We Take Ownership

Introduction

We take personal responsibility for our roles and accountabilities but we do not let this hold us back from being effective or taking appropriate risks.

We make decisions at appropriate levels and in appropriate areas, having a clear rationale (for example, use of decision-making models) and accepting responsibility for our decisions. We seek feedback, learn from our mistakes and reflect to improve and amend our future practice.

Demonstrating pride in our work is important to us. Our selflessness means that we also seek to help solve issues or problems, which may be internal or external to our own teams. We recognise where limitations in our own knowledge and experience may have an impact on our decision making. We take responsibility for ensuring that support or development is sought to minimise any risks.

Why is it important?

Not all decisions need senior leader approval, meaning that, where necessary, we can respond more swiftly to challenges while still ensuring we provide a full rationale for our response. Because we all face different kinds of challenges that are not always within our comfort zone, every one of us needs to feel confident and able to take responsibility.

These behaviours mean that we are empowered, effective and able to learn from our mistakes. Doing so allows us to own and see successes through our delivery of results, and not just whether a particular process has been followed.

Level 1

  • I actively identify and respond to problems.
  • I approach tasks with enthusiasm, focusing on public service excellence.
  • I regularly seek feedback to understand the quality of my work and the impact of my behaviour.
  • I recognise where I can help others and willingly take on additional tasks to support them, where appropriate.
  • I give feedback to others that I make sure is understandable and constructive.
  • I take responsibility for my own actions, I fulfil my promises and do what I say I will.
  • I will admit if I have made a mistake and take action to rectify this.
  • I demonstrate pride in representing the police service.
  • I understand my own strengths and areas for development and take responsibility for my own learning to address gaps.

Level 2

  • I proactively create a culture of ownership within my areas of work and support others to display personal responsibility.
  • I take responsibility for making improvements to policies, processes and procedures, actively encouraging others to contribute their ideas.
  • I am accountable for the decisions my team make and the activities within our teams.
  • I take personal responsibility for seeing events through to a satisfactory conclusion and for correcting any problems both promptly and openly.
  • I actively encourage and support learning within my teams and colleagues.

Level 3

  • I act as a role model, and enable the organisation to use instances when things go wrong as an opportunity to learn rather than blame.
  • I foster a culture of personal responsibility, encouraging and supporting others to make their own decisions and take ownership of their activities.
  • I define and enforce the standards and processes that will help this to happen.
  • I put in place measures that will allow others to take responsibility effectively when I delegate decision making, and at the same time I help them to improve their performance.
  • I create the circumstances (culture and process) that will enable people to undertake development opportunities and improve their performance.

I take an organisation-wide view, acknowledging where improvements can be made and taking responsibility for making these happen