Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Monday, 18 July 2016
Post an Armed Guard
What many of these “instructors” forget is that the armed guard is mostly not the answer and probably more of a target and a risk than anything else.
The robbers plan the execution of their operations – they don’t just by coincidence rob a garage forecourt or bomb an ATM or execute a hijacking (they collect intelligence) whilst driving past a potential target. It is an operation executed by the robbers that, without probably formal training, includes the elements of reconnaissance, planning and execution and then maybe a “dry” practice run. It might include various acts of observation of the target areas before the robbery. Eliminating that armed guard will always be in the plan of the robber – how to neutralise the armed guard and mostly take control of his weapon. Criminals plan their operations - they also determine risk and also turn targets down.
The “armed guard” is normally not in a position of power - except maybe for his firearm which he can only use in self-defence or when his life is endangered. In other words if he is by all means in a (doubtful) position of having the initiative to un foil the robbery he cannot shoot unless endangered.
Unless the defence (the users of security or the armed guard or security company) is in possession of intelligence that would point at a probable robbery risk to which additional counter measures could be introduced, the “armed guard” is more of a liability or a risk than anything else. It attracts the criminal and a special neutralisation plan from the robbers will normally include the theft of the security firearm. They will anyway always be in more numbers than the armed guard.
What is the answer – businesses with high risk activities or lucrative products or cash must conduct proper risk assessments, identify the safeguards required and to also determine the adequacy of the safeguards – that will probably negate the “armed guard” and rather focus on the hardening of the target, provision of electronic early warning and external armed response, and obviously proper insurance policies.
Let us think twice before we just say “place an armed guard” – the criminal operational plan can easily outsmart the armed guard.
Sunday, 17 July 2016
Ignite the flames of your passion
Recently published guide to leadership, Lions Leading Lions – creating winning tactics for leaders is a case study on the application of leadership practices (tactics) in the private security industry. If these leadership practices work in the almost toughest industry, the private security industry, imagine how it would fly in other industries? This is a compelling and powerful leadership guide that will get the leader thinking about leadership in an entirely new way.
The leadership guidance, which is built on a trip down memory lane in the military and the private security industry the past 30 years, addresses various aspects of leadership and opens up a few new concepts. Future concepts of leadership that could see development from the MBA graduates or academics is a Sprinkler and Tap approach to leadership, Time out and Recalculation, Safety Leadership, a 101 Leadership Style (100% responsibility, 0% excuses and 100% passion) and a total focus on Passion as a prerequisite for leadership – could possibly play as important role as integrity as a selection criteria.
The leader and quality is a concept that has developed over many years in business and therefor almost 20% of Lions Leading Lions is devoted to quality and the leader. Recognising the relevance between profits and quality is a reality and the assurance is that quality assures long term profits versus short term gains.
The book addresses various leadership challenges from effective communication, managing the golden handcuffed employees, extending the sell buy dates of staff, avoiding the expiry date to how great leaders can be great achievers and great teachers. It also once again emphasize the new role of leaders – a developmental role in communities and the people around your business.
Lions Leading Lions is an essential guide for any future leader or a leader refreshing his skills and an essential practical guide to those who want to teach their leaders the tricks of the leadership trade.
Contact lionsleadinglions@gmail.com
The book addresses various leadership challenges from effective communication, managing the golden handcuffed employees, extending the sell buy dates of staff, avoiding the expiry date to how great leaders can be great achievers and great teachers. It also once again emphasize the new role of leaders – a developmental role in communities and the people around your business.
Lions Leading Lions is an essential guide for any future leader or a leader refreshing his skills and an essential practical guide to those who want to teach their leaders the tricks of the leadership trade.
Contact lionsleadinglions@gmail.com
Thursday, 7 July 2016
Lions Leading Lions - creating winning tactics for leaders
Lions Leading Lions will give you an insight in how winning tactics unfold for leaders in any industry but specifically the private security industry. The book (to be launched) 14 July 2016) will give you an insight in.......@lionsleadinglions
Lions are fighters..... The lion hunt for his food – food is not a given as with the other animals in nature. The masses such as the Impala have more than enough to graze – grass. Lions have to go and find food, they have to observe, they have to be patient, the have to take calculated risks, they have to track and follow – all of these actions before they can attack and then put a fight up. In the private security industry you have to fight for survival – fight for a contract, fight to retain a contract, be patient, fight for an increase and sometimes security officers also have to fight – for a better dispensation, recognition, fight to achieve operational success.
Many times we fight for and achieve success, we are happy and wait for the right opportunity for another success later – then, in that period of waiting for another opportunity we become complacent and inconsistency creeps is – that complacency (sic) that the industry is renowned for. It is that period where the users of security and the security leaders get frustrated – that period where leadership pulls it through for the industry and also for the security officers. This will unfold in Lions Leading Lions.
Creating Winning Tactics for Leaders. We have too many strategists, too many want to be strategists and too few tacticians in business in SA. We too often want to talk Strategy and actually forget what should happen on the tactical level – there where the “takkie” meet the tar or the safety boot hit the ground.
Leaders in business, not only the security business, needs more practical guidance on how to create and lead great teams – not the strategies but the tactics to out manoeuvre the opposition, to win the hearts of their staff and to ultimately succeed in that developmental obligation that leaders have.
I wrote this book as a practical guide to help security leaders navigate their way through the sometimes complex world of winning the heart and minds of those that they serve: their teams.
