HSTV Presents: Leadership 101

Leadership 101 For Homeland Security Professionals. HSTV talks to Donald E. Vandergriff, a leader development expert, and Terry Shear, the Vice Consul for Homeland Security at the British Embassy about the issues surrounding leadership development in homeland security.

Starts March 1

The type of leadership methodology we in law enforcement and security should be practicing is adaptive leadership. Adaptive leadership is a method of leadership that is constant and all encompassing. All encompassing not in the sense of let’s all sit around, hold hands and hope things work out,  instead in the real sense of lets create and nurture the proper climate and culture that breeds mutual trust and cohesion. Allowing an organization to adapt and deal with any problem as it unfolds. This includes prevention efforts and response abilities.

Developing superior individual and collective situational awareness through constant analysis, synthesis and experimentation in a given set of circumstances overrides any plan due to an ability to adapt on the fly, individually and collectively.

“…Experimentation is not a destination to be reached, but an unending process of trial, feedback, learning, renewal and experimentation again. The organization as a whole is agile, ready to learn, continually changing and improving. It is fast, flexible and never prepared to say: “We have not finished getting better.” Innovative organizations depend less on forecasting, planning and control and more on scanning, agility and feedback. Innovative organizations embrace uncertainty, recognizing that an uncertain future potentially holds as many opportunities as it does threats.”  ~Brig.Gen. David Fastabend and Robert Simpson

Leadership is a daily activity, not  just an event activity. Adaptive Leaders, lead daily by interacting with, training and developing their people and themselves for the conventional and unconventional threats and problems foreseen and unforeseen. Leadership 101 video series will be well worth viewing.

~Fred

Reality and its Discontents: Anger, Rage and Workplace Violence

Violence and mass murder in the workplace is a growing problem here in America. The workplace has been especially hard hit by our rage epidemic, serving almost routinely as the gory staging ground for some disgruntled ex-employee, worker or customer's violent revenge. According to one sobering study of the single year 1992-93, more than two million workers were victims of physical violence in the workplace; over six million were threatened; and more than sixteen million employees were harassed at work. By some estimates, billions of dollars are being lost annually due to the negative impact of workplace violence on the morale, productivity and mental or physical health of American workers. The statistical fact that most mass murderers are men, and that men commit the vast majority of violent crimes, doesn't necessarily mean that women don't also have the capacity to kill. Women share with men the innate potentiality to violently rebel against reality.

Outstanding article on the possible causes of violent outbreaks in the workplace. ~Fred

Napolitano Calls Fort Hood Shooting 'Terrorism'

For the first time, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has publicly used the word "terrorism" to describe last year's attack at Fort Hood Army Base.

In a hearing, Wednesday, Napolitano said "violent Islamic terrorism was part and parcel of the Fort hood killings" by American soldier Nidal Hissan.

Deer Creek Middle School benefited from Columbine shooting

The shootings at Columbine caught everyone by surprise. This time, law enforcement and school officials managed the chaos and did what they were trained to do. They averted an even worse tragedy. Deer Creek Middle School benefited from the Columbine shooting or did the Columbine shooting lead to this one?

The shock is profound but the element of surprise is not. America has seen this before. Everyone will be talking about this shooting until the next shooting. Has America done too much to be prepared for violence and to deal with violence, but not enough to stop violence?

Lessons learned…APPLIED!!! ~Fred

Review in police shooting may take weeks

The prosecutor would not say how many times Jones was hit, or if he was shot by both police officers who fired at him or just one.

"Until the investigation is complete and we find out if the shooting is justifiable or not, I don't want to start talking about the details because that all goes into the analysis," she said.

Someone who understands the difference between just giving the press something on a moments notice to appease and actually telling them when I have concluded my investigation I will tell you what I know…I say BRAVO!!! ~Fred