Page 63 - Security Today, July/August 2022

defensive tactics and medical skills can be taught, but having the adaptability and so- cial capability to be doing an outstanding job whether in New Delhi on Monday or in New York City on Friday is not something all Executive Protection Agents can deftly manage. There is the challenge – find people that have the hard skills but also possess the human skills. A program can’t just choose one over the other as it leaves too much of a gap for a program that needs to start getting early success delivering their services.
Executive protection specialists have diverse backgrounds including private sec- tor security, military and local/federal law enforcement. Key characteristics of out- standing EP staff include:
Resourcefulness. Even the best proce- dures are tested by non-standard situa- tions. If there is confusion, the executive protection agent is the one everyone looks to, to make it all good again.
Resilience. Resilient agents are the ones who cope with adversity and change and make it look effortless. Helplessness is never an option for EP pros.
Professional commitment. Great ex- ecutive protection agents realize that the security, privacy and productivity of the principal comes first and supersedes their own needs.
Discretion. Complete confidentiality is demanded in all matters – personal and professional.
Service minded. Executive protection is a service industry. It is about helping other people to meet their goals and objectives.
Flexible. Outstanding agents anticipate the volatility of transitioning schedules and evolving tasks. The urgency of avail- ability and mission readiness is paramount to consistently reliable operations.
Self-aware. Agents must understand their own strengths and weaknesses and not overcompensate for either of them.
Self-regulating. Good self-regulation helps an agent choose their words careful- ly and gives the option of thinking before reacting.
Socially skilled. The best agents are born networkers who lay the groundwork of solid connections everywhere from the C-Suite to the hotel kitchen.
Empathic. Empathic agents pick up on verbal and non-verbal cues that express an individual personality and a corporate culture. Controlled empathy is crucial.
Self-motivated. Successful agents are driven, have initiative, perseverance and proactivity. With non-centralized, global activities, most times the agent must work and train alone.
“Enhanced productivity for the principal is more than a byproduct of executive protection – it is a goal in itself – and often is the most tangible near and long- term benefit of best-in-class corporate executive protection programs.”
SECURE TRAVEL LOGISTICS
Simply helping principals get from A to B is something that may require a lot of ef- fort and planning