The Very First Question Every Newcomer Ought to be Asking

Having been involved in the EP profession in one form or another for quite some time now, it astounds me how often newcomers are asking the same questions over and over again, particularly on social media outlets. Now, there is a very real possibility – and some strong indications – that a fair amount of what’s happening in terms of the same basic questions being asked repeatedly is, in fact, actually a high-tech form of “astro turfing”. That’s where someone with a vested interest in the response to a given question creates a digital “alter ego”, or uses a surrogate, to ask a particular question and then offers up a response that meets their objective. For example, and speaking hypothetically of course, that objective might be to paint the service they provide or their training course in a better light, or as a better alternative, then someone else’s. The intent is to create the look and feel of a grass roots effort to gather information, when in fact it’s simply a planned marketing activity, hence the term “astro turf”, which is the generic name for artificial grass. While this tactic has been used from time to time by major corporations, political campaigns and even government agencies, should the nature and objectives of those contrived discussions come to light, which they almost inevitably do if utilized on a frequent and recurring basis, the ethics and integrity of those involved are immediately called into question, obviously to their own detriment.

But let’s set aside, at least for the moment, the possibility that some instances where certain questions that appear as if they are being asked by newcomers are contrived, and focus on those that may be legitimate. In particular, let’s look at questions like “should I attend Billy Bob & Clyde’s Most Excellent EP School or The Mid Northern Southwestern Academy for the Advanced Study of All Things Protection Related”? While those questions may lead to an interesting debate regarding the virtues of attending one of those two schools – and unsolicited opinions being offered on ten other schools – for the prospective newcomer to the protection profession the question may be irrelevant. The very same can be said for two additional questions that seem to be cropping up more frequently these days, “should I use my G.I. Bill to attend school X” and “does school Y’s certification improve my chances of getting a job”. In fact, these three questions – which school will best suit my needs, what is the best way to pay for that course, and will completing a particular course improve my chances of  finding a job – might be among the most important questions a prospective newcomer to the profession can ask, but only if and when those questions are asked at the appropriate time and of the appropriate folks. Otherwise, they may prove to be irrelevant.

Unfortunately, even when a legitimate newcomer is doing the asking, they tend to ask these questions prematurely and of the wrong people. Long before they get to the “big three”, there are a number of more important questions that they should to be asking, one of which is monumentally more important than all of the rest. In my opinion (which, as always, is based solely on my experience and thus those with differing experience may very well have differing opinion) the questions that should be asked well before the previously mentioned “big three” include:

• How many entry level practitioners are employed full time and/or how many have recouped 100% their initial investment in training via actual EP work? How long did it take those who have recouped that investment to do so?
• What is the reality of EP work in terms of what one can expect their day-to-day role and responsibilities to be, particularly as an entry level practitioner?
• How long does it typically take after graduating an EP training course, any EP training course, to land a full-time position?
• What is the average hourly rate and/or annual income for entry-level practitioners who are performing legitimate EP assignments (not the myriad of other security jobs that unethical and unscrupulous service providers refer to as “EP details”)?
• How many, as in exactly how many, entry-level EP Jobs (i.e. those that require absolutely no prior EP related work experience) are available at any given time? And how many people are typically competing for those jobs?
• How does someone who was a hair stylist, auto mechanic or welder prior to attending an EP school compete for jobs against those that are former or retired law enforcement or military, and/or for jobs that require 2 to 5 years of directly applicable experience?

More importantly, when was the last time a prospective newcomer asked the single most important question they should be asking of themselves or for that matter, an experienced, principled, professional practitioner? When was the last time the answer given to a newcomer’s question about which school to attend, which certification was best, or how they should consider paying for their training was that they needed to step back and ask themselves a much more important question?

Again, keeping in mind that this is just one practitioner-turned-training-provider’s opinion here, the question each and every prospective practitioner should be asking themselves and at least one experienced practitioner well before they get to where, how and why to spend their money on training is whether or not they have “it”?  What is “it”, you ask? “It” is that rare combination of tangible and intangible factors that it takes to have a successful career as a full time protection practitioner. Of course, the presumption here is that no matter how enamored the newcomer may be with the misperception – their own or that has been perpetuated by the less ethical, less scrupulous service and training providers in the industry – of what EP work entails, logic dictates that very few people will willfully and knowingly give up a full-time job or career for part time, occasional employment.  Therefore, success is defined as being employed in a full time EP position.

