Seth Godin is a very successful business man, a marketing guru and the author of 17 best selling books and an extremely successful daily blog. I have shared his wisdom before and do so again today. Take a moment and read his post on Retribution:
Retribution
“He deserved it,” is usually the explanation we hear for behavior that strikes us as unproductive, inhumane or counter-productive. The bully is always happy to point a finger at the person he hurt, to cast blame for his inexcusable actions.
Retribution is a habit, usually a learned one. It’s tit for tat, the instinct to punish.
That’s a very different posture than the one the productive professional takes. She says, “I choose to take actions that are effective.” She chooses a response designed to produce the outcome she seeks, actions that work.
We can react or respond, as my friend Zig used to say. When we react to a medicine, that’s a bad thing. When we respond, it’s working.
When the world dumps something at our door, we can take the shortcut and allow ourselves to react. We can point out that whatever we do is happening because the other side deserved it. Tantrums are okay, in this analysis, because the other guy made us.
Or we can respond. With something that works. With an approach we’re proud of, proud of even after the moment has passed. It’s not easy, it’s often not fun, but it’s the professional’s choice.
With all the anti-police hype going on across North America it is critical that you continue to teach your officers the difference between responding and reacting and remind them of the dangers of falling into the trap of retribution. Now, more than ever, law enforcement professionals need to remain calm, focused, in control, confident and professional as they continue to serve their communities.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Inspiring law enforcement trainers to utilize Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now? to think differently about training.
Here are the links to two recent articles:
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