Throughout my career I have heard people talk about the need to benchmark training, policy and other elements based on industry best practices. It did not make sense to me to settle for what someone else determined to be best practices. In my mind, a more desirable goal was to set the bar ourselves and strive to continually be the leaders in the field, rather than have someone else set the bar for us. I could never quite figure out how best to put best convey that message to my supervisors until I read Mark Sanborn’s book Up, Down, or Sideways (his book The Fred Factor is a must read).
Sanborn 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 seeking best practices we should seek to establish Better Practices and Next Practices.
Better Practices: How can you do what everyone else is doing best but, do it better?
Next Practices: How can you change the game?
Have you settled for 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 others 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, and in training, 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 because of that commitment to excellence represented by Better Practices and Next Practices.
What about you? Are you settling, or striving?
Take care.
Brian Willis – Committed to excellence in training and excellence through training.
Inspiring trainers to – Think differently about training.
At Winning Mind Training we are driven by our dedication to inspiring the pursuit of personal excellence and our belief that every law enforcement officer deserves to experience awesome training.
Register now for one of the upcoming Excellence in Training Courses in Littleton, CO in September, Tulsa, OK in October, Vancouver, B.C. in November, Amarillo, TX in December and in Madison, WI March 2015. I will also be teaching a one day Excellence in Training Seminar in Oregon on September 15. Go to our website at www.winningmindtraining.com to register now for one of these programs while space is still available.
If you would like to book me to speak on Excellence in Training, The Heroes Path to Excellence in Law Enforcement, The Pursuit of Personal Excellence or W.I.N.: Lessons From Life’s Most Powerful Question at your event or to your agency contact me at winningmind@mac.com.
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