Some conversations don’t follow the script — and that’s exactly why they matter. Amanda Davies shows us why.
In this episode of The Courage to Lead Interview Series, I sat down with Professor Amanda Davies, PhD — a leader who has quietly shaped policing education and research for decades, and who now leads research acceleration with Dubai Police while supporting their policing curriculum at the academy.
What began as a simple “two-minute elevator pitch” quickly became a masterclass in saying yes to opportunity, leading with humility, and building credibility in environments where you’re the outsider — sometimes the only outsider.
Amanda’s story is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t always loud. Often, it’s steady. Thoughtful. And deeply human.
Amanda Davies – The unexpected door: a PhD, a Christmas Day request, and a suitcase with a riding helmet
Amanda Davies takes us back to her time at Charles Sturt University, based at the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn. She loved her role and had “no ambitions to go any further”… until a request came from Abu Dhabi.
An academy called Rabdan needed someone with a PhD to help lead their police program.
Her boss at the time, Ken Probert (a former UK Metropolitan Police leader who’d worked internationally after 9/11), encouraged her to consider it — and crucially, offered a “security blanket” many leaders don’t provide:
“If you get there and you don’t like it, you can come back.”
Her husband backed her too — not with pressure, but with belief. Nothing to lose. An experience to gain.
Then came the twist: the request landed on Christmas Day. “Which flight would you like?” And the first thing Amanda packed wasn’t paperwork… it was her horse-riding gear.
That single “yes” — meant to be a one-year adventure — became four years.
Leading where you don’t “fit the template”
One of the most striking parts of Amanda Davies’ story is how she navigated leadership in a context where she was, by her own description:
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the only non-Middle East person in her environment
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a female leading mostly male teaching teams
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working in a system where language, protocols, and culture required constant awareness and diplomacy
And yet, what she remembers most isn’t resistance. It’s kindness.
She speaks warmly about the Emirati professional staff who helped her understand systems and process, patiently filling in the “missing steps” that newcomers never even know they don’t know.
She also describes how credibility is earned — not by title, but by the way you show up:
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acknowledge protocols
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listen
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do the work
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be transparent
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double-check understanding (especially when meaning can be “lost in translation”)
Her leadership wasn’t about forcing her style into the system. It was about understanding the system — and then leading with clarity and care inside it.
Amanda Davies – Mentorship: the leaders who open doors, not guard them
A major theme of this episode is mentorship — not as a buzzword, but as a turning point.
Amanda shares how a CSU women’s leadership program allowed her to choose a mentor. Rather than playing it safe, she chose Ross Chambers, a senior university leader who had helped establish the School of Policing.
Ross didn’t just advise her — he let her into rooms most people never see. Senior meetings. Strategic decision-making. The “why” behind how institutions move.
That experience shaped her leadership philosophy: don’t rush decisions. Get the information. Invite perspectives. Make informed calls.
Amanda later connected that insight directly to policing — particularly the Incident Command and Control (ICC) mindset, where leaders gather intelligence, test assumptions, and decide under pressure.
Mentorship, for Amanda, is not about someone telling you what to do. It’s about someone helping you see the bigger system, and giving you the confidence to operate within it.
Inclusive leadership: “Have I heard from the people closest to the work?”
Amanda Davies’ definition of inclusive leadership is practical and quietly radical:
Listen to anyone who might hold insight — from admin staff inputting data, to frontline practitioners, to senior leaders.
She describes keeping her office door open, using transparency as a leadership tool, and actively inviting people to challenge her thinking:
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“Do you think this is the right way to do it?”
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“What am I missing?”
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“How does this actually work in your world?”
She also highlights something many leaders forget: leadership often emerges from circumstance, not rank. The person who sees the solution is frequently the person closest to the problem.
As we discussed during the episode, I’ve seen that too — from frontline innovations in domestic violence evidence capture, to operational insights that dismantle organised crime networks.
Inclusive leaders don’t pretend they know everything. They create conditions where other people’s knowledge becomes usable.
Amanda Davies – When it didn’t go right: the power of feedback and the courage to repair
Amanda Davies shares a moment from her career that didn’t land as intended. After a meeting, a police officer approached her and said:
“I didn’t appreciate the way you belittled me in that meeting.”
Amanda was taken aback — and then did something that defines mature leadership: she paused, asked for clarity, and owned the impact.
The issue was a misunderstanding of intent — but the lesson was bigger:
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how easily meaning can be misheard
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how important it is to check how messages land
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how valuable it is when someone has the courage to tell you the truth
That moment became even more relevant later in her career overseas, where language and cultural context add extra layers to communication.
The takeaway is simple, and profound: repair builds trust.
A human ending: “If I had my time again… I’d be a doctor.”
When asked what people don’t know about her, Amanda Davies answered without hesitation:
“If I had my time again, I’d be a doctor.”
Her family is full of health professionals — and while her career took her into academia and policing, the thread remains the same:
helping people, protecting communities, preparing others to serve safely.
Leadership, in Amanda’s world, is service — whether it’s through curriculum, research, mentoring, or creating pathways for others to thrive.
Amanda Davies – 3 leadership themes
To close the episode, Amanda Davies offered three themes for anyone who wants to lead well:
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Be passionate — do work that gets you out of bed in the morning.
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Consider and seek opportunities — step outside the bubble.
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Care about the people around you.
That last one might sound simple.
But as this conversation shows: it’s the difference between being in charge… and being a leader.