The Secret to Successful Celebrity Security Teams

In the brilliant words of Michael Jordan, Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. Lone players in the executive protection industry usually don’t make it far. That’s why experts regard working in teams as crucial for client protection. Celebrity security teams are tight-knit groups of individuals with a joint goal of ensuring the principal’s well-being.

In VIPs with the Tightest Celebrity Protection Teams, we explore some of the best paid and most famous celebrity security teams. Some have a controversial reputation, and others are known for their stealth mode. The only thing they all have in common is that they enforce different approaches.

For example, a few have become synonymous with harsh behavior toward fans, while many seem to be par excellence hotties.

By the way, one doesn’t exclude the other.

So, no matter if you agree with their methods or not, they have the task to protect their clients effectively. The point isn’t only to provide physical safety to a principal but also to ensure that their privacy and lifestyle remain intact.

And good luck with any of that if you are on your own.

Teams Beat Individual Work Every Single Time

Although we don’t deny that some EP agents are remarkably good at what they do, having teams is invaluable. When it comes to high-level principals, like government officials, you must have multiple people on your detail.

The reason? You need one protection agent with superior driving skills and another one with advance work abilities. And oh, a third person for managing crowd control barriers. And yeah, perhaps including a fourth agent to monitor your CCTV footage could also be helpful. We also almost forgot…

Do you see where we’re getting at? There is no end to increasing the number of executive protection staff. But having one more person on the team is beneficial in most cases, especially at A-list events.

Pro tip: TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More. You would have to try really hard to find the I there. That ought to tell you something.

But for those among you who are really passionate about defining terms, here are three official definitions of teamwork:

• The combined actions of a group of people working together.
• A collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a task.
• Work that several associates arrange, with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the whole group’s efficiency.

Fostering Teamwork above Everything Else

Teamwork is so essential in providing security services that some specialists make it a priority.

So let’s dissect the topic of teamwork briefly, looking at what professionals have to say about it.

For starters, every celebrity security team should only have one common goal in mind ― protecting the client. Everything else is less significant. Companies reach this aim by developing trust among the security staff, supervisors, and management. Yes, usually, the clients themselves aren’t involved in the equation.

But first, companies have to fulfill certain preconditions. These include attracting the right candidates and vetting applicants thoroughly. Don’t let just anybody enter your company. Choose the people with at least some standing in the industry. If you don’t know where to spot them, ask your fellow EP industry colleagues. They’ll know.

When we asked one of the most prominent EP professionals out there, Anton Kalaydjian, CEO and Founder of Guardian Professional Security, about his thoughts on this topic, he told us this:

I enjoyed reading this article, especially the just respect it showed to the CP industry. Although working as a solo practitioner does have its benefits, having help certainly outweighs them. When you have each guard playing their position, whether it be CPO, Advance, Venue Security, Driver, or Support, there is nothing better.

As long as we all “stay in our lanes,” the ultimate outcome will be successful. It will look like poetry in motion. This builds trust and without trust, teamwork is not possible. One of my clients, a female pop star, used to always tell her dancers, DJ, backup vocals, engineers, etc, in her pre-show huddles, that “Teamwork makes the dream work”!

And that’s how they’d break the huddle before each show. It’s no wonder, with that contagious attitude, that she is still on top. There is no better feeling than to know you can trust your teammates to do their job masterfully. Well, maybe the fact that they can trust you to do yours is even better.

How to Motivate Teams

Fortunately, we will present you here with a secret list―shhh―of points as to how a company can do just that:

• Pay the employees livable wages. That way, they will hold the company in high regard and work better within their celebrity security team. Good salaries create dependable employees that produce good work results.
• Bear in mind the travel distances between employees’ homes and the company office. They will appreciate the company leaders and supervisors for meeting their needs and thinking of them. We have yet to hear from employees who love their two-hour-long commutes. Let us know if you are aware of any.
• Take care of work-life balance by offering shift preferences. Yes, even the most proficient EP agents, bodyguards, and protectors have families, pets, or homes. Organize company policies to enable employees to have their personal lives. Remember the 8-8-8 rule? Eight hours of sleep, eight hours of play, and eight hours of work. It was established for a reason.

We have now addressed what company leaders can do to make their employees more productive. So, let’s touch upon the power of celebrity security teams in cultivating team efforts.

The Top Core Feats of Celeb Security Teams

Unlike 50 years ago, when people didn’t genuinely get to choose which job they enjoyed doing, nowadays we have more options. Employers are more dedicated to the well-being of their staff. Relevant procedures are in place to ensure the company caters to the needs of the workers.

On top of it all, future employees get to decide where they will work. They ask for job raises and improved working conditions. In a nutshell, now the focus is mostly on employees, rather than the prominent company magnates. You could even say that businesses are increasingly moving to become employee-centric.

In light of it, there are a few feats future members of celebrity security teams seek. And since we have already started revealing our top-secret lists to you―shhh―let’s proceed in this fashion.

1) You need leaders.

They help your team gain real and perceived strength. But make sure you have the right leader in place, somebody who isn’t full of themselves and respects all team members equally. Creating team synergy goes a long way, and having team leaders who recognize others’ work goes an even longer way.

2) You need tools.

