

The best leadership support networks include people who challenge your thinking, celebrate your wins, help you learn from setbacks, and remind you of your strengths when you're questioning yourself. These relationships become even more crucial during times of transition or when you're navigating uncharted territory.

Leading Through Change and Learning from Setbacks

Leaving the public sector is a huge change. It was significant for me after 20 years in the police, and I can only imagine how much harder it could be for those with longer service or coming out of the military.

Change happens in all leadership contexts all the time - change of leadership, change of strategy, change of priorities, changes in society - it is all constant change and along with uncertainty, you will be used to.

Your resilience and adaptability will be one of your strengths in any leadership transition.

Embrace failure and be open to learning from setbacks and use them as stepping stones to success. The no-blame culture that effective leaders create for their teams needs to apply to how you lead yourself, too. You need to be less risk-averse in your leadership approach, seize opportunities and have an ambitious, creative, and innovative mindset.

Successful leadership is centred around continual growth. Not just for your organisation or team, but for you too. Continuous learning, training and professional development is important for your own personal growth and staying agile and adapting to trends is important for your leadership effectiveness.

My business has grown and evolved over the years. I have changed and the work has levelled up as I have gained more experience, training and developed in my role. People still get the same authentic version of me, and they definitely get a better version of me now in 2024 than they did in 2017.

This applies to leadership in any context. The leader you are today should be more effective, more self-aware, and more aligned with your values than the leader you were five years ago.

That's what growth looks like.

Leading a workshop: Amsterdam

Speaking at ExCeL Conf

Delivering a workshop

Recognising Leadership Achievements and Progress

Recognising achievements is important regardless of the industry you work in. As a leader, especially in senior roles or when working independently, you need to acknowledge your progress and milestones along the way as the chances are nobody else is going to do this for you.

Determine what success looks like for you. What does a good win look like? You get to determine what successful leadership looks and feels like for your context.

My goal is to be able to work part-time before I am 50, whilst having financial security and the freedom to travel. Finding fulfillment is also important and it is important to not forget the rewards of effective leadership beyond just the obvious metrics.

Different leaders will have different definitions of success. For some it might be the impact they create, for others it might be the teams they develop, the problems they solve, or the flexibility they create in how they work.

The key is being intentional about what success means to you, and making sure you pause to recognise when you're making progress toward those goals. Leadership can be relentless, and without conscious recognition of achievements, it's easy to always be focused on what's next without acknowledging how far you've come.

What This Leadership Transition Taught Me

The journey from police manager to business owner taught me that the most significant leadership challenges aren't about managing others - they're about leading yourself.

When the structures, hierarchies, and safety nets that have supported your leadership are removed, you discover what type of leader you really are. You learn whether you can maintain standards without external accountability, make decisions without established frameworks, and stay motivated without traditional recognition systems.

The skills that make you effective at leading others - communication, resilience, strategic thinking, decision-making under pressure - are absolutely transferable. But self-leadership requires something different. It requires clarity about your values, the discipline to show up consistently, and the courage to define success on your own terms.

Whether you're considering a major career transition, stepping into greater leadership responsibility, or simply wanting to lead more authentically in your current role, the principles remain the same.

Understand what motivates you, build identity beyond your job title, create support networks that challenge and encourage you, and be intentional about the type of leader you want to become.

That's when the magic happens.

When you stop waiting for perfect conditions, stop defining yourself by your current role, and start leading yourself toward the work and life that align with what matters most to you.

There's another way forward for every leader who's ready to write their own rules.

If you're ready to take this further, I can help.

I support leaders and business owners through:

• 1:1 Coaching for tailored support

• The Blueprint for Aligned Success, my 8-week group programme

• The Aligned Success Community for ongoing tools, coaching, and connection

You can also explore free resources to get started:

• PIIPS Training: www.zoethompson.uk/quick-links

• YouTube Channel: Aligned Success with Zoë Thompson

Zoe