Sadia K., Spotlight Story | Leadership Summit

In this spotlight, we’re proud to feature 2023 Leadership Summit alum, Sadia K., who shares her inspiring leadership journey in the Home Office. With over 12 years of service across multiple departments, Sadia recently stepped into a pivotal new role as Head of Operational Capabilities and Workforce (OCW), Asylum Support. She reflects on her career path, the impact of the Leadership Summit, and her commitment to leading with authenticity, resilience, and purpose.

Sadia's career journey in the Home Office

I’d say I ended up at the Home Office almost accidentally. I come from a lower socio-economic background and was the first in my family to go to university. I think that is really important to highlight, because although people often say university is accessible to everyone, for me, it wasn’t that simple. Choosing to continue studying instead of starting a career at 18 was a really difficult decision, but my family supported me and I went for it.

After earning a degree in criminology and criminal justice, I wasn’t sure what direction to take. My nan had always spoken about the Home Office as a respected, big organisation, even though I didn’t fully understand it then. Still, it stuck with me.

After a short break post-university - where I jokingly told my mum I was “on strike” from studying - I applied for a job at the Home Office in Border Force. I’ve been here ever since, working across Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, Public Safety, and now Customer Services – each role supporting the delivery of important security and social issues from border offences and illegal entry, removal of individuals with no right to remain in the UK, and implementing corporate governance to support teams delivery policy changes on knife crime, police reform and violence against women and girls

Someone once said that if you’ve worked here long enough, you develop a “Home Office chip” and I think that’s true. Even now, I’m still learning, still passionate, and still proud to work at the heart of Government in one of the great offices of state.

Sadia's current role and why it matters

My new role is Head of Operational Capabilities and Workforce in Adult and Family Support, which sits within Asylum Support. The role essentially seeks to provide support for operational caseworking teams by anticipating recruitment needs and proactively securing the right talent, nurturing teams with engaging learning and development opportunities that drive growth and innovation and seeking ways to improve processes to ensure we have a system in place that provides the correct outcome to our service users.

Serving vulnerable individuals and families

At the end of the day, it's about equipping frontline teams with what they need to make the right decisions at the right time. When all of that comes together, it leads to better outcomes for the people we serve: vulnerable adults and families who are seeking asylum here in the UK. It’s a role that requires oversight and management of a lot of moving parts, but it’s incredibly rewarding as it’s so human focused. Every part of what we do feeds into improving the way we support, those who are seeking asylum.

How Sadia leads in her new role

For me, leadership is always about balance: delivering value for money while also achieving the best outcomes for individuals.

I’m a civil servant first, so impartiality and sustainability matter, but equally, I care deeply about the user experience. Sometimes that means slowing down to get it right, and maintaining a focus on the customer and how they will experience the service.

Embracing her leadership style

I think what's changed most about my leadership in this role is how I’ve leaned into leadership style more fully, especially after attending the Leadership Summit. It’s helped me become an even more confident leader. I wouldn’t (nor would others!) say I lacked confidence before, but I feel I am able to define my leadership style with clarity and confidence which builds my credibility and installs confidence in my capabilities from those I lead.

Leadership Summit's impact on Sadia's leadership

Developing self-awareness

What really stood out for me about Leadership Summit was gaining a deeper understanding of myself as a leader. It wasn’t about building self-assurance but developing self-awareness. The DISC profile reports were especially powerful, showing how my natural strengths, if overused, could actually become challenges, particularly when working with people whose styles differ from mine. Taking on a new role, since the Leadership Summit and leading a new team, I found myself referring to the DISC report to tailor my leadership style to accommodate the wide ranging needs of my team. I would definitely say I am able to flex my leadership style more dynamically as a result.

Working better with others

The structured insight via the DISC report into how I lead and how others might perceive was eye-opening. It made me more conscious of my leadership, especially when under pressure as I tend to lean too far into being results-driven and decisive, which can come across as impatience. Importantly, what shifted wasn’t who I am, but how I work with others.  I would definitely say I am able to flex my leadership style more dynamically as a result.

The DISC affirmed my strengths but also highlighted the importance of balance. Even your best qualities can become blind spots if unchecked. It’s helped me lead more consciously and authentically and that’s had a real impact on how I support and connect with my team.

A key turning point in Sadia's leadership

One of the biggest shifts in my leadership journey was becoming comfortable with my own style. Early on, I felt pressure to conform and to lead in a specific way. But through experience and mentoring, I learned that no single leadership style fits every situation.

Sometimes you need to be direct and decisive. Other times, you need to facilitate and collaborate. What matters is knowing when to flex and being confident in doing so, while staying true to who you are.

Sadia's most rewarding project

Everything I’ve worked on so far has been meaningful. I’ve been lucky to gain experience across four major parts of the Home Office and each one has helped shape my understanding of public service.

In my 12 year career I’ve: dealt with illegal drug importation, imposters seeking entry to the UK, managed the immigration detainee population, tasked removal flights and delivered high-value national projects worth millions. Not everyone’s journey in the Home Office looks the same and so, what I’m proudest of is that I’ve built such a varied career and worked with some exceptional people and teams without ever leaving the department.

I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. My most rewarding project might still be the one I take on next.

Staying resilient in a demanding role

Resilience, for me, isn’t just personal. It’s about how you lead a team through pressure and uncertainty, and creating the room for people to be able to know what works for them in these high-pressure periods.

In one previous role, during a period of structural change and high tension, I was often described as “cool, calm and collected,” which surprised me, because I didn’t always feel that way on the inside. But it taught me how important consistency and openness are for team stability. It showed me how critical it is for a leader to have emotional intelligence and to lead with that.

Boundary setting

I set clear boundaries and non-negotiables for myself and my team: proper breaks, no lunch-at-desk, minimal overtime, and space for informal connection to talk about anything but work!  We even create team charters before peak periods, agreeing on these non-negotiables and how we’ll support each other.

You don’t have to say yes to everything, but let’s talk about it and find a better way. That openness is what makes resilience sustainable but it result also is collective team growth

Sadia's advice to her younger self

Being authentic and professional 

There’s a statement people use a lot: “Bring your whole self to work.” And I’ve always questioned that. For me, it’s about bringing your most authentic, professional self to work. There’s always going to be a difference between who you are at work and who you are outside of work, but as much as you can, lean into your authenticity and what makes you different.

Don’t be shy about voicing what sets you apart or offering a different perspective because diverse thought and opinion is hugely valued, and in the Home Office, I’ve definitely seen that. So I’d say: own your authenticity from day one.

Don't put limits on yourself

The second thing I’d say, whether to women in public service or to my younger self, is to remove any self-imposed limitations. I’ve mentored others over the years, and I often hear things like “I can’t do that because I don’t fit that box,” or “I’m based somewhere else,” or “I don’t sound like others in the room.” But those are all limitations we put on ourselves before we’ve even tested the space or seen what’s possible.

I am a proud Muslim. Pakistani. Northern with a  strong accent. There remains disparity of representation of these individual characteristics across both the public and private sectors, especially at the senior leadership levels. But that can’t be and should not be the reason why you don’t try. If I started my career with the mindset of “I can’t,” then I’ve already put myself at a disadvantage. That becomes the inner monologue, and it shuts off opportunities before they’ve even appeared.

Instead, assume a level playing field, take your skills and experience into that space, and see what happens. You might surprise yourself. So yes, remove those self-imposed limitations. Stop saying no to yourself before you’ve had a chance to showcase why you are the best person for that position or promotion.