I am sure you have all heard the expression “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”, and I am sure you have heard the philosophy “If it ain’t broken, then break it.” The first philosophy suggests that if something is working leave it alone and don’t mess with it. The second philosophy cautions against complacency, but to some suggests change for the sake of change and potentially screwing up a proven commodity.
My suggestion is, “If it ain’t broken, find a way to improve upon it and make it better before it does break.” In law enforcement we cannot afford to wait until something is broken before we look to fix it. In our profession when something breaks it sometimes results in officers getting hurt or killed.
Years ago when I was making a case to change some of the training we were doing in our agency I had a boss who told me, “I don’t think we have had anyone killed or injured because we have not been teaching this.” My counter to that was twofold:
- I believe we have had officers killed and injured as result of the training, or lack thereof.
- Are we going to wait for one of us to die before we change our training?
Fortunately both he and his like minded boss retired within a few months and the new command staff was far more receptive to change.
You need to change while you can rather than wait until you have to.
Excellence in Training is more than just a seminar I do or a course I run, it is a philosophy. A philosophy that suggests law enforcement trainers need to focus on three key elements:
- Continually ask yourself Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now?
- You have not taught until they (your officers) have learned.
- Strive for Excellence not Perfection.
These three keys suggest that we all need to be continually evaluating what we are teaching, how we are teaching it, why we teach the way we do and what is the best for the officers we have the privilege to train.
What do you need to fix before it breaks?
Take care.
Brian Willis
Excellence in Training is a philosophy. It is also a one day seminar and a four day professional development course designed specifically for law enforcement trainers.
To host an Excellence in Training presentation or course or book Brian Willis to deliver a Harnessing the Winning Mind and Warrior Spirit or Pursuit of Personal Excellence presentation at your agency, conference or event contact him at winningmind@mac.com
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