Managing Director | Consulting, Joe Zaccaria, had the opportunity to speak with the industry-recognized platformSecurityGuyTV.com during the prestigious ASIS International Conference, which took place in Dallas, Texas, on September 26, 2017. This annual conference is a globally respected event that brings together security professionals, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world to discuss the latest trends, technologies, and strategies shaping the future of security and risk management.
During the interview, Mr. Zaccaria shared his expert perspectives on a range of topics critical to the evolving landscape of security consulting. He addressed how our consulting services are uniquely positioned to meet the changing demands of organizations, from adapting to digital threats to enhancing physical security protocols and risk mitigation strategies. His commentary highlighted the importance of proactive planning, strategic responsiveness, and the growing need for tailored security solutions in today’s increasingly complex environment.
This insightful 5-minute interview at ASIS International Conference provides a concise yet powerful overview of our firm’s capabilities, our consultative approach, and the depth of knowledge we bring to our clients. Whether you’re a security professional, a business leader, or someone interested in learning how to strengthen organizational resilience, Joe Zaccaria’s conversation offers valuable takeaways.
To gain a deeper understanding of our expertise, learn about real-world applications of our services, and explore how we deliver measurable results through innovative strategies, we encourage you to watch the full interview. It’s an excellent resource for anyone looking to better understand the value of professional security consulting in today’s uncertain climate.
You can find the video, along with additional insights, case studies, and updates, by visiting our knowledge base—a growing library of resources designed to inform, support, and empower our clients and partners across industries.
How prophetic of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during his inaugural address in 1933, when he uttered those famous words, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance…” While the context at the time was far different than our experiences today, these words aptly describe how workers are feeling in 2019. Fear has become a primary concern in the modern workplace, influencing behavior, morale, and overall organizational culture. I have been fortunate to work in both the public and private sectors for over 30 years. Never in my career have I witnessed the level of fear in the workplace that I see today. While there is legitimate cause for concern about violence, the primary challenge for security professionals is to address this anxiety early and effectively—mitigating the concern before it escalates into full-blown fear.
I believe there is little debate anymore about the impact of violence on the American worker’s psyche. The recent incident in Virginia Beach serves as yet another example of why American workers are frightened. While information is still being gathered, we know a “veteran city engineer” used a firearm to target people he worked with for years. If the investigation runs its typical course, primary facts and other information will surface that will provide some insight; but, like many incidents of this nature, will fall far short of painting a complete picture. Tragic incidents like this defy understanding and leave a lasting imprint in our minds.
Organizations, especially ones open to the public, feel the tension. I have directly experienced circumstances where fear becomes so compounded, some staff feel the need to go home even when the threat is benign. In other words, “…paralyzing the ability convert retreat into advance.” From my perspective, “instant” knowledge fuels this fear. For example, we immediately know when an active assailant has occurred. Due to mandated reporting laws in many states, we can also easily find out the latest primary trends in workplace violence. The perception of one’s safety can instantly elevate based on what is read online during lunch.
What can be done to provide workers comfort when they experience fear? Security professionals know some peace of mind can be found in a strong security posture and training. A properly trained and staffed security team serves as a deterrent to violence and enhances the overall feeling of safety. Conflict resolution training, a strong zero-tolerance stance on workplace violence, mandated reporting and active-assailant training are all helpful because it enhances communication, threat recognition, reaction time and response. Engineering strategies such as video systems, electronic access, employee identification, and duress alarms have preventative benefits as well. Unfortunately, these barriers can be easily defeated. For example, a threat received via the telephone instantly touches the interior of the organization and sends the message that the threat is close-by when it could be hundreds of miles away.
The primary challenge is providing comfort to people who are in fear based on what they have experienced, even if minor. Common and vague threats such as, “I’ll be back” or “I’ll make you pay” often produce terror and a leap in thought to they are definitely coming back with a gun. I have experienced staff who simply cannot work and need to go home because of the strong, but misplaced belief that violence is about to occur. It is important as security professionals to seize this moment and leverage it to produce comfort, which should be a primary objective in any response strategy.
Primary Trust, Credibility & Comfort
The power of trust, credibility and comfort when trying to calm a fearful employee or when influencing an entire organization cannot be overlooked. A comparison can be found in healthcare. We can become very fearful when experiencing primary symptoms that could be serious. A subsequent examination by a physician leads to the conclusion that we have nothing to worry about. The doctor’s opinion gives us comfort because it is based on their experience and training. In other words, their word gives us comfort because we trust them. We trust the primary expert, and it is this trust that gives us comfort.
The challenge for primary security professionals is providing this same level of comfort when an employee or organization is experiencing fear. For security entities who provide a human behavioral threat assessment, we want the fearful employee to trust us, to believe in our opinion, based on science, (threat assessment software program, training, and experience) that the threat is minor. To develop this trust and to provide comfort, the security professional needs to:
Establish a strong partnership between security and staff – share your experiences, make yourself available, provide safety presentations, conduct human behavioral and physical threat assessments, active-assailant defense, and other safety presentations.
