As the adage goes, “when it rains it pours.” Fear and panic will spread throughout the public as quick as a brush fire; ironically, this was not far from the truth on the 6th of June 2023.
Smoke, from wildfires in Quebec, Canada, blew downstream toward the New York metropolitan area – as well as other parts New York, New Jersey, and New England, creating an increasingly high poor air level quality. For the next 48 hours, Manhattan was shrouded in an orange haze accented by a charred odor. Breathing conditions became strained and the appearance of face masks brought back sour memories of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcries ranged from mild inconvenience to partial lockdowns of commercial and residential properties to control airflow.
Security and close quarter protection operations encompass much more than deterrence of physical and cyber harm principals might face, there is also a protective, psychological aspect. Prior – mostly in the form of natural disasters, real-time, and post stages of a serious incidents or disasters, merit much more than a “muscle in the suit” approach. The well-rounded security and executive protection agent also safeguard and provides mental peace of mind of those under protection.
No two principals are alike.
Some principals have the mental toughness and rationale to adapt and cope with unexpected or precarious circumstances and others fall victim to the dire outlooks portrayed an many news and social media outlets. Security and executive protection personnel must act as optimistic strategists.
Moreover, security and executive protection management and leaders respectively, must ensure that they themselves, and their teams, maintain this mindset because if the protectors are mentally incapacitated, this increases the likelihood of harm for all those involved in the close quarter protection detail.
The public and principals might not see security as one to run to during a normal day; however, one can bet that they will be sought in the event of inconvenience, incidents, and fear. Researching and understanding the principals’ organization and personal attributes are force multipliers in preparation to face physical and psychological roadblocks that may occur.
Even though C-Suite members appear to many as untouchable, all-powerful, and able to buy their way out of anything, they too can be frightened and fear negative backlash from a serious incident or crises gone wrong. Consultant Roger Jones (Harvard Business Review, 2015), conducted a survey of C-Suite executives, and learned that the most common fears among them included but were not limited to:
- “Imposter Syndrome,” where the executive feels themselves as to be found incompetent.
- Underachieving.
- Appearing too vulnerable and foolish.
The first step to overcoming something is to see something, or someone, for what they really are and understand that everyone must answer to someone – i.e. the Board of Directors, Stakeholders.
C-Suite executives and upper management might have more monetary means, possess greater organizational power, and can end security contracts and/or funding if deemed necessary; however, the human element must not be underestimated or removed out of the security and executive protection framework.