With this in mind, I took the opportunity over the last few months to discuss what differentiates the newcomer who ultimately achieves success in the EP profession from those who, try as they might, do not. These discussions took place with a number of experienced practitioners as well as a handful of up-and-comers. During the course of those conversations some things became readily apparent; first and foremost among them was the consensus that given that “it” is a combination of tangible and intangible factors, it is all but impossible to clearly define “it”.  Those I spoke with also all brought up a point that goes hand-in-hand with that first one; despite having difficulty defining what “it” is, these practitioners intuitively know someone has “it” when they see “it”. That collective opinion is supported by the experience I have had over the course of the last thirteen years while interacting with a wide variety of students, both in our courses – where the average participant has somewhere around 14 years of professional protection experience – as well as in entry level EP training courses offered by other providers. What we have found is that regardless of whether the experienced practitioner is gregarious and forward leaning, or introverted and laid back, has attended one or more  traditional EP schools out there, or just has  on-the-job training provided by their peers and supervisors, to a one they all have “it”. This really should come as no surprise given that more than 98% of those practitioners who attend our courses do so at the behest of their employers, so it stands to reason that they have undergone a hiring process that screens for “it”. Those with law enforcement and military experience have, more often than not, been thoroughly vetted more than once for “it”.

While all of that is well and good, something the prospective newcomer needs to recognize and understand is that commercial EP training course are not vetting or qualification courses. Unlike some similar military and law enforcement courses, they are not designed to be, intended to be, or operated as such. There currently are no private sector, entry level EP courses that I am aware of which have objective standards for completion that meet the ICE and ANSI standards for professional certification and they are under no legal obligation whatsoever to screen their prospective students for “it”. So it is incumbent upon the prospective practitioner to do their own homework and choose wisely.  In fact, the reality is that even the most seasoned practitioner (or practitioner-turned-trainer) won’t be able to tell whether or not someone has “it” over the phone, in an email, or via a post on a social media group. According to those involved in the previously mentioned discussions regarding what distinguishes the successful practitioner from those who are not, the only way to determine whether someone has “it” or not is to interact with them face-to-face, observe how they interact with others, assess by their responses to certain questions whether they have a clear understanding of what it takes to achieve success in the EP field, and if they are being honest with themselves as to whether or not they have “it”. Perhaps this is why in years past, when practitioners and potential newcomers had no choice but to personally interact with their peers and contemporaries at every point in their career progression, it was even more challenging than it is today to gain entry into the profession. Back in those days there were only two or three EP schools, and whether you knew it or not with every interaction you had you were being vetted for “it”, regardless of whether that interaction was taking place with a training provider, an experienced practitioner, or a hiring manager. At that time one of those schools, which has, unfortunately, begun to fade from prominence in recent years, had established its fraternal organization as a mechanism for distinguishing the graduates of their training courses who had “it” from those who did not. In its heyday, not every graduate of this particular schools courses were inducted into that fraternal organization, thus it provided the folks looking to hire practitioners a means of identifying those at the entry level who were likely to have “it”. Today, everyone and anyone who pays their tuition and completes one of that school’s courses is automatically inducted into that same fraternal organization; and while it might be possible that out of a class of twenty or so prospective practitioners each and every one has “it”, the history of this school itself and its fraternal organization demonstrates that that simply is not probable.

Recognizing that there are two elements to “it”, the tangible and the intangible, how is it then that a prospective newcomer might go about determining if they have “it”? A good first step is for the protection practitioner to do their homework, which starts with asking the preliminary questions described earlier in the article (see Frank Gallagher’s recent article “Training and Jobs in Executive Protection” for more insight on the value of doing your homework). Those questions will help one determine if they have the tangible elements of “it”, which include the desire, willingness and wherewithal to endure the long, steep, winding path that might eventually lead to a full-time EP position. If one isn’t willing to work at a variety of related, or unrelated and often menial, jobs while forging a professional reputation in the EP field, than they really don’t have “it”. If one is unwilling or incapable of surviving on what can be a shockingly low hourly pay rate (daily rates may seem impressive, but when you divide them by the hours worked per day that previous career as a hair stylist, auto mechanic or welder may suddenly start looking a whole lot more attractive), or is unwilling or incapable of working sporadically, or cancelling one’s plans for the night, weekend, holiday, or special occasion, often on short notice, then they simply don’t have “it”. If one doesn’t like flying economy class (or driving all night to make it to a short term job that doesn’t pay travel expenses), or doesn’t like sharing a hotel room for the next couple of weeks with someone they have never met before today, one might want to admit they don’t have “it” – and give some serious thought to a different career.