Primary Market your services and expertise – prepare security articles for internal publication; personal and professional safety tips, home safety, and others.
Security staff and their leaders need to exude confidence – professionally dressed, clean uniform (for those with a uniformed security presence) free of damage and avoiding unprofessional language.
Be a fast problem-solver – our critical stakeholders expect problems to be addressed; what leaves a lasting impression is when problems are solved quickly.
Promote credibility – based on training and experience; many have opinions but know you are the expert.
Familiarity breeds trustworthiness – they will come to trust and believe you.
Follow-through on commitments and bring resolution for those initially involved.
Speak to their fear. Know a rational appeal will probably not work because they are afraid. Assess appropriately. What services can you provide?
Check-in for the next several weeks. Let them know you have not forgotten. For example, one employer experienced thefts from their parking lot. Track how many patrols and contacts security made for two weeks and report back to the victims what you did and the results.
Sustain absolute trust through consistency each and every time.
For further information on how to build a strong and competent security team and how to have your word provide comfort, contact Premier Risk Solutions at www.premierrisksolutions.com.
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This webinar will examine how the workforce violence prevention continues to evolve with the advancement of technology and sociocultural evolution tools available today.
Listeners will gain a better understanding of approaches and philosophies to increase engagement of personnel working in or assigned within your team in corporate security programs of all vertical markets, with a focus on enhancing workforce violence prevention efforts.
Serving US: Seattle, Bellevue, San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Fremont, Milpitas, San Mateo, Palo Alto, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Las Vegas, Reno, Portland, Vancouver WA, Honolulu, Denver, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Chicago, Columbus, Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, Washington DC, New York City, Boston
Serving International: Vancouver Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea
Let’s start by advising that this is intended to be a high-level overview and not a state-by-state or metropolitan jurisdictional driven breakdown. However, if you are looking for such a thing, this is as decent a resource as one will find out on the net for consolidated information. Although we recommend going directly to the governmental entity in each respective state to ethically elicit information directly from them, as laws and statutes can change from year to year.
As a 2010 US Department of Justice funded research report points out, private security is an essential element of protecting persons as well as intellectual & physical property of business’ today. The private security industry has been experiencing consistent growth over the past approximate decade period of time as evidenced by a 2017 report by Statista detailing the global revenue forecast for private security to be approximately $96.3b by 2018. North America’s share of this is purportedly about 24%. Moreover, a Forbes article from August 2017 highlights that the US Department of Labor statistics claims there are over 1.1m private security officers in the US compared to 666,000 police officers. Buried within that number are that personnel operating in the Executive Protection industry as there is no separate line item for tracking this personnel specifically. The ranks within the Executive Protection segment of the industry however are growing rapidly. With each passing week/month/year there is more and more high net worth individuals coming into their own. This is causing the rapid growth within this segment of the private security services field and the need for professionalization, standards, and best practices now. With all of these moving parts in business growth, training, recruiting, hard skills, soft skills, operational tactics, etc. we cannot lose sight of our ethics. Our ethics define who we are. The French Philosopher, Albert Camus, is quoted as saying:
“A Man Without Ethics is A Wild Beast Loosed Upon This World“
There are numerous opportunities and temptations out there for any one of us to let our ethics slide, but it is important to continue acting ethically at all times. This is, however, a very slippery slope. I would go so far as to say that a person’s ethics are exemplified by how they act ethically when no one is looking or watching over them. Statutes, laws, regulations, licensing, best practices, etc., exist to ensure we all operate ethically on a level playing field with each other. There are some who may wish to bend or break said rules rather than operate ethically. They’re out there today, and their unethical actions give all of us who make every attempt to operate ethically and above-board a bad reputation, as their behavior impacts the industry negatively as a whole. It’s such unethical actions that make the news, unfortunately. Take a look over the news reports on the private security monitor from the University of Denver and you will see news stories that are generally negative towards actions taken (negligent or otherwise) by private security personnel. Those that do follow the rules generally aren’t in the news. These are the entities and people that businesses desire to do business with, at least on the surface level of things (it will get you a “foot in the door”).
How does one operate ethically in private security? Here is a list of examples (not all-inclusive):
Do not give or accept bribes of any kind
Do not make promises you cannot or do not intend on keeping
Do get all appropriate licenses to operate in any state or municipal area you intend on performing business
Do get appropriate insurance levels (typically mandated minimum by state regulations, however, some specific clients may require a higher level(s) of insurance)
Do utilize only licensed personnel for the area an operation is taking place within (i.e. if an individual is properly licensed in Washington but you have a project in Oregon just because they have a license in WA and are willing to accept the assignment does not mean they can legally operate in OR themselves based on their WA issued credentials).
