One of the things I hear so often from other security professionals is their desire to be called to assist sooner and more often. In almost every conversation I have, there is a deep desire to help. I genuinely believe that security professionals from all sectors genuinely desire to be helpful no matter the circumstance. We are, by nature, problem solvers. We want to be a part of the solution to whatever issue presents itself.
This desire is especially true in the healthcare industry, where security leaders can bring so much value to the organization, especially in the workplace violence prevention space. Sadly, I still hear that common lament; why didn’t they call us to help with that? In all honesty, that has been my frustration more than once. The challenge in these moments is to ask that question to someone besides yourself.
As I ask that question of myself, I must follow it up with the more difficult question, did I deserve the call to help? Let us think for a minute about workplace violence as an example of this issue. How many times has security been called to assist with an unruly patient after that patient has assaulted a staff member? The answer is probably more times than we can count. I can think of examples in the past where my team has responded, and we wondered out loud; why didn’t they call us to help before this person hit someone? How many cases has workplace violence program management been tasked to another department within a healthcare organization, human resources, for example? It is not wrong for human resources to be a part of workplace violence programming, but why wasn’t security tasked?
The simple truth is, if we don’t provide expertise and value to the organization, we will be overlooked in every circumstance. Our job is to provide value and to demonstrate that value. We must push the boundaries of the work we know to continuously add knowledge, skill, and capability to our organizations. We must innovate to move security services beyond door locks, cameras, and guard forces to shine new light on operational improvements. We must tap into opportunities to pursue improved protective intelligence, enhanced technology, and better training. We have to not settle for anything but the best, and in so doing, we have to push for better equipment and improved training for our staff to develop competent critical thinkers in our forces that provide improved value all their own.
We can always do more, and the key to ensuring our organizations call us for help no matter the situation lies in making sure we are prepared to deserve that call every time. What do you think? How do you earn the call for help at your facility? How do you ensure you are developing knowledge, skill, and capability for your organization? Join the conversation in the comments below, and don’t forget to like, follow and share to support the Proactive Security Blog.
