“It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
John Wooden
If you are like most trainers at some point you have fallen into the trap of thinking you know it all. You might start believing you have been doing this for so long there is no question that could possibly stump you. Maybe you look at courses and conferences held elsewhere and think, “Why should I bother. There is nothing I could learn there.” You get pretty cocky about your mastery of skills, tactics and the material you teach.
Then it all comes crashing down when some officer asks you a question that does stump you, or they ask about your thoughts on some new research, or a tactics or technique they read about, saw online or learned through someone else. And, all of a sudden you come back down to earth. You begin to realize how little you really do know, and how much more there is out there still to learn.
If you have never fallen into this trap, then good for you. For the rest of us it was likely a humbling experience and a flash bulb moment. As a trainer you need to commit to a lifelong quest for learning.
Learn the back story of what you are currently teaching so you understand the history of the tactics, techniques and information of your current curriculum.
Learn new techniques, new tactics, and new information and determine if there is a place for it in your programs. New is relative. What is new to you may be old hat to others. New is not always better, sometimes it is just new. However, without an understanding of what is new, or different you cannot evaluate and improve what you are currently teaching.
If you are seeking one venue to expand your horizons then check out ILEETA (www.ileeta.org) and find a way to get to the annual training conference. This conference brings together approximately 750 of the most energetic and talented law enforcement trainers from across North America and around the world for a week of learning, sharing, training, connecting, exploring new ideas, sharing successes and failures, and making new connections. It is hard to capture the week in one word, but if I had to the word would be ‘Growth’. You cannot help growing as a result of participation in the conference. Notice I said participation. If you are going to show up thinking you know everything and have nothing to learn from anyone else at the conference, you will not grow. You will stand out as different from the rest of the people there, and you will likely never come back. The rest of us continue to go back so we can continue to grow.
If you are attending the 10th Anniversary Conference in Wheeling, IL next week, make sure to say hello. If you will not be at the conference then stay humble, keep learning, and hopefully we will see you at one of the Winning Mind Training courses or seminars throughout the year, or at the 2014 ILEETA Conference.
Take care.
P.S. Make sure you go to www.winningmindtraining.com and check out the dates and locations for upcoming seminars and courses such as Heroes, Warriors and The Pursuit of Excellence, Verbal Trauma Control, Performance Enhancement Imagery and Excellence in Training.
Brian Willis,
Thought Leader, Speaker, Trainer, Author
President of Winning Mind Training – Leading the fight against mediocrity through Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now?
To book Brian to speak at your event contact him at winningmind@mac.com.
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