Have you ever been frustrated by your favorite sports team who had a lead in a game and then blew it when they stopped doing what allowed them to get the lead, stopped playing to win the game and simply started playing not to lose? Very often playing not to lose results in the very thing you are trying to avoid, a loss. Are you training your officers to win, or are you training them not to lose? Training officers to win means training them to harness the winning mind and warrior spirit in addition to training skills and tactics.Training to win is training officers to be proactive and … [Read more...]

Suck it up. It is a sign of weakness to ask for help. Big boys don't cry. If you are involved in a deadly force encounter you are going to have these problems....... Are you still proliferating these myths either directly or indirectly in training? If so, you are doing a disservice to your officers and may be setting them up for problems. In your training programs you need to let officers know that it is ok to be ok. It is ok to take a life in the line of duty and be at peace with it. You also need to let officers know that it is ok not to be ok. If something is bothering … [Read more...]

This week's Excellence in Training blog post is really a book recommendation. The book is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking By Susan Cain. I first became aware of Susan Cain and her study into the world of introverts when I watched a TED video of her speaking on the topic. In the video she referenced her book, which I immediately bought and added to my virtual stack of books in my iPad. The book was of interest to me both as an introvert and as a professional speaker and trainer. You may be wondering right now about the perceived conflict between being an … [Read more...]