I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Welsted, Assistant Chief Constable at West Midlands Police (WMP), for an inspiring and exclusive podcast chat.
This blog outlines some key highlights and quotes to give you a flavour, but I highly recommend listening in to ACC Welsted’s comprehensive answers (embedded below). I’m grateful to Matt for taking time out from his busy schedule as a senior police leader. He answers an array of police leadership questions and shares his views on a range of topics.
Change, NPCC Neurodiversity and AI Lead
Matt is the WMP force lead for Force Contact, Communications and Corporate Change. Change is a massive subject that police leaders must navigate and help people through. I asked him what advice he could offer those in a leadership position, or seeking one, to help people navigate through big changes.
One big area of uncertainty for the future is Artificial Intelligence (AI). It transpires Matt is also the NPCC lead for productivity in AI! On this I ask him where he sees the opportunities for policing, and what West Midlands Police are doing in relation to AI.
I was surprised to hear the force is well advanced with force contact and call management with AI innovation. Andy Ezra is involved with answering tens of thousands of 101 calls for the force every month. Who is Andy? What does the future hold? What are the risks? How can cops experiment with AI whether for promotion processes or more widely? Listen in for more!
Given Matt is also the NPCC lead for neurodiversity, I thought I’d ask him around that. Matt was very personable and is open about his experience of being dyslexic, the effects of this in his life, and shares the fact that he has been unsuccessful in attempts at promotions during his ascent to ACC.
“I think I’ve failed more promotion processes than I have passed, and I think that’s quite a message, because we put our heart and soul into promotion processes don’t we? They take over our lives for a period of time and if you don’t get through (and I haven’t got through many) it really hurts, it knocks your confidence it knocks you back. Sometimes you even get frustrated with the organisation as a whole.”
CPD, Promotion Pointers and Inspiration
Matt alludes to this neurodiversity while offering many insights on policing, career progression and his own Continuous Professional Development (CPD). He was generous in his responses covering lots of ground.
You’ll notice he cites three people who inspired him during his career and how he identified, recognised and reflected on a leadership blind spot. Also the effect of that on his leadership learning and ongoing development.
I asked, when he sits on promotion boards for individuals aspiring to the more senior and strategic positions, “what is it you’re really looking for in people?” You’ll have to listen in for his response!
WMP currently has selection processes open for Sergeant and Inspector ranks, for which I’ve done a dedicated premium podcast for you about it. Matt makes some interesting observations in relation to selection processes, especially how individuals can support themselves for these current processes. The force also offers every candidate the opportunity of an application paired also with an interview as a means of assessment.
“There is a bit around that promotion process about being realistic and the fact you won’t always be successful, sometimes that’s about timing, sometimes it’s about are you actually ready? Sometimes we think we are and perhaps we’re not.”
Matt goes on to offer insights how aspiring candidates can approach processes including role awareness, knowing your strengths and more.
He also expands on guidance for neurodiverse individuals. For example, covering the nuances around innovation and different thinking, the strategies and approach that neurodiverse candidates can offer. These are being realised in part through very welcome trials that individual forces are doing.
“However, just because you are neurodivergent, doesn’t mean you are ready for promotion and, there is a certain layer that people need to be able to adopt and adapt to how they work, in order to convince a selection process. So I think there’s a little bit of, it can be unhelpful to blame the process for people’s lack of success; because part of policing requires us to adapt and overcome.”
Concluding Remarks…
Matt shares how WMP are adapting their promotion processes; something forces do regularly as part of the rich tapestry of UK promotion processes. In conclusion, I ask Matt if he could travel back in time and speak to himself as a young constable, what career advice would he offer? As always, listen in to discover Matt’s useful guidance in hindsight.
If you’re an officer aspiring to Sergeant, Inspector, or more senior ranks in policing, you’ll find meaningful insights and guidance in this interview. Whether you’re looking to progress your police career through the ranks, or just interested in policing and leadership more generally, there’s so much in this episode.
You’ll find more inspiring podcast content on my website, including additional interviews with other senior police leaders who offer insights, ideas and perspectives for aspiring officers.
Thank you if you’re subscribing to my Rank Success Police Promotion and Leadership podcast. Not only do you of course get 24/7 access to dozens of hours of exclusive leadership CPD to support your ambition, your £4.99 supports my work, travel and fuel (coffee!), enabling me to release more interviews like this, while providing topical episodes to support, challenge and provoke your thinking around police promotion and leadership.
I hope you enjoy the episode and I’d be interested in your feedback in the podcast comments. And if you’d like to get involved in discussing topical policing and leadership issues, why not step up and join the conversation?
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.
