In October 2017, I received a call to say I would be the advance officer (AO) to Israel and Palestine for a government visit. After starting my career in executive protection (EP), this was my first overseas assignment to the Middle East.
I would get to work with Israel’s Shin Bet. And we would visit both the Israeli Prime Minister’s office and the Palestinian Presidential offices. Not many young EP agents get an opportunity to be a lead AO on a visit of this scale. This was an opportunity I would never have thought twice about as a significant moment within my career.
Becoming a Dad
Fast forward four and half years, and I am staring at a first response pregnancy test that my partner handed to me with two lines indicating a positive result. That’s when the reality of having a baby started to sink in.
I couldn’t stop thinking about becoming a dad. It was a mixture of feelings. In the following months, we got stuck with planning and determining how our lives would change. I often thought: How will this affect my operational abilities within my career?
I have never had to worry about missing birthdays or teacher/parent nights, but all of that would change from here. As a male, I couldn’t complain. My partner was taking a year off to pause her career for us to raise a family. But I wanted to be better prepared. Searching for information and articles on first-time dads in the EP industry, there was nothing that could help me navigate through managing family life while still performing in EP at a high standard.
Keeping Lives Private
The EP industry is known for not sharing personal information or experiences. The majority of people you meet keep their family lives private. In the scene from 13 Hours, when John Krasinki is sitting on the plane getting ready to land in Africa, he takes off his wedding ring. Similarly, the EP industry has always had a strong divide between work and family life.
When you do a Google or YouTube search on EP training, there are thousands of links to different companies and programs. However, when you do a specific search for “EP work-life balance,” there are only two results. Both relate to job adverts on indeed.com.
I continued to look for information and guidance on the EP industry and managing family life. In fact, I soon realized this is not a topic that is regularly up for discussion.
The entire EP industry has gone through positive change over the last few years. People are stepping out of the shadows. New training schools are formed, and online training is more accessible to people. In addition, numerous schools and companies use social media. This includes an entire network of experienced operators from the EP industry who have opened up to the world to share more about their personal lives and career stories.
Therefore, this could be an excellent opportunity to start the discussion around the topic of work-life balance and family in the EP industry.
Rewinding Time
In the time leading up to the birth of my son Max, I would have a go-bag packed and ready with my passport and documentation ready. I would never say ‘no’ to an assignment or need to worry about anything personal plans. But, when Max arrived, that had all changed.
I don’t want to miss his first steps or his birthday. Maybe this change in mentality sounds selfish, but these are precious moments in life we will never get back. There will always be work available, travel, and operations, but you can’t rewind time.
I started looking at what information was available to similar industries to EP, such as law enforcement, the military, and people in the travel industry. For example, there are over one million search results for work-life balance in law enforcement compared to the two in EP.
Due to the pandemic and the closure of borders and air travel, I was lucky to spend the first three months of my son’s life at home. I watched him grow, and I supported my family in adjusting to being first-time parents.
With COVID-19 coming to a slow end and borders beginning to open, international travel is rapidly increasing, and international events are kicking off. So as we throw ourselves back into the thick of close protection work, is there anything we can take from our time locked at home with our kids and family? What is work-life balance all about?
Vital Advice
If I were asked by a young EP agent what advice I could give, it would be the importance of routine. Routine in managing your work-life balance, having time set aside in your schedule for the family.
Creating these routines may be easier for some than others. If you are an EP agent looking after a celebrity, getting away from work could be extremely difficult. All of us have varying demands in our field and levels of flexibility. It’s about making that time to be home and be present in your family’s life.
In the United Kingdom, a study by G. Kinman, A. McDowall, and M. Cropley found that police officers experience high levels of operational and organizational stressors and are at considerable risk of:
- Emotional exhaustion,
- Psychological distress,
- Burnout, and
- PTSD.
In addition, these demands inherent in police work can negatively affect family life.
Many reports from police and military studies show the importance of diet, sleep and exercise to develop those barriers between work and family life. As many of us know in the EP industry, sleep and time for exercise when traveling can be a challenge, and we are never far from the catering team. This highlights the importance of routine when you can, making sure you get the sleep your body needs, and the discipline to take the time to eat healthy when working.
I hope this article plants a seed and has given each reader a few minutes to reflect on their lifestyle, family, and work-life balance. The effort we put into training and time on the range should match the effort we put into family or our self-care time.
