9 minute read
SIZE VS.SKILLS-A.K.A: THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
By Keith Ortiz
My dad taught me a valuable life lesson when I was very young, maybe 12-13 years old. Well, to be fair, he taught me many life lessons.
However, this lesson sticks out because I still think about it and even use it to this day. My dad told me that every person on this planet has an ‘Unfair Advantage.’ Something God-given that a person does exceptionally well or better than anyone else. He told me that some people could naturally run fast or dunk a basketball without even really trying. Some can figure out complex equations in their heads like Einstein or even maintain a full head of hair well into their old age. Whatever gift you possessed that you did better than anyone else was your unfair advantage.
According to my dad, my height was my unfair advantage. I was very tall even at 13 and lacked spatial awareness, which made me very goofy and frequently the target of bullies. My dad would always try to help me take control of my ‘Unfair Advantage’ by telling me, ‘Throw your shoulders back!’, ‘Push that chest out!’, ‘Walk with authority and ‘Take command of the room as you walk in. Lessons that I still practice today. My dad actually had me practice walking into a room, pause at the doorway and make eye contact with every single person inside before entering. ‘Now that’s how you take command of a room and use your size to your advantage!’ he would say. Use your unfair advantage to your advantage.
Unfair advantage, command presence, size, whatever you want to call it, I learned to master it early on due to my dad. Soon, the bullies left me alone as I carried myself with enough command presence and confidence to make them think twice. Fast forward to my late teens in NYC, and I began bouncing at bars and clubs at 17 years old due to my size. Eventually, my size got me other security gigs like escorts (my introduction to EP). Ultimately, my size got me a job interview, resulting in my becoming the Director of Security for a smallsized entertainment company. I knew through research that the owners of this entertainment company wanted someone who was ‘big’ to protect their talent, and I certainly fit the bill. Throughout the 1980s, as long as you were a big guy, filled out a suit nicely and had a willingness to fight, security jobs were easy to obtain. Size was the standard.
Fast forward to the mid-1990s, the NY based entertainment company was now a California based entertainment company. I’m doing very well for myself between being the Director of Security and picking up red-carpet suit and tie events on the side. But then law enforcement came calling.
I had always wanted to protect and serve, so I gave up my sixfigure salary and went to the LAPD with a starting salary of $37,500 (your motivation cannot be money, or else you will limit yourself). After a nice career in law enforcement, I naturally decided to fall back into the security game. I leveraged my contacts and was able to get mid-level security details as an ODO (Off Duty Officer). Still, the higher-level details that had come naturally to me in the '80s eluded me here in the 2000s. I didn’t understand it. I mean, I had my size, my Unfair Advantage after all!!!
So, I decided I needed to figure this dilemma out. I started talking to people doing the highend work and looked at job postings for security positions. I was reading things like ‘Medical Training Necessary’, ‘Graduate of a Recognized EP School’ and ‘High Degree of Emotional Intelligence”.
Huh?? They might as well have been speaking a foreign language because I didn’t understand it.
While I was enjoying my law enforcement career, the security industry grew up and changed in a big way. Standards were being put in place. No longer was size the sole determining factor in who got work. Experienced and trained practitioners were now the standard. I was far behind the power curve, and I knew it. Sure, I could still make a fair living as an ODO, but I have always been an overachiever and wanted to work the higher-end details. I knew what I had to do: adapt or die. I had to reinvent myself and learn from the bottom up. I read books, attended conventions, took EP school after EP school, and networked like a fiend. The floodgates didn’t open up overnight. It took a lot of work, but I got there, and you can too.
So why the biography about my journey to enlightenment? Quite simply, I am noticing a disturbing trend in our profession which, to be honest, I thought we were above as a class of protection professionals. I have been on both sides of the coin on the Size VS Skills argument. An argument that I see people are very passionate (and sometimes quite rude) about. I guess I don't really understand this when I see it, though. Unfortunately, I see it a lot. My size has landed me jobs, and my size has prevented me from getting jobs.
We all know (or should know) that this industry that we are in is client-centric. The client makes the decisions, and we have to be able to meet the client’s needs. And like any client, they make decisions based on their needs, wants or knowledge. It does no good to get on social media and complain about it. To attack a job poster for posting what the clients are asking for is ridiculous. The detail leader is not going to go back and ‘educate’ the client on your skills. It’s great that you think you can kick everyone’s ass who is picked for the detail; however, your attitude alone would be a disqualifier for me.
Case in point -- recently, a lastminute detail fell into my lap. The client was particular in his needs and requested a bio and picture from every candidate to handpick his team. One of the client's requirements was that he wanted "Big Guys' over 6'4". I had a limited number of practitioners who fit that bill, so I posted on a few professional boards on which I am active. I was blown away by the number of negative comments regarding these requirements. Many people angrily replied to say that they considered themselves to be just as good (or better) as anyone over 6'4" and that I needed to educate my client on this dynamic. In my opinion, this was very unprofessional for a group of professionals. This attitude has got to stop; otherwise, this infighting will keep a negative cloud over our heads. It is not a personal attack on your abilities as a practitioner if a client wants ‘bigger guys’ and you don’t fit that bill. That's their preference, and that's what they get. It is not a reflection on you or your abilities in any way, shape, or form. If someone posted a need for a security detail looking for fat guys, would your response be the same?
I was having a conversation about this very thing with a colleague recently. He told me that he had posted that he needed female EP agents for a detail. He told me that he had received a text from a 'professional' claiming that the detail requirements were unfair and that he could kick any female EP agent’s ass who was on the detail. Really? I’m no expert on psychology, but my best-educated guess is that these types of practitioners have some deepseated issues going on.
A couple of years back, I took a pretty awesome covert EP course because I felt like that was a direction I wanted to go in. Well, guess what? My size, my command presence, my 'Unfair Advantage' worked against me at every turn. I don't blend well into the background with my size. I accepted this fact and moved in a different direction, still grateful for the awesome opportunity to obtain this training. Having size may get me the occasional job, but it will exclude me from various low profile or covert jobs.
I think my friend Michael W. Trott summed it up perfectly well in his book, The Protected:
“…in some scenarios, a large framed person can be necessary – especially if physical deterrence is the goal. But good security officers and protective agents come in all shapes, sizes and packages with varied backgrounds. I have worked with competent, confident and skilled men and women who were shorter than 5'6" with an average build who have performed brilliantly.”
I have absolutely no issues with the size of the guy or gal standing next to me on a detail. If you are qualified, you are qualified. I have worked alongside some amazing practitioners of all shapes and sizes. However, if the client wants something specific, whether it be bigger guys, female agents or “black militant” types (yes, that was an actual request I have received), then so be it. It is not a reflection on you.
What IS a reflection on you is your unprofessional reaction to the client’s request. I (and many other business owners who staff these types of details) will put an automatic red flag next to your name, so we know not to use you in the future because your attitude is all wrong. We need to be better than that. Support those who are qualified (yes, height may be a qualification for a detail). Be supportive, not destructive. Be happy that someone landed a detail, not unhappy because it wasn't you. As an industry, we need to help each other out. Next time it could be you. Remember, a high tide lifts all boats….
Keith has a background in Executive Protection, RST, Travel Security, Black Product Movement and Security Driving spanning over 39 years! Keith has worked with UHNW clientele, high profile celebrities and corporate C-Suite executives alike. He is also retired law enforcement officer having served proudly with both the LAPD and BHPD (Beverly Hills). Keith is also a lifelong learner with an advanced degree in security management (CPP) and a graduate of many E.P., security driving and tactical schools. Keith also instructs at a local EP Academy helping to shape and mentor the next generation of EP practitioners.
