Written by Robert D. Sollars
Everywhere I look, people, professionals of all stripes, are looking for conventional methods to combat both workplace & school violence (WPV/SV) issues. As I see it, the problem is that conventional…methods…just…don’t…fucking…work…any…more!
In this world of viruses ravaging the population, War & terrorism – in all its forms, killing people. Governments burn people alive for the effect and punishment (Myanmar). Other governments, read radical Islamic countries, torturing them either verbally or physically to either shut them down or shut them up, sometimes permanently. The list of our worldly woes goes on ad nauseum.
Then of course you can look at all of the other ills in this world caused by innumerable people. Those with and without, food shortages, climate issues, and the untold myriad of other topics that confront us.
And yet the idea that conventional methods, based on what worked before will work again, just doesn’t fucking work. What the hell is wrong with us and using the same old systems, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, and literally century after century?
Remember the old saying “Insanity is repeating the same things and expecting different results”. It seems like everyone who makes decisions is absolutely insane. Electronic security systems, training of gards and offikers and how we manage them. Clients and customers who don’t understand security, and truly don’t want to. Then we come to the bean counters in our presentations…” How can we get it cheaper?” then turn around and blame us for doing our jobs properly. I won’t even mention politicians, on both sides of the aisle.
But I’ll also add the point about WPV/SV as well “We’re not going to do that…it’s never been tried before here and it won’t be”. Or the worst one…” Are you crazy, it Can’t Happen Here!”?
It’s time to throw out the sacred cows of the industry, turn the page back a few, write new approaches, policies, & procedures, and oh yeah, one last little point…be unconventional in the way you see the issues…in other words take off those ‘granny glasses and put on the new-fangled space-aged ones!
If we, as security professionals, become unconventional in our approach to security, sales, client contacts, and everything else associated with the security side of the business…what’s the worst that can happen? Nothing different that wasn’t happening before.
If old methods aren’t, and don’t work, then try some unconventional systems or methods. I’ve used them for nearly my entire career and have gotten great results in doing what I did.
It was looked at funny and was told “You shouldn’t have done that…but it worked.” And many other things like that. I’ve denied what the corporate office wanted, I went for the win-win situations for clients, corporate, & officers.
Has it always worked? I’d be a total ass and totally egotistical if I said yes. I’ve fallen on my face so hard…my nose was in the back of my head! I’ve also been told, “It’s the best idea that worked in years!”.
So, throw out the conventional wisdom and start using unconventional methods, ideology, and mindset to accomplish your mission. What’s the worst that can happen, you lose an account or respect from the bean counters…for a while…until the results come back that you were right. Your mission is to do what? Protect the lives of everyone under your care or at the facility and you can’t do that and stay conventional in this world of all the bullshit we’re already enduring.
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