Ensure you keep your certifications and licenses up to date/current. It is your responsibility to comply with the state or municipal government and/or client requirements for the assignment. You own the certifications and in many instances also the license(s); be sure they are not expired. If they do expire, it would likely bar you from an assignment until they are renewed and current.
Ensure you ethically carry your current credentials on your person during any assignment. If a person of authority from the property or law enforcement requests you to produce identification, ethically show them your current licenses as appropriate for your geographic location.
If you are acting in a subcontract capacity to another vendor company, do not issue out your company’s business card and/or similar information or solicit the other vendor company’s client for their direct business moving forward. This is bad mojo and will generally get around that you attempt to steal business. Not a reputation anyone wants in this industry for long term success.
Do not post on social media outlets before or during an assignment any information about your assignment (i.e. location, principal or company, schedule, etc details). We work under non-disclosure, confidentiality agreements and must maintain operational integrity at all times. Upon completion of the assignment if you wish to make a benign post about the assignment that is vague in it’s nature (nothing client specific, unless you have their expressed permission) that would be the time to make a post on social media if you must.
Do not speak with any members of the media about your client or your assignment. This is best reported to the client directly for their handling and/or your employer’s management but should be contained within your Op Orders or Company Handbook for reference.
Do work cordially and be cooperative with your peers and colleagues when it’s appropriate to do so (share information). If there is a subject (person) who is presenting a significant threat to the public that you know about, and there are other protective services agents working with another principal or assignment nearby, it is ethically wise and best practice to share that information with that protective team so they too can take proper preventative measures for their team and principal.
If something goes awry on your assignment, be honest and transparent about it with your client and management team. If you are not, no one will learn from the opportunity and it could cause potential stress or liability to the operational plan if it goes uncorrected.
Ensuring that a vendor agency as well as an individual(s) are operating ethically (and legally) is a critical risk management strategy incorporated into operations for those who may hire or utilize them. If the agency or individual does not operate ethically, lacks a strong Code of Ethics, or regularly practices a strategy of “cutting corners,” it will eventually catch up with them in the long term. As our industry continues to grow and expand, the people operating within it must also act ethically. Let’s be sure to pass along strong operational ethics and encourage all to behave ethically to ensure their longevity!
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Today we continue our discussion on Acumen Capacity in the protection industry series. In this article, we will focus on the third of six dimensions “Systems Judgement”.
Systems Judgment is the development of the capacity to recognize systems and connecting order in the world. This might include activities such as thinking and planning, concepts and idea development, authoritative order (laws, policies, rules, and procedures), and connecting big picture & long-term objectives.
The capacity to understand how the world around you fits together along with the cause and effect is not universal. Some individuals with high clarity can quickly and easily see patterns, understand the why behind actions, and make better decisions. The benefits of systems judgment capacity can be seen throughout the law enforcement industry for example. There are a large number of departments who use training simulators to help officers improve their systems judgment skills (Basich, 2016). The use of these training simulators allows the officers to experience various scenarios increasing their knowledge base and more quickly react and apply better judgment in decision making.
Benefits of Systems Judgment include
*Enjoys and depends on structure and order
*Understands the need for laws, policies, rules, and order
*Genuine willingness to cooperate
*Objectively evaluates ideas, plans, and theories
*Open, two-way communication with authority figures
How many times have you worked with someone who refuses to listen to directions and thinks they know better?
This describes an individual who exhibits a negative bias while maintaining a high degree of clarity in thought and analysis. Although clarity can be an asset, when paired with a counterproductive outlook, it becomes a significant barrier to team cohesion. Such a person may consistently pursue alternative courses of action primarily to achieve personal objectives, rather than aligning with the group’s agreed strategy.
This lack of connecting with the team’s purpose, connecting with shared goals, and connecting with established protocols fosters a “lone wolf” dynamic. The result is a breakdown in operational synchronization, delays in project timelines, and an elevated risk to the principal. In complex assignments, particularly those involving protective operations, success depends on all members connecting their efforts, maintaining a unified schedule, and adhering to coordinated plans to ensure the safe and effective completion of the mission.
Low Clarity with Negative Bias: Someone with this combination would very likely be confrontational, have alternatives to all directives, and generally believes he or she knows more or knows it better than the boss. This also can indicate someone with low levels of knowledge or highly specialized knowledge limiting their knowledge outside of the specialization. If the individual follows direction, they will likely not understand the rationale behind it.
High Clarity with Positive/Neutral Bias: The benefit of selecting the right professional for this assignment with high clarity and neutral or positive bias includes values structure, identifies with the company, and will respect authority & processes
Let’s take a little deeper look into this dimension of Acumen Capacity™.
The Systems Judgement dimension is evaluated in two ways first is the clarity and second the individual’s bias. The clarity tells us how well the individual can discern values in situations in the outside world. Bias provides additional insights how the individual see the world around them.
Connecting Trusted Global Private Security Services
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