They amplify your ability to communicate team-wide, improve your sense of connectivity, and allow you to respond to threats quickly. Some of the practical devices you need include cables and chargers, satellite communicators, emergency phones, etc. You may have noticed we didn’t mention guns. Okay, now we have.

3) You need information-sharing techniques.

They allow for a smooth flow of information and relevant data that either contributes to your team’s effectiveness or hinders it. You’ll be the judge of the level of information-sharing necessary for your celeb security team’s success. Getting everyone on the same page is as important as it sounds.

The Holy Trinity of EP

Somebody has to be in charge. And when everybody is in charge, then nobody is in charge. If you know what we mean. The leader has to be responsible for the team’s actions, and team members have to be accountable to their leader.

When you merge flawless teamwork and impeccable leadership, then all events go according to plan. That is, according to your plan, and not the star-crazed fan’s who wants to disrupt your client’s concert or public celebration.

American businessman and entrepreneur James Cash Penney once said: The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.

On that note, talk to one another if you are part of a team, use practical tools, enforce information-sharing channels, and you are good to go. Dare we say it, you are close to being invincible as an executive protection agent.

The Perks of Working in Celebrity Security Teams

It’s no secret that the job of executive protection agents and their fellow peers has a ton of advantages attached. They include but aren’t restricted to fancy cars and a lavish lifestyle. As Bill Gates famously put it, If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake, but if you die poor, it’s your mistake.

But what does he know? After all, he got pied in public. Hopefully, he also replaced his security team minutes later.

Investing superhuman effort in having a sustainable and professional protection team makes all the difference. Speaking of which, let’s look at the main benefits of working in celebrity security teams:

• Traveling to exciting new places worldwide or country-wide,
• Feeling you are important as you are protecting someone’s life and well-being,
• Experiencing the luxury of great food, deluxe vehicles, and superb company, and,
• Savoring plenty of downtime to relax if you aren’t needed on the job at specific points during the day. Here is where having coworkers jump in is so vital. Security teams rock!

If that isn’t enough to make you start an executive protection career, we don’t know what is. Perhaps you may even consider launching your career in some of the more proficient EP companies. You won’t regret your decision in that case.

And yes, we know that many executive protection movies feature lone wolves who fight dozens of bad guys. That’s why they are called movies.

Reputation Always Gets You Ahead

Nothing beats reliability and honor in the EP world. If a company has a track record of protecting clients in every situation, that’s the team you should join. It should be relatively easy to check how many engagements a firm has had over the years. Study their website, read client testimonials, explore news sources, and similar stuff.

If everything checks out great, get aboard the team if you are an aspiring EP professional, or hire them if you are a principal.

Another thing to consider is getting your values and skills in order. You ought to know what industry leaders deem as inevitable for doing the actual work.

For example, here are a few traits to take into account, and not necessarily in this order:

• Perfect health and fitness,
• State-of-the-art communication skills,
• Promoting the EP profession as you would a badge of honor,
• Proving your worth to the client and the celebrity security team,
• Outstanding driving and maneuvering abilities, and,
• Relevant training and experience in the industry or outside of it.

To expand on the last point, relevant firms should train you to be able to work as both an armed and unarmed professional. That way, you can tailor your services to the specific situations at hand. Some of the best training companies include Executive Security International and Executive Protection Institute.

All these are ways to build and strengthen your rep. As many EP agents and specialists believe, you don’t have a place in the industry without it. And we couldn’t agree more.

Discretion and Privacy as EP Pillars

When you have a five-person security detail, it’s nearly impossible to stay unnoticed in public. That’s especially important when it comes to bad publicity or law enforcement issues that the client encounters. The more recognizable the executive is in public, the harder it is to keep them under the radar.

Some industry leaders criticize EP professionals or rookies who like to bask in their clients’ luxurious lifestyle. They post extravagant photos on social media and focus on themselves rather than the client. There are no words to emphasize how problematic this behavior is. Actually, there may be, but we would like to keep the EP Wired website profanity-free.

As much as restrictive confidentiality protocols can inspire EP professionals to act responsibly, many firms don’t apply them. Big-mouthed security personnel can bring the entire celebrity protection team and the principal in jeopardy.

Therefore, stay low, stay safe, preserve your integrity at all costs.

Speaking of integrity, although the client pays you to protect them, they usually have no clue how you should respond in a situation. If push comes to shove, listen to yourself, not them. After all, you and your team are the experts, not the person with the most money in their bank account. With all due respect to all principals.

Summing Up on Celebrity Security Teams

Thanks to the instantly applicable strategies and tools we offered here, you can quickly turn on beast mode in managing celebrity security teams.

This article explored many of the nuances that aren’t visible at face value. No surprise there, as celebrity security teams comprise individuals with their own set of beliefs and attitudes. It’s entirely wrong to say that all celebrity protection teams are like this or like that. There’s nothing farther from the truth.

And what’s even farther from the truth is the claim that the EP industry is a concoction of same-minded people and unchanging trends. Well, we got some news for you, it’s not.

In conclusion, if all this seemed like a lot to take in, you are probably just getting started with the EP industry. In that case, we got the perfect thing for you right here: Getting Started with an Executive Protection Business Plan.

And if we didn’t manage to convince you of the importance of teamwork so far, here’s an excellent quote by American author Ken Blanchard: None of us is as smart as all of us. Das Ende.