One of the blogs / newsletters I subscribe to is The Daily Coach. Once a week there is an edition titled The Daily Coach – “Notes” of an Elder. In a recent edition of “Notes” of an Elder there were four insights that jumped out at me that I wanted to share and encourage you to ponder.
Successful people are measured by the lives they’ve improved.
- Too often we want to use metrics like the popularity and name recognition of a trainer, the number of followers, the number of downloads of a podcast or video, the number of likes or shares of a social media post, the number of speaking engagements, the number of people in a presentation, or the perceived “status” of the people in attendance or the organization hosting the training as gauges of the success of a trainer. I think more important metrics should be the long-term learning that resulted from the training and the lives improved because of the training.
Your character is more important than your credentials.
- It is easy to get caught up in credentials; the certificates accumulated, the degrees and diplomas, the letters after your name and the programs completed. But what about character? All the credentials in the world mean little if you are not a person of good character, especially as a trainer. Trainers are in one of the most influential leadership positions in the profession and serve as a role model for people in the organization. Make sure character is one of the top criteria for selection as a trainer in your agency.
Don’t get too comfortable with your opinions. They are just opinions, not facts.
- We all have opinions on the best way to teach / train / coach. I know I do. But opinions are just that, opinions. While they may be grounded in and informed by research, much of the research is based on theories, hypothesis, and beliefs. While it is fine to hold strong opinions, make sure they are loosely held.
The real test of an idea isn’t whether it’s true but whether it’s useful.
- If an idea is true but has no application or transfer to your training or to the profession, then it is likely of limited value. What we need to be looking for are ideas that will enhance the training of our people to better prepare them for the complexities and challenges of the policing profession. It is easy to get caught up in the “What”. Make sure to look for the “So what?” and “Now what?”. “Is this true?” is a good start, but it is not enough.
I hope you found value in the four insights from The Daily Coach – “Notes” of an Elder. As you contemplate them, I encourage you to apply your own lens to each of them and reflect on their meaning for you.
I am at the 2024 ILEETA Conference this week and I am surrounded by hundreds of dedicated trainers from numerous countries all committed to helping improve law enforcement training and make the profession better. Some of them are “The Elders” of law enforcement training. They have been in and around the profession for decades and are here continuing to learn, grow and share. A worthy challenge for all of us.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Providing practical training to law enforcement professionals in the areas of instructor development, Performance Enhancement Imagery, leadership, and mindset.
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