Excellence in Training

Dying in Training May Mean Dying in the Field

Officers do not have to die in training so they can learn to live on the street.

Why is it that some trainers still believe they have to ‘kill’ officers in training so the officers can learn to win violent encounters in the field? I still hear about trainers who kill their officers in training to they can have a significant emotional event and somehow learn from that how to win.

Killing officers in training creates training scars at a subconscious level that can be long lasting and may in fact result in the officer losing a fight for their life on the street.

If you want to teach officers to win violent encounters in the field, have them win violent encounters in training. While winning a violent encounter officers may get shot with NLTA, slashed or stabbed with a training knife, punched or kicked. This has to be part of the natural consequences of the encounter and not done gratuitously. Regardless of where the officer is struck, and the types of weapon they are struck with have them stay focused, stay in the fight and win.

Once the fight is over have the officer move to a sound tactical position, scan for additional threats, call for assistance, conduct an assessment of their injuries and begin to self-treat if necessary.

If you are killing them in training, they may be dying in the field because of that training. Teach your officers what they can do, when they can do it and give them the confidence to do it immediately. 

Take care. 

Brian Willis

If you are interested in booking Brian Willis for a presentation, keynote or course contact him at winningmind@mac.com. You can visit our website at www.winningmindtraining.com for a list of presentations and courses Brian can offer your organization, staff training function or conference.

Registration is now available for the 2012 Legacy of Excellence Conference. 

W.I.N. 1: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors, W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and leading Warriors, If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street and W.I.N. 2: Warrior Reflections are now all available in e-book format for your iPad and your favorite e-book reader. For print versions go to www.warriorspiritbooks.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am just a....

When I speak to law enforcement professionals around North America I continually hear people start a sentence (an excuse really) with the words “I am just a”. I am just a patrol officer, I am just a corporal, I am just a sergeant, I am just a Lieutenant, I am just a trainer, etc. What follows in an excuse about why they cannot make a difference in their organization, an excuse why they are somehow not responsible for effecting a change in the culture of their organizations.

When I talk about the culture of an organization I am referring to shared beliefs, shared practices and shared attitudes. Being a trainer is about changing some of those shared beliefs, practices and attitudes. Specifically, changing the ones that are resulting in large numbers of officers being killed and injured every year in the line of duty. Shared beliefs, practices and attitudes about wearing seat belts, wearing body armor, driving speeds and complacency. These are all critical components of the Below 100 initiative. If you are not familiar with Below 100 go to www.below100.com and start reading. 

It is not longer acceptable for you as a trainer to use the excuse "What can I do, I am just a trainer." As a trainer you are a change agent. You are one of the most influential people in your organization. You have the power to implement change and change the culture of your agency. Use you passion, use your powers of persuasion, use your influence to make a difference.

At recent Below 100 Train the Trainer events trainers expressed frustration about the fact their Chief or Sheriff, their sergeant, Lieutenant, or Captain are not on board with the initiatives. That sucks. Now embrace the suck and influence the people you can. If the people in supervisory positions will not get on board then get everyone else on board. As a trainer you are in a leadership position to lead, so lead. Leaders do what is right. What is right is not always popular or expedient, but it is always what's right. 

It starts with you. Ghandi said “you must be the change you wish to see in the world." You need to be the change you want to see in your agency. This requires you to take action. 

"You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you'll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless."

Caroline Myss

Start by removing the word 'just' from the 'I am' statement and remove the excuses. In its place use these I am statements:

• I am a leader
• I am a change agent.
• I am a trainer and a person of action. 
• I am making a difference. 

The Below 100 website (www.Below100.com) has a number of articles and resources available to you as well as a list of upcoming Train the Trainer locations. 

Take care. 

Brian Willis

If you are interested in booking Brian Willis for a presentation, keynote or course contact him at winningmind@mac.com. You can visit our website at www.winningmindtraining.com for a list of presentations and courses Brian can offer your organization, staff training function or conference.

Registration is now available for the 2012 Legacy of Excellence Conference. 

W.I.N. 1: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors, W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and leading Warriors, If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street and W.I.N. 2: Warrior Reflections are now all available in e-book format for your iPad and your favorite e-book reader. For print versions go to www.warriorspiritbooks.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

You Are No Hero If......

"You are no hero if the people that mean the most to you think the least of you."