For more information, or to purchase a copy of this book, send enquiries to - LionsLeadingLions@gmail.com
Lions are fighters..... The lion hunt for his food – food is not a given as with the other animals in nature. The masses such as the Impala have more than enough to graze – grass. Lions have to go and find food, they have to observe, they have to be patient, the have to take calculated risks, they have to track and follow – all of these actions before they can attack and then put a fight up. In the private security industry you have to fight for survival – fight for a contract, fight to retain a contract, be patient, fight for an increase and sometimes security officers also have to fight – for a better dispensation, recognition, fight to achieve operational success.
Many times we fight for and achieve success, we are happy and wait for the right opportunity for another success later – then, in that period of waiting for another opportunity we become complacent and inconsistency creeps is – that complacency (sic) that the industry is renowned for. It is that period where the users of security and the security leaders get frustrated – that period where leadership pulls it through for the industry and also for the security officers. This will unfold in Lions Leading Lions.
Creating Winning Tactics for Leaders. We have too many strategists, too many want to be strategists and too few tacticians in business in SA. We too often want to talk Strategy and actually forget what should happen on the tactical level – there where the “takkie” meet the tar or the safety boot hit the ground.
Leaders in business, not only the security business, needs more practical guidance on how to create and lead great teams – not the strategies but the tactics to out manoeuvre the opposition, to win the hearts of their staff and to ultimately succeed in that developmental obligation that leaders have.
I wrote this book as a practical guide to help security leaders navigate their way through the sometimes complex world of winning the heart and minds of those that they serve: their teams.
For more information, or to purchase a copy of this book, send enquiries to - LionsLeadingLions@gmail.com
Friday, 25 March 2016
There is a sell-by date . . . but worry more about the expiry date
Every business, every contract and every person has a shelf life or sell-by date – some have extended dates and other reach theirs’ soon. Nothing is forever, neither is the existence of a business (they all change shape), contracts are lost due to running for “too long”, we lose our touch and don’t perform as on day one of appointment. Beware – you are going to reach your “sell-by” date! When you joined your company or when the contract was awarded to you, there was an unspoken sell-by date – it wasn’t declared or announced, as you would to a large extent “display” that date yourself. As an individual, you would be the person exposing that date.
In most cases a sell-by date can be extended, it is not likefresh meat. In the platteland (rural areas) the shop owners make sure that the cans or bottles on their shelves are dusted off regularly to ensure that they still look attractive for the potential customer. The same applies to us – from time to time we also need a bit of a dusting off. Normally our “duster” is in the form of a serious reprimand, a service review, internal transfer, a personal review or even a training session.
Many times we are proud to refer to our 10 or 20 years’ experience gained in a company or in an industry but how many times has stagnation resulted in the repeat of 1 years’ experience 10 or 20 times? Reaching a “sell-by” date and the ability to extend it before it becomes an “expiry date” is a leadership skill many managers lack.
Remember, as a leader we have the responsibility to lengthen the sell-by date of subordinates – they need your help unless you want the date to expire and that is too late. I used to have a manager working for me and when asked why he often takes long weekends he indicated that if he is at his ultimate low then neither me nor the company has the ability to get him out of the low – that expiry date.
It so often also happens that managers have gained experience in one field and in one operational aspect, repeating that year on year and fail to acknowledge that there are others that have had opportunities to grow in a wider variety of fields and thereby being more knowledgeable or having new (fresh) ideas. For example in the security industry, outsourced companies managing various contracts gain valuable experience at the various operations which would be to the benefit of their clients. Sometimes pride and resistance to change results in businesses not sharing in that valuable experience from their outsourced suppliers – exactly one of the reasons why companies should outsource. It is obvious that if a company provides security services to twenty different mines, that somewhere they will find best practices that work – compared to the person being deployed at one operation for many years.
Have you reached your sell by date and see the expiry date on the horizon?
In most cases a sell-by date can be extended, it is not likefresh meat. In the platteland (rural areas) the shop owners make sure that the cans or bottles on their shelves are dusted off regularly to ensure that they still look attractive for the potential customer. The same applies to us – from time to time we also need a bit of a dusting off. Normally our “duster” is in the form of a serious reprimand, a service review, internal transfer, a personal review or even a training session.
Many times we are proud to refer to our 10 or 20 years’ experience gained in a company or in an industry but how many times has stagnation resulted in the repeat of 1 years’ experience 10 or 20 times? Reaching a “sell-by” date and the ability to extend it before it becomes an “expiry date” is a leadership skill many managers lack.
Remember, as a leader we have the responsibility to lengthen the sell-by date of subordinates – they need your help unless you want the date to expire and that is too late. I used to have a manager working for me and when asked why he often takes long weekends he indicated that if he is at his ultimate low then neither me nor the company has the ability to get him out of the low – that expiry date.
It so often also happens that managers have gained experience in one field and in one operational aspect, repeating that year on year and fail to acknowledge that there are others that have had opportunities to grow in a wider variety of fields and thereby being more knowledgeable or having new (fresh) ideas. For example in the security industry, outsourced companies managing various contracts gain valuable experience at the various operations which would be to the benefit of their clients. Sometimes pride and resistance to change results in businesses not sharing in that valuable experience from their outsourced suppliers – exactly one of the reasons why companies should outsource. It is obvious that if a company provides security services to twenty different mines, that somewhere they will find best practices that work – compared to the person being deployed at one operation for many years.
Have you reached your sell by date and see the expiry date on the horizon?
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