“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.”
Althea Gibson, Tennis Player
Who helped you as you progressed through your career and entered the world of training? What have you done to thank them for their mentorship, friendship guidance and tutelage? It is important that you take the time to thank those who have helped you along the way.
It is also important that you find ways to ‘paying it forward’ to the next generation of trainers who will follow in your footsteps. Pay it forward is a philosophy of helping someone starting out to help them to learn, to grow and to develop as officers and trainers. The power of paying it forward is that is pays tribute to those who have helped you and also gives you the satisfaction of knowing those you help will help others in the future.
I have seen this play out in a variety of ways in the law enforcement training world.
Trainers who have attended the ILEETA conference on scholarship have paid it forward by becoming more active in the organization, presenting at future conferences and supporting the scholarship fund to help others benefit from this fund in the future.
I recently spoke to an officer who extended the offer to another officer from his agency to stay with him at the host hotel for the Legacy of Excellence Conference at no cost as a way to pay it forward.
I know officers who offered to pay for their peers to attend a training seminar in their city as a way to pay it forward.
The question for you is what are you doing to pay it forward? What are you doing to help someone just starting out in your profession? What are you doing to help someone the way others have helped you?
You can pay it forward with time, knowledge, mentorship, books, friendship, business referrals, finances or a variety of other ways.
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” Dolly Parton
By paying it forward you will inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more and that will make a difference in the world.
Let me know how you are paying it forward.
In an effort to help you pay it forward we have decided to offer a Pay it Forward volume discount on the four books we have published through Warrior Spirit Books. If you buy a minimum of 10 books you will receive a discount of 20%. If you buy 20 or more books you will receive a discount of 25%. Until July 1 we will pay the shipping costs and the GST. It can be any combination of the four books.
Pay it Forward pricing applies to the following books:
1. W.I.N.: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors
2. W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and Leading Warriors
3. If I Knew Then: Life lessons From Cops on the Street
4. If I Knew Then 2: Warrior Reflections
To take advantage of this offer send me an e-mail at winningmind@mac.com.
Take care.
Brian Willis