A question that came up in a conversation with a fellow trainer was, "At what point is a trainer no longer relevant?" This is something I have given a great deal of thought to as I get older. At 63 years of age and having been retired for 15 years I have asked myself, "Am I still relevant?" As I reflected on this question I came to the realization that I am asking the wrong question. The question is not whether I as a trainer am relevant or still relevant, it is whether the training I am delivering to a specific audience is relevant or still relevant. As a trainer, I am only as relevant … [Read more...]

"How do measure success as a trainer?" This is one of the questions I challenge people to answer during the Excellence in Training courses and workshops. One of the interviews I listened to last year on Impact Theory was with Talib Kweli. Not being a fan of rap or hip hop music I had never heard of him before. I enjoyed the interview, as I do with most of the ones I have listened to on Impact Theory and Health Theory with Tom Bilyeu. One of the topics Kweli talked about was success. He said: "Too often our definition of success is whoever has the most toys wins. Whoever is the most … [Read more...]

"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." Amy Poehler As the Sergeant of the Skills and Procedures Unit in the Training Section of the Calgary Police Service for the last 8 ½ years of my career, I had the pleasure of going to work every day with a group of people who challenged and inspired me. If that is not the case for you, then where do you find a group of people to spend time with who will challenge and inspire you to be a better trainer, teacher and coach? Here are some ideas. Read and study. There are a lot … [Read more...]

As a profession we study and talk a lot about the physical altercations and deadly force encounters we lose. It is important that we learn the lessons from those events to honour the officers who lost their lives. The reality however, is that we win more than we lose. Do we study the fights we win to gain a better understanding of the skills, tactics, mindset and preparation that helped those officers prevail? Do we seek to understand and share the lessons from our successes? We talk a lot about the prevalence of PTSD, depression and other mental health issues in our profession. These are … [Read more...]

Last week I wrote about The Suck Factor and advocated that as trainers we need to tell people during basic training about it and arm them with tools and strategies to help them Embrace the Suck, Look for the Good and Dare to Be Great. Reading the list of all the Suck Factors you might be thinking, “That is a lot of suck. How do we embrace that and find the good in there?” Like so many other areas it is a matter of stepping back, looking at it differently and reframing the challenges. It sucks that the haters, anti police people and special interest groups get a lot of time on the evening … [Read more...]

In last week's post It's Ok to Be Ok I mentioned the Suck Factor and the importance of telling the men and women coming into the law enforcement profession about it early in training and then arming them with strategies to allow them to Embrace the Suck, Look for the Good and Dare to Be Great. So you may be wondering what I mean by The Suck Factor. There are a number of elements of working in law enforcement that "Suck". They include but are not limited to: It sucks that there are a small group of very vocal people who get a lot of time on the 6 o'clock news who would like everyone to … [Read more...]

In last week's post I wrote about the importance of giving people permission to seek help when they need it, and ideally inspiring them to be proactive in maintaining their physical, emotional and psychological wellness. "It is ok not to be ok and it is ok to get the help you need." is a critical message for the men and women in the law enforcement profession and the greater first responder world. You need to be cautious however, of sending the message that everyone will be damaged and broken because they served as law enforcement professionals. The law enforcement profession will change … [Read more...]

As a profession we are doing a better job of talking about the importance of physical, emotional and mental wellness and providing access to services for people who may be struggling with processing the trauma they are too often exposed to. Having the services and resources is important. Letting people know what resources are available and how to access them is important. Giving permission to use those resources is critically important. You might be thinking that if you have resources and tell people about them then permission is implied. For some it is. Others need to be given permission. … [Read more...]

It is easy to look back and be critical of tactics, techniques, strategies, and teaching methodologies from the past. The reality however, is that most of the time people were doing the best they could with the knowledge, information and experience they had. It was not that long ago that the Internet did not exist, not everyone had a laptop, tablet, and smartphone and all the information in the world was not immediately accessible with a device you carry in your pocket. Today’s world is vastly different. You can easily access the research on how humans learn. If you do not like to read … [Read more...]

I am a huge proponent of trainers being students of teaching and of learning. I am also a huge proponent of trainers being students of leadership. Being a student is essential, but it is not enough. You can read all the books, review all the research, attended the workshops, get the certificate or degree, watch all the talks, listen to the podcasts but, if you never apply what you are learning then you are doing nothing to serve those you have the privilege and honour to teach and lead. Knowledge is not power. It is potential; the potential to empower others. Knowledge is only useful … [Read more...]