As a trainer it is not about you. It is not about how you like to learn, what level of activity or participation you are most comfortable with when you are a student. It is about the officers you train, not about you. In order to best serve them you likely need to step outside your comfort zone and determine how can you best train and prepare your officers.
I find it interesting that some trainers think the key to effective training is to force officers in their class outside their comfort zone, but those same trainers will never step outside their own comfort zone. They will avoid classes and activities that challenge them to think differently or act differently. They are not willing to try new activities that may enhance the learning for some of their officers and better prepare them for the challenges they face on the street.
The mind is like a parachute – it works best when it is open. As a trainer you need to keep an open mind to new ideas, new activities, new drills and new ways to engage the learners in your class (your officers). It is easy to use the excuse, “cops will never buy into this” as justification for your own fear and resistance. For every trainer who uses that excuse other trainers take the same material, the same drills and the same exercises back to their agency and successfully implemented them in training. If you think you are special and use the excuse, “That might work there, but my agency is different. My officers would never buy into this.”, get over yourself. Get past your fears and be willing to try something new. Your officers are no different than the ones in every other agency.
The bottom line is cops hate two things:
1. They hate change.
2. They hate the way things are.
So yes, you can expect some resistance to change. You need to have the courage to work through that resistance and be the one to implement new ideas. Start by selling your officers (this is where I sometimes fall down) on the benefits to them of the new ideas and press on. The reality is they are probably complaining about what you are doing right now anyway so you might as well make changes that will improve your training and enhance their competence and confidence.
Take care.
Brian Willis – A Man With Many Questions
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.
The Excellence in Training Course is coming to a location near you. Excellence in Training is a comprehensive professional development course created by a law enforcement trainer for law enforcement trainers. It is designed to help good trainers become great trainers and great trainers deliver awesome training. Check out our website at www.winningmindtraining.com for a list of upcoming dates and locations in 2014.
To book Brian to speak at your event or to your officers contact him at winningmind@mac.com.
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