“There’s only one direction you can coast.”
Brian Tracy
I believe Brian Tracy has a very clear message for law enforcement trainers. If you are coasting you are on a downhill slide.
So, what about you? Are you in coast mode? Are you just doing enough to get by? Are you teaching the same program, the same way as you have always taught it because that is easy? In the classroom and the combatives room are you just going through the motions? Are your choices based on what’s easiest for you rather than what is best for your officers? Are you still using PowerPoint presentations with tons of data on every slide and reading each slide word for word?
Or, are you continually striving to become a better trainer, teacher, instructor or facilitator? Are you continually working to make your programs and presentations better for your officers? When you have down time do you spend it mindlessly surfing the web, Facebooking with ‘friends’ or do you spend that time reading books that will make you a better trainer or studying other trainers and programs in search of better ways to deliver the material? Do you seek feedback from the people attending your sessions so you can improve the product? Are you continually enhancing your visual aides, stories and examples to make training fun, relevant and engaging? Are you asking your officers what their training needs are?
“Only the mediocre are always at their best.”
Jean Giradeaux
Embracing mediocrity in your training, and in life is a choice. Pursuing excellence in training is a choice. Mediocrity is the easier choice because it involves less work, less time, less commitment. If you are coasting you are embracing mediocrity. Law enforcement training that embraces mediocrity gets officers killed and injured.
I am interested to know what are you doing to make yourself a better trainer? What are you reading? What courses are you taking? What conferences are you attending? What audio programs are you listening to? Take a moment and leave me a comment to let me know.
P.S. Starting June 1 it is going to cost you an extra $100.00 to attend the Legacy of Excellence Conference so ACT NOW.
Take care.
Brian Willis