5 minute read
PREPAREDNESS & PERSEVERANCE
PREPAREDNESS & PERSEVERANCE
By: Mark Roche EPS
Preparedness and perseverance are two of the more essential traits that you may not consider daily. Still, they are two traits you need to grasp fully, in my opinion, to be successful in Executive Protection.
To prepare is to make (something) ready for use or consideration.
To persevere is to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.
Among the many skill sets, we must attain, practice, and develop over time, preparedness and perseverance aren’t necessarily those most associated with the traits of a reliable EP practitioner. There are many reasons why the focus on these skills are overshadowed by wrist locks, positioning, being the body man, fancy martial arts, and firearms. Why? You ask. Well, in my opinion, it’s because there is no immediate gratification, or “look at me” moment(s). There are plenty of instances where all those other skills are useful; however, they all start with being prepared.
Secondly, what is your mental fortitude? How do you prepare (there’s that word again) a plan that includes overcoming (persevering) difficult operational hurdles? Staffing, weather, and environmental difficulties? You must have a mindset to persevere no matter what, even if you know it won’t be a total success or the exact outcome you want.
Being ill-prepared is the downfall of many EP professionals, young and old, experienced or amateur, corporate or celebrity sector. To some, being prepared is having a working phone number and a Facebook page with “bodyguard” in the employment status. To others, being prepared is, “I have a suit, sunglasses, $25.00 in cash, and I know what time to be there.” I continue to see daily the un-preparedness of many EP practitioners (not to be confused with a specialist) in the way that they prepare daily. Being prepared is a DAILY fundamental, whether you are on a detail or not.
How many times have we seen EP hopefuls say, “call me if you got something” then you call them, and you hear, ”well I’m waiting for my license(s), “I’m waiting to find childcare,” “ I can help out on one of the five days you’re asking me to work,” “are you flying me there? Because my car probably won’t make it the 100 miles.”
How deep does preparation go? To the individual measuring success in the field by saying, “One day I’ll fly on a private jet,” what do you know about private aircraft? What does decompression sickness look like? What is a flap, what is an aileron? What’s the maximum operational weight capacity of the aircraft?
Being prepared is being an EP professional every day, of every month, of every year, there are no exceptions. How is your health, physical strength, and intel gathering skills? What is your knowledge of current events in the region you live or visit? What do you measure your professional demeanor, ethical practice, and moral behavior against? Notice, you didn’t hear me make any reference to guns, karate chops, ninja moves, or evacuating under fire. The most egregious thing you can do to yourself, the agency you may work for, or the client you represent is to show up unprepared.
As many have discovered, myself included, in the beginning, you don’t get the regular taps on the shoulder that more experienced specialists may get. You may need a fulltime job in a different field while waiting for your chance to answer the call. You may have certain restrictions on the amount of time you have to dedicate to this profession or “Craft” as we like to call it. You may find yourself low on funds to commit to improving your preparedness to work. Maybe you live in a region where EP is not an everyday occurrence, how do you maintain the perseverance to continue to follow your interest in protective services?
Sure, it’s easier when you have fewer personal restrictions, but there are plenty of family men and women performing EP daily, so what is stopping you? If you prepare for longevity, accept, and practice good discipline while bracing yourself for the lean times, when the lean times come, you’ll be ready.
In February, the world was hit with a global pandemic that shut down almost every industry, including ours. Many in our craft were taken by surprise and, unfortunately, were grossly unprepared to persevere. Some were fledgling specialists, and others were experienced, EP professionals. What is fascinating to see is how different specialists reacted, and the differences in behavior displayed. I realized that those who practiced good discipline during the good times were prepared. And for those who didn’t, it was a crushing blow. From one camp, we saw creative thinking, and from the other, excuses and anger. So, while the prepared folks realized that the situation would pass, they didn’t stop practicing their preparedness, and were ready for the loss and slowdown in opportunity, while the other side just complained.
The unprepared have languished in the “look at me stage” they cared more about being relevant than being a security-minded, educated specialist. Their open display of political comments, their disdain towards the pandemic rules and requirements, and their underhand remarks about colleagues all came hand-in-hand with being ill-prepared. Worse still is that they failed to realize the gravity of what they spewed out until it was too late. This goes back to being knowledgeable and having the foresight to consider what poorly judged comments and opinions bring to bear.
Preparedness and perseverance are synonymous, and in my opinion, one cannot happen without the other. Your individual dedication to excellence will lead you to be a valued, experienced specialist on a team with the same goal, namely maintaining your professionalism and keeping our client’s safe.
Mark Roche is a US Based, full-time Executive Protection Specialist who works full time with a HNW Family. He is also a FAA Licensed Drone Pilot, specializing in EP related uses, and a graduate of multiple close protection programs.