Rabbi Shmuley

This is a quote from Rabbi Shmuley during an interview he did with Darren Hardy for Success magazine. Shmuley was talking about his personal experience of getting caught up in the crusade to save the world, at the expense of the people that mean the most to him - his family. When he realized what he was doing he made changes to his schedule in order to make family a priority in his life. 

Why am I talking about this on an Excellence in Training blog? Because we do the same thing. Most of the great trainers I know are dedicated and passionate to a fault. You see training not as a job, or a career, but as a  calling. As a result you never learn to say no.

Tell me if this sounds familiar. Someone in your agency approaches you asking if you can provide some training in a specific area or tactic. You look at the calendar and realize it is already full. In order to do the training you are going to have to stay after your regular shift is over, or come in on your day off. You have something planned with the family that you will have to miss if you agree to do the training. You think about it briefly then say yes to the training because training is important. After all if you do not do it for them the officers may have to go without and someone may get hurt or killed because they did not get the training. You go home and once again apologize to your family sure they will understand the importance of the work you do. If this has never happened to you then jump ahead to the bottom of the post and sign up for the 2012 Legacy of Excellence Conference. If this is all too familiar to you, keep reading.

Confession time. I am more guilty of this than anyone. In my last 8 1/2 years with the Calgary Police Service I was in a full time training position. I worked the equivalent of 2 1/2 years of unpaid overtime in that 8 1/2 years. I have few regrets from my 25 year career however, the amount of time I spent at work in the last 8 1/2 years is my biggest. I very rarely, if ever, missed either of my son's soccer, basketball, football or rugby games.  But, I still spent too much time at work. Time that could have been spent at home and I would have been less tired when I was at home. I still struggle with this as my schedule grows more hectic and I spend more time on the road. 

I understand that training for many of us is a calling. I applaud the passion and commitment you have. Training is critically important. So is your family. Too many officers pay lip service to making family a priority and make work and training a priority. You convince yourself your family understands. Yes, they understand. They understand they are not as important as your job. They understand your work is more important than your family. They believe you love your work more than you love them.

Take a few moments and reflect on Rabbi Shmuley's quote then as yourself what changes you need to make starting now. Maybe you need to learn to say no more often to work and yes more often to your family.

"You are no hero if the people that mean the most to you think the least of you."

Rabbi Shmuley

On a side note, I find it curious that older cops criticize the new generation of officers who do not want to work overtime and who value their time off to spend it with their family and friends. How many of us 'older generation cops' reflected at the end of our career and wish we had done that? Why are we being critical of a generation who does not want to wait until the end of a career and reflect on the failed marriages and strained relationships with their kids? We should encourage that and learn from them. 

Take care. 

Brian Willis

If you are interested in booking Brian Willis for a presentation, keynote or course contact him at winningmind@mac.com. You can visit our website at www.winningmindtraining.com for a list of presentations and courses Brian can offer your organization, staff training function or conference.

Registration is now available for the 2012 Legacy of Excellence Conference. 

W.I.N. 1: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors, W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and leading Warriors, If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street and W.I.N. 2: Warrior Reflections are now all available in e-book format for your iPad and your favorite e-book reader. For print versions go to www.warriorspiritbooks.com. 

 

 

 

 

Video Use in Training

Today video footage of incidents involving law enforcement professionals is more accessible that ever before. Videos can be a great training tool provided you use them appropriately. Since starting my law enforcement career in 1979 I have seen a lot of videos during training. Some have had a profound impact, some have served to convince everyone in class they are likely to die on the job and some have been a profound waste of time.

I have seen trainers use videos in a a variety of ways including:

• Filling time because it is easier that spending time researching and preparing lesson plans. 
• Scaring the shit out of their officers under the mistaken belief it will make them better, safer officers in the field.
• For pure entertainment value so people will like them and say nice things about them and their program.
• A few have been used effectively to enhance the learning experience for the participants and through that positive learning experience enhance their competence and confidence. 

The trainers from the first three groups will likely tell you they fit into the last category. This is either because they do not want to admit the reality, or they do not realize the real impact of their video use.

Video can be a learning tool provided it is used appropriately. Here are a few tips for using video.

