Policing offers an almost unparalleled career in terms of its variety. It’s not just about response, neighbourhood policing and CID; there’s literally dozens of other specialisms you can get involved in. But if you’re not careful, that can act as a sticky trap, holding you back when you decide you want to progress your career through the leadership ranks.
I recently supported such an aspiring officer to promotion who felt stuck in a specialism. It’s a surprisingly common predicament I encounter, whereby evidence gained in a specialist role feels a bit one-dimensional or limited. Self-doubt sets in and promotion opportunities come and go. But this need not be the case, as I explain in my latest podcast…
“The best way to escape a problem is to solve it.” – Robert Anthony
Stuck in a Specialism?
I often encounter police officers seeking promotion who feel ‘stuck’ in their specialism. There are many reasons this can occur, which I outline in my latest premium podcast episode 5.9 in this Year of the Snake: Beware the Specialist Trap. Examples include:
- Evidence gained in the role is a bit ‘samey’ or one-dimensional
- No ‘acting up’ or branching out opportunities to build evidence for promotion
- Lack of experience dealing with ‘bread and butter’ policing like response and investigation
- Being in a non-operational role for too long
I’ve even known aspiring officers carve a niche role for themselves so well, they become a victim of their own success. Performing such an important, valuable yet unique job, the force needs them to stay put or wants a return on investment on those years of specialist training. There’s no available replacement or skillset in the pipeline and as such, their managers are inclined to not approve their progression to promotion interviews.
Many such candidates don’t even realise they are in this trap. It can be a massive blind spot. But as I outline in this new podcast, there’s a way out…
“Steve, 3 weeks ago I bought your toolkit. I was up against the clock in a very specialised role with limited time to prepare for my board. To be honest I’d left it very late as I was not confident I’d be successful at application stage due to my role in the covert arena. I was notified I was through to interview & had 2 weeks to prepare. I honestly believe your interview guide made the difference. After sitting my board I was told I was successful. Thank you for putting such a detailed and informative package together. It enabled me to identify my strengths & weaknesses, act upon them & also make my evidence fit the behaviours to prepare detailed top scoring answers. Thank you for this service & helping me pass my Sgts board.” – Alex
Escaping the Specialist Trap
Policing offers a variety of specialisms and fantastic opportunities beyond the staples of response, neighbourhood and investigation roles. Dog handlers, Divers, Drones, Firearms, Intelligence, Covert Operations, Professional Standards, Driver Training… you get the idea.
While these are great to get involved with and broaden your perspective, it’s easy to get into the groove of a niche role which really suits you and that you are ‘comfortable’ in. Having spent most of my own police service as a career detective, I also enjoyed progressing my career via specialist roles. These included force surveillance teams, firearms, covert policing, and intelligence.
But at some point, you may have the desire to move on to a formal leadership role as a Sergeant, or into the Inspector and Chief Inspector ranks. Progressing your career vertically, not just laterally, often includes a move back into general policing duties including response, neighbourhood or custody roles.
In my case, I was promoted from a detective post into a neighbourhood policing role as a Community Sergeant. I absolutely loved this role. Of course, to get there, I had to face a promotion process. I had to think through what evidence or examples from recent specialist duties I had that would support my initial application and promotion board.
It can be hard for police promotion candidates to recognise relevant experience that can be aligned to expectations and ‘competencies’. Not every candidate realises the ‘value’ of what they have, but when coaching clients I tend to find it ‘hiding in plain sight’, just waiting to be tapped into.
Of course, I could have stayed where I was because I thoroughly enjoyed being a detective. However, I was advised at that time, that if I wanted to be promoted, I would need to leave the specialist role I was in. Otherwise, I risked missing the promotion bus and being trapped in terms of career progression. Successful promotion also meant moving at least an hour away from where I was living at the time and equated to a pay cut.
In this new podcast (now the 100th episode dedicated to my premium subscribers!) I outline the main reasons cops can get stuck, but also how you can escape the trap. I cover relationship management, lateral development, talent management, recognising good evidence aligned to the CVF behaviours, and much more.
And this isn’t just relevant to those in specialist roles in policing. If you’re in a more ‘generalist’ role, you’ll also find this podcast useful. That’s because I also provide tips on interpreting frameworks, the descriptors of CVF behaviours, and support on developing your leadership skills, all of which applies to any role.
Of course for some officers, it is also possible to progress your career by moving into specialisms and then achieving promotions within those specialist roles, as this feedback alludes to:
“I was successful first time in the Inspector boards & again in a selection process for a specialist Detective Inspector post, receiving glowing feedback from my interview board. Colleagues I subsequently signposted to Steve were also successful in achieving promotions. His 121 personal support over a 3 year period has included insightful & supportive telephone conversations around CPD focus & structuring promotion evidence. His bespoke approach to effective promotion preparation gave me the confidence & skills to achieve. Using the digital Chief Inspector toolkit, Steve’s recommended reading & having put the necessary hard work in to apply myself over the last 7 months, I’ve just achieved promotion to Chief Inspector in a very tough force selection process. 30+ candidates applied. 10 got through. The return on investment is significant” – Nathan
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the episode, it’s one of my many deeper dives on leadership available for your ongoing CPD. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Kind Regards, Steve
Seeking police promotion? Want a MASSIVE head start right now? Hit the ground running with your personal digital promotion toolkit, and/or my market-leading Police Promotion Masterclass and CVF explainers. There’s nothing else like it to effectively prepare you for success in your leadership aspirations. You can also contact me to arrange more personal coaching support. Or try my podcast for your ongoing police leadership CPD covering a range of fascinating subjects.
