From reflection to action with Sarah Able

Sarah, what are the most impactful leadership skills you use?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Kate Billing over the past 18 months alongside my Co-operative Bank executive team colleagues.? I learned so much as part of that about myself and how I show up as a leader.? In addition to working on mindset, there were some really useful skills and tools.?

One of my favourite skills is humble inquiry. The idea of asking better questions is the basis of a good coaching practice, but there was something in the way this was framed that resonated with me and has helped with so many aspects of my life.

People also tell me that I am very approachable and a great listener, and I think those are very important leadership skills.?

How did you know the ‘best next step’ in your career? We assume it was a jungle gym over a ladder - what or who helped you navigate your path???

In all honesty, I don’t think I’ve been all that deliberate about my career.? There have been times when I’ve tried hard, put myself out there, put my hand up for something bigger and been knocked back.? So, most of the time, I’ve just focused on doing work that I enjoy with people I enjoy working with and just trusting the process.? More often than not, things happen, and opportunities come along when you’re not looking for them or actively trying to engineer them.? That said, you do need to have people in your corner, and I was really lucky when I joined The Co-operative Bank to have a manager and a couple of Chief Executives who saw potential in me that I didn’t see and ‘strongly encouraged’ me into this Chief People and Culture Officer role and I am grateful to them for that.

Do you have any diversity goals and initiatives at The Co-operative Bank?

We have a specific organisational OKR related to the representation of women in leadership roles at The Co-operative Bank.?

We’re currently sitting at 52% for leadership roles overall and 50% for the Senior Leadership Team. We’ve put in place a range of initiatives to support women including a parental leave package, menopause education and the Powrsuit partnership.

Based on a D&I survey we identified that we could be doing more to support our Māori staff to feel engaged.? We’ve developed a te ao Māori strategy that’s in its early days but has been very well received by our people.? We started out with some te reo lessons for anyone interested, which were soon ‘sold out’.? That was cool to be a part of, especially as our cohort had representation from Director level to frontline staff.? I was inspired by this to continue my te reo journey through the Open Polytechnic and to reconnect with my own whakapapa.

Another D&I initiative that’s growing in momentum is our commitment to the Pride Pledge.

Can you recall a specific moment or experience that shaped your leadership style?

I have just noticed a pattern where I gravitate toward more authentic leaders who put the interests of the group first, and I think this has shaped my own approach.

Why is The Co-operative Bank partnering with Powrsuit??

We’re fortunate that we don’t have a representation issue when it comes to women in leadership roles at The Co-operative Bank, but we recognised we could do more to help our women leaders develop and grow in ways that work for them.? The Powrsuit programme is tailored to support women with the unique challenges they face, such as bite-sized learning and being part of a network of supportive, like-minded wāhine.? And in a cost-constrained environment, it’s a cost-effective option for us.

How can women better define or seek out strategic roles or opportunities?

There aren’t many roles that don’t have opportunities to demonstrate strategic thinking.?

Look for ways to show you can join the dots across different areas, think broader or longer term, and these will be great examples for your next interview!

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever done to succeed in your career?

I think peak value was reached when I graduated from University and was looking for a job.? At that time there were very few graduate jobs around when you have a generic degree and no one wanted to hire people without experience.?

After several months of feeling sorry for myself, I decided I needed to do something.? I put a suit on, printed 50 copies of my CV, caught the train to Wellington and started knocking on doors.? 48 of those CVs never came to anything, but a couple of awesome people took time out of their day to talk to the cold caller, put me in touch with contacts and a week later I had my first job.? As an introvert, doing something like this actually caused physical and emotional pain, but I worked through it and took control of what I could control.?

It’s a lesson for leaders to make the time for people who ask for help – a 20 minute chat can literally change the course of someone’s life.

What advice would you give to women feeling a bit stuck in their careers??

For me personally I use self-reflection when I’m feeling stuck. I use journalling a lot to help me process what’s going on in my head, and often find the problem and therefore solutions look different on paper.? I would also encourage people to tap into their support networks – talk to someone in a similar position, or identify a mentor or coach to talk through options.

Sarah Able, Chief People and Culture Officer, The Co-operative Bank

Sarah’s been at the bank for 7.5 years with 4 years in the Chief People & Culture Officer role. Her HR journey has predominantly been in the banking sector where she spent 10 years in London at big banks like HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland. She also did a short stint in the public sector before joining The Co-operative Bank, where she really enjoys the small, collaborative and customer focused environment.?She’s married and has two daughters – aged 15 and 12. In her spare time she loves baking with her daughter but shares the love with local charities like Good Bitches Baking, the Foodbank and Women’s’ Refuge. Her lifestyle block keeps her busy with mowing lawns, pruning trees and clearing gorse most weekends.?Along with her family, she loves Formula 1, and will often spend early mornings watching the races together.