OPStructure News and Resources

Single Operator EP Support - if you want to be a leader in this field, you need to master this!

For those of you who have been in this field for a while, the title of this blog may make you cringe. If you aren't familiar with the term, it just means handling an entire client and job support all by yourself or with one person. And yes, it happens more than you think. Individuals and companies choose to hire a single EP operative (vs. a full team) for any number of reasons, including budget, last minute change of plans, new staff, etc.

The dreaded 'single operator' gig can bring fear into the eyes of lots of EP professionals. I've worked with people who flat out refuse to do jobs like this stating things like, "you are set up for failure", or "you are just screwed before you even start." 

As the Manager of a fast-paced, global EP team, I found myself needing to send members of my team out on single operator trips, just to keep up with our globe-hopping principal. There were times we literally couldn't have staff on the ground for every location on our list, and we had to...

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IPSB Conference After-Action

My biggest takeaway from my latest industry conference?

Wow, how the Executive Protection/Close Protection (EP/CP) field and industry has grown and evolved! It is amazing!

After returning from Las Vegas having attended the 2nd annual IPSB/EP Conference, my overall impression is just being very impressed with the comradery, the genuine interest in growth and networking, and the excitement about the potential in the industry.

I can't help thinking back 20 years ago when I was getting started in the field. The thought of having a venue of over 300 industry people in one room, willingly sharing experience and ideas would have been "far-fetched". I would have loved an opportunity like that, and it just wasn't available.

I know to the new guys/gals in the industry they can't relate that far back, but to me and many others it seems like yesterday.  At the networking sessions during the conference (most valuable parts) I spoke to both senior people and newer people trying to break into...

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The forgotten 'fitness' formula

Many of the 'life lessons' that I've learned, I learned in Marine Corp Boot Camp.   One of the most valuable lessons that always stuck in my mind came from the beloved (ha, ha)  Drill Instructors. They would yell at us, " you guys are dumb as a sack of rocks, so you need to be that much more fit and strong to make up for it". 

In hindsight, I believe the message behind that statement really boils down to, 'We can't control how smart you are, but we can insure you'll be physically and mentally ready to fight, body mind and soul'.   (At least, I tell myself that's what they meant!)

Which brings me to my topic.  Fitness!  This is a broad term and can mean many things to many people.  As in mentally, psychologically or physically.  It's the physical aspect I want to focus on, but that arguably contributes and frames our mental and psychological fitness as well.

Clearly there are certain professions  where being physically in-shape is...

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Get Real

After recruiting and managing a large, high-profile executive protection team, I cringe when I hear the complaint, “I should be paid more for my skills”. And I hear that quite often.

We all want to make more money, that’s for sure. Most often the only skills that are only being referenced are (hard skills) like professional driving, EP schooling, advance work and over-all security. Those are (of course), essential skills, and constitute the bread and butter of protection work.

However, the 'bread and butter' skills are a given in our field. They are merely a starting point, and having them does not guarantee you anything more than a possible foot in the door. There are many more factors involved in being a top echelon EP guy or gal, and I can tell you from experience, that the truly top tier EP specialists have the basics down pat, and then go above and beyond these fundamentals.

For example, those on top of their game understand the 'value-add' of meshing and...

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The Good Traveler

If there is one asset that will benefit an executive protection agent, it is being a well prepared “efficient” world traveler. In my many years of traveling and protection work, I have witnessed a lot of situations that I do not care to repeat or see repeated by others. I could write a book on this subject but I’ll hit just a couple of main points here.

As I write this, I am sitting in a sketchy luggage pick up area in West Africa. My plane landed 3 hours ago, and prior to this delay, all was going smoothly as planned. Then, the inevitable happened.

I walked up to the immigration window with all my documents properly prepared and in “good order”. With the inherent language barrier, a game of charades served as our means of communication but I produced what was needed, and processed through within 10 minutes. I uttered under my breath a premature “YES!” Awesome! All done, and ready to get to the hotel for a real dinner and review the next...

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Candidates and The Recruiting Woes

Have you ever wondered how Corporate Recruiting works?  You've wondered why you have submitted  resumes to hundreds of companies, and have gotten absolutely NO responses.

Applying for jobs becomes a mind-game on your self-esteem and confidence. You begin to think it's about you, that the world is conspiring against you!

Well (in fairness), it could be some things you are doing or failed to do, but most likely you are just a victim of the Recruiting Woes.....

Trust me, I have worked with fabulous, energetic Recruiters and they want you.  But the complex systems they must navigate to do their work tend to bog them down in a barrage of resumes, phone calls and meetings.  Think about it, these recruiters staff multi-Billion/Million dollar companies that everyone wants to work for.  The typical Corporate Recruiter is doing the best she/he can, is likely filling multiple positions for multiple different departments at any given time, and only has so much time in...

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Recruiting the 'best Fit'

As a Security Department hiring manager for a multi-billion dollar company, I got to see first hand how companies struggle to recruit and retain the best. Having worked  with many good Recruiters and HR departments, I am still amazed at how many companies still recruit new EP and other security candidates by taking a generic security job profile,  and then send it out to the masses on every site in the world. Some of the best known, and most respected organizations are literally posting jobs on Craigslist because they just don't know where to find good people.
After sending out these broad-brush calls for applications, they must then cull through hundreds (if not thousands of resumes) trying to find that one candidate that is the "perfect fit". They are bombarded by resumes from great people. Military, law enforcement, security contractors...you name it. But they are not familiar with the nuances of this line of work, nor the terminology and acronyms that typically abound...

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Where to start your entry into Protection: Drive

I just completed a week-long,  24- hour surveillance detail. And I  just woke up after my first full night sleep in 5 days. I do not work these often anymore, but was called on very short notice to fill-in. I enjoy different aspects of Protection/EP Services, and it's a great opportunity to sharpen, and hone those perishable skills. Of course it's by no means glamorous work, (quite the contrary). However, surveillance is an important skill and facet of the security world, and the guys that have perfected it are awesome at it.

One reason I choose to do work like this (that's frankly out of my wheel-house), is that details like this are a great opportunity to meet new guys in the industry and expand my own network. A detail like this might put you in contact with all types of guys and gals, from the beginners (who think they know it all) to the seasoned professionals (who do pretty much know it all). Being in my mid-forties and kind of in the middle, I learn things from the...

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The Dreaded Resumé Shuffle

Applying for jobs?  Get seen, and make it count when you do.....

On one of my previous blogs I shared about the inner-workings of Corporate Recruiting, and how candidates can "get noticed".  And getting noticed is definitely the first step.

However, once they notice you, make sure that you have a resumé that is memorable in the good way, NOT the wrong way.

As you know if you've read my blogs, one of my previous roles was as a security/protection hiring manager for a billion dollar company.  I've literally reviewed hundreds of resumés, and frankly, a lot of them were terrible. Which is a shame because the people they represented could have been awesome. But the document they sent in to convince me to hire them did not do them justice. And at that stage in the process (faced with a stack of resumes to review), that's all I had to go on.

Ironically, many of the resumés that landed on my desk or in my email box were referrals from people I know and...

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