Even if you honestly believe with every fiber of your being that you are willing and able to make those sorts of sacrifices, quite possibly for years on end, you have to recognize that there are other intangible factors that determine if you “it”, and that each employer may be looking for a different combination of tangible and intangible factors. So even if you have some form of “it’, you may not have “it” that those looking to hire EP practitioners at the moment are looking for, Or you might have the “it” that a private corporation or family might be looking for, but not the “it” that High Threat/PSD contract service providers are looking for. These intangibles include having the right attitude, demeanor and presence, along with the ability to maintain the same for extended periods of time while dealing with insufferable people whose own attitudes and demeanor are less than stellar. Also included among these intangibles are the capability to make effective decisions under stress, maintaining peak physical and mental performance while fatigued, being able to firewall your personal life with all of its ups, downs and challenges, from your professional life, recognizing that the Principal’s best interests are now your best interests and acting accordingly. As these things are intangible it is difficult, if not impossible, for the prospective practitioner to objectively evaluate themselves as whether or not they have these vital factors that are essential components of “it”.

For this determination, the prospective practitioner has to rely on others. Most importantly, they should rely on others who don’t have a vested interest in what the answer to the prospective practitioners question might be. By inference this excludes those who own and operate training schools, be it on a full or part-time basis, myself included. This is due to the fact that there is a clear and indisputable conflict of interest that arises when you ask someone who potentially stands to benefit in the form of additional revenue for their school if you have “it”…or if they give you the answer you want to hear as opposed to the answer you need to hear. While some, though certainly not all, training providers have a well deserved reputation for being forthright and unbiased in their opinions, others have a well-earned reputation for overstating the types and nature of opportunities that exist in the EP profession, which should further exclude training providers from answering this question. The mere possibility of a conflict of interest dictates that it’s in everyone’s best interest for any training provider to point you toward someone who doesn’t stand to benefit from answering the question, someone whose opinion cannot be called into question based on a perception of subjectivity or bias. In fact, in my opinion (see the earlier disclaimer regarding my opinion, hopefully you know where I am coming from by now), it’s always best to pose the question to a practitioner who has firsthand experience in the niche – i.e.  traditional EP, celebrity protection, HNW/UHNW family protection, or High Threat/PSD operations – you envision yourself working in somewhere down the road and who has no particular allegiance or affinity for one school over another, and the more recent that experience, the better. These are the folks who know what particular manifestation of “it” prospective employers in that niche are looking for and will be more attuned to whether or not you have the “it” needed to succeed in that niche, so it only makes sense to seek out their opinion.

When it comes to this all important question, there are some other things that the prospective practitioners should be aware of, especially if they get the answer they didn’t want to hear. As noted time and again by those we discussed the topic of “it” with, you cannot buy “it”, and just because you are trained by someone who has “it” doesn’t mean you will have “it”, too. You either have “it”, or you do not and “it’” is simply not transferable. Most importantly, “it” is the common thread among those who build successful, full time careers in the EP profession. If you don’t have “it”, the chances of you having a successful career are somewhere between slim and none. Regardless of which (or how many) schools you attend, or the sense of purpose you feel EP work fills you with, or the passion you bring to your work, there simply no substitute for “it”.

In closing, something else comes to mind as well. Lately you may have heard or read an  analogy that compares building a career in EP to building a career in acting. While on its face there are some similarities between making it as an actor and making it as an EP practitioner – like the fact that there far more prospective actors and EP practitioners than there are legitimate, full-time positions in either profession. But there are also some glaring differences, chief among them are these two; acting roles exist, in fact are tailor made in some cases for people of most any age, size, physical condition or intellect, and those who are successful in the acting profession achieve that success because they are very good at pretending to be a certain way, a certain thing, or a certain person. Neither of these two facts comport with the reality of building a successful career in the EP profession. Age, size, physical shape and intellect play an important part in the selection and vetting process for every EP position out there, and if you aren’t what those making the hiring decisions are looking for you’re not going to get that particular position. And, of course, you can’t pretend to have “it”…not for very long anyway.

So before you start posting those questions about which EP school is best, what certification is most worthwhile, or what’s the best way to pay for training, make sure you do the homework needed to set the stage for asking yourself the single most important question of your fledgling career: do you have “it”? If the answer is yes, then find an experienced practitioner who has no bias or affinity towards one training provider or another, arrange to spend some time with him or her and then ask the very same question; if the answer is yes, then go ahead and start asking those next three questions. If the answer is no, then  understand that you have saved yourself a ton of money and no small amount of frustration, then start looking for  a profession which you have the “it” needed to be successful in. Because as one of the practitioners that was involved in the discussions that led to the writing of this article was quick to point out, everyone has some form of “it”, but not everyone has the “it” needed to succeed in the EP profession.