Throughout my career I have heard people talk about the need to benchmark training, policy and other elements based on industry best practices. I could never figure out why we should settle for what someone else determined were best practices. It seemed to make more sense to set the bar ourselves and seek to continually become the leaders in the field rather than have someone else set the bar. I could never quite figure out how to best put that into words until recently. While reading Mark Sanborn’s book Up, Down, or Sideways (his book The Fred Factor is a must read) I was delighted to find Sanborn address this issue.
He explains that the concept of best practices always needs a qualifier – best practices … for now …that we know of…given the circumstances….
He goes on to point out today’s best practices are next week’s second best practices and next month’s obsolete practices.
Sanborn suggests rather than best practices we seek to establish better practices and next practices.
Better practices: how can we do what everyone else is doing best, but do it better?
Next practices: how can we change the game?
Have you settled for the alleged best practices with your training, or worse settled for mediocrity by doing what you have always done? It is easy to do what you have always done. It is easy to do what you claim is industry best practices. It is tougher to do what Sanborn suggests and continually set the bar by establishing better practices and next practices.
The people I admire most in life are always striving to improve themselves, their training, their products and their services. They are the leaders in law enforcement training and they are the leaders in business.
What about you? Are you settling, or striving?
This week I am at the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) annual conference. This amazing training event is all about better practices and next practices.
And speaking of better practices and next practices register now for the 2012 Legacy of Excellence Conference and save $100.00 of the registration fee.
Take care.
Brian Willis
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