Everyone is a Manager Today - No Joke

Everyone manages something today.

People, and even kids, today are all engaged in managing... something. Whether it is the operation and projects of their own life, someone they take care of routinely, or even, and here' the kicker, their gaming existence. But first, consider what I mean, at the base of the argument, that everyone is a manager today.

The Property Line Is No Longer be the Perimeter

I do not expect this post to be of any great insight to many, but it might be for a few. That is, the notion that the property line has little to do with asset protection, security, or even safety for that matter. Property lines have a role in taxation, owner responsibility, taxation, and the like. Sometime it denotes the limit of the organization’s immediate “touch.” But it really has little to do with the process and efforts of securing and protecting the enterprise. Here’s why...

The Anecdote of Success - a Simple Tool

When beginning an initiative, project, or releasing an RFP how can you convey the vision of success to the audience? In some instances, a request-for-proposal has a sterile feel and fails to clearly convey the nuances of what, precisely, is desired from the provided system or service. The same can be said when an organizational leader presents a new initiative, or charters a project. The author, or presenter, of these desires are already intimately familiar with what they seek but those around them, whether vendor or peer, may not be visualizing the same solutions. How can they create a common vision?

I like to overcome this unnecessary problem of perception with a short narrative describing a successful utilization of the system. And, it can also be applied to expectations for security posts and proposed procedures. Writing an “Anecdote of Success” helps to solidify what you, the creator, customer, solution seeker, truly want and expect.

When Halloween Costumes Cause Problems... After Halloween

Halloween is here and some may choose questionable costume ideas. What happens to their costumes and accessories after Halloween? Well sometimes they end up getting donated - fully intact - cause some serious problems.

If You're Not Getting Your Hands Dirty When It Matters, Why Not?

Many years ago, a store manager offered me some of his "books" about management. They were little four-inch by three-inch staple-bound pamphlets. There were called something like Horse Sense or some such, but there were pretty cool to read back then - and the big boss was offering wisdom. Short anecdotes, long before our attention spans had dropped as far as today, made for quick learning. He also seemed to have left random paperclips in some of the books. And, that is where I started with a story about General Washington, a corporal, and a cart. I'll never forget it.

The Bathroom is Ticking... You Can't Make This Up

Early in my tenure in one position, my boss walked into his office for our scheduled meeting. He had a serious look on his face when he said, "There is a ticking sound in the men's room." I smiled and said I'd take care of it. So I walked across the hall to the men's room and... yep!

To Manage Predatory Dumping Use Your Words

When the adversarial environment is blatant... While speaking to the "eight-hundred pound gorilla" internal customer, I was told, "You want me to listen to you? I have a half a million dollar problem with dumping. You find a solution to that and then I’ll listen to you."

The proverbial gauntlet hit the floor in that pause. That was it, in no uncertain terms. First, though, predatory dumping is when folks come to your property late at night and dump their trash. Such a thing is not too much of a problem for the average business, but one that accepts donations as a part of their business model tends to attract this behavior. This leader thought he was stumping me, but he unwittingly set me free at what I do best.. find solutions when no one believed any existed.

A Little Trust, a Little Agile, and Getting Things Done

If you hire Firebreathers, self-starters, or self-motivated problem solvers sometimes all you need to do is set them free.  Patton is quoted as saying: "Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." With the right people this can't be more true.

In a more modern context, one of the Agile Principles states: "Build projects around motivated individual. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done."

Getting a Clock into Your Interview Recordings

Is there a clock in your recorded interviews? Here's one solution that worked wonders.

If you know a better one? Share it in the comments!

Still Thinking "It Can't Be Done" - It Can. Try This.

We've all heard the refrain, and maybe sometimes recited it too.
It's not in the budget; We don't have enough... [money, time, staff]; It just doesn't work that way.

Try flipping that script to "How can we get it done?"

Hotline Accessibility Testing - Who is Answering Yours?

Are you using an anonymous hotline service? Do you administer this service in-house? How do you know if the provider, be it contract service or employees, are meeting your expectations?  Are they competent in the necessary language, cultures, and can they assist someone with a disability? Is the most important information accurately conveyed to your responsible parties? Let me share the solution I put in place.

Committing to Robbery Investigations Pays Off

Aggressively committing internal investigation resources to robberies pays off, especially when law enforcement has limited resources to commit. Take a look at the effectiveness such a robbery response protocol can have.

Getting back at it... It's been too long

Hey folks,
The times have changed, passing by in my silence here. We clearly have some ground to cover to get back on track. In one of my recent roles I built an enterprise security program that took a day or two - geologically speaking. At the same time, technology has advanced in some interesting ways. We have drones, artificial intelligence engines, video simulators of amazing quality, and virtual reality. Which means, so do our adversaries. If you're new to security things are getting interesting in new ways very quickly, and if you've been around for awhile then hang on because it's going to be one heck of a ride.

I look forward to getting back to discussing what I consider to be the most interesting industry. I have a few posts lined up to share fairly quickly. One is a short case study on a robbery protocol success story, and another has to do with different tools when soliciting assistance from vendors.

So here goes, and I hope to keep coming back to check on these posts... I'll try to keep it interesting and if you bump into something I ought to discuss, please let me know.

Rob
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