• Use them judiciously. If your class is simply video after video after video you need to step back and ask yourself how you can use fewer videos and do more teaching.
• Make sure the videos reinforce the key teaching points. If you are teaching officers how to win violent encounters showing them video after video of officers losing violent encounters may be teaching the opposite of what you intend. 
• Review the video a number of times in preparation and determine where the key decision points were for the involved officer(s). When you show the video in class stop it at each of these decision points and have a discussion about what the officers are observing, their legal authority to arrest, detain or use force based on what has occurred up to this point and tactical and / or use of force options. It is easy to watch the whole video and afterwards, knowing the outcome, talk about what they would do. It is more challenging and more realistic to make decisions based on limited information.  
• Avoid being critical of what the officer in the video did. It is easy to second guess officers in tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving events. The officer's actions are likely a reflection of their training, or lack thereof. Instead, focus on what the officers in the class would most like to do when they find themselves in a similar situation in the future. This will increase the likelihood of a more desirable outcome for those officers when faced with a similar threat. 
• Use a mix of videos from actual events and clips from Hollywood movies to help draw out and reinforce the instructional points. There are great clips from Braveheart, The Patriot, Men in Black, Bone Collector, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, Gettysburg and many others that can be used in mental preparation classes, incident command classes and leadership classes. These videos have a high production quality, use music very well, keep the class interesting and the officers never see a real cop dying or losing a fight. 

I would encourage you to step back and reflect on the way you use videos in your training programs. The effective use of videos takes more time (meaning you have to use fewer videos) but, it is far more powerful method of programming officers for success in the field. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

If you are interested in booking Brian Willis for a presentation, keynote or course contact him at winningmind@mac.com. You can visit our website at www.winningmindtraining.com for a list of presentations and courses Brian can offer your organization, staff training function or conference.

W.I.N. 1: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors, W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and leading Warriors, If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street and W.I.N. 2: Warrior Reflections are now all available in e-book format for your iPad and your favorite e-book reader. For print versions go towww.warriorspiritbooks.com. 

 

 

 

Be Cautious About Your Press Clippings

You finish a presentation, take a few moments to wind down and talk to a few people who are hanging around to shake your hand or ask a question and then you sit down to read the evaluations. You might even of received a standing ovation for your performance. If you have a numbered scoring system on the evaluations most people have circled all 4's and 5's. Some of the comments indicate you are the best speaker they have ever heard, and everyone needs to hear this message. There are a few people who gave you a 2 or a 3 and may have even written a few less desirable comments. It is easy to bask in the glory of the great reviews and discard the negative ones. There is danger however in doing this. You must be cautious about reading your own press clippings and thinking you are all of that, thinking that you have arrived. 

You might be a great trainer and / or a great speaker. You may however, just be the best they have seen and their experiences may be limited. 

The bigger point is that the best professional speakers in the world are always conducting a self evaluation and self assessment of their presentations and continually striving to get better. They do not make excuses when the presentation does not go well. They do not blame the fact they had less time than they normally do. They do not blame the fact the facility was not the greatest. They do not blame the technology glitches. When the best presenters encounter these challenges they immediately improvise, adapt and overcome.

After each presentation do you ask yourself:

• Was the order and sequencing of the material the most effective for helping get the message across?
• Do the visual aides need to be reworked or enhanced?
• Do the stories need to be updated, reworked, told differently or presented in a different sequence?
• Would there have been stories more appropriate for this audience?
• Did I meet the audiences needs?
• Did I involve the audience?
• Did I embarrass anyone in the audience and potentially shut down their willingness to participate or to dissuade them from attending future training?
• Did I have too much material?
• Did I answer questions in an appropriate manner to both enhance learning and to encourage participation?  
• What could I do to make this presentation better for the audience?
• What can I do at future presentations to enhance the learning environment?

If you are not critiquing your performance you are not getting better. If you are not paying attention to the comments in the negative evaluations we will never get better. If you think you know better what the audience needs than they do, you are doing a disservice to the audience. The audience is the reason you are there. 

Seek information on ways to get better.

Take the time to check out http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/you-suck-at-powerpoint, then get a copy of Garr Reynolds book Presentation Zen and read it a couple of time and sign up for his blog. Check out Nancy Duarte's books and website. Read Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and other books or audio recordings that will help you learn from some of the great professional speakers. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

If you are interested in booking Brian Willis for a presentation, keynote or course contact him at winningmind@mac.com. You can visit our website at www.winningmindtraining.com for a list of presentations and courses Brian can offer your organization, staff training function or conference.

W.I.N. 1: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors, W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and leading Warriors, If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street and W.I.N. 2: Warrior Reflections are now all available in e-book format for your iPad and your favorite e-book reader. For print versions go to www.warriorspiritbooks.com.