Last week I wrote about the concepts of a job, a career and a calling. One of the common concerns I hear from trainers is that the “new people” coming into the profession simply see it as just a job. In fact I had one trainer recently say, “It can’t be just a job. It has to be a calling or they should not be here.” I disagree with that statement and talked about why in last week’s post.
So, back to those who come into the profession seeing it as a strictly as a job. Last week at the start of the post I said, “So what.” I am going to add to that by saying, “So what are you going to do to change that?”
Your mission as a trainer and leader is not only to teach them the skills, tactics and knowledge they need to do the job, but to inspire them to aspire. Inspire them aspire to think of law enforcement as a career, not a job. To inspire them to aspire to continually improve their skills and abilities. To inspire them to aspire to engage in the pursuit of excellence and continually strive to be better tomorrow than they are today. To inspire them to aspire to continue to be their best. To inspire them to aspire to continually learn and train to grow the knowledge, skills and abilities. To inspire them to aspire to be leaders in their organization.
For those who simply want a job, inspire them to aspire to take pride in the profession, in their agency, in their work and in themselves and always do the best job possible.
Many of them will be inspired to aspire to make it a career. For some they will be inspired to aspire to make it a calling, an opportunity to contribute, to make a difference in the lives of others and to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Be aware that this is not just a recruit thing. You all know people who aspired for this to be a career, but after running into the suck factor too many times they slid into a mindset that this is just a job, and they get paid the same if the do the bare minimum as they do if they bust their butt. Inspiring to aspire for excellence is a career long process.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Dedicated to helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers to deliver awesome training.
The Excellence in Training Academy – Where trainers come to grow. Join the Community of trainers committed to the pursuit of excellence in and through training. Use the code eitblog to get the first month’s membership (individual or training unit) free.
Interested in hosting an Excellence in Training Presentation, Seminar or Course? Contact to me at winningmind@mac.com and we can work together to determine what will best suit your needs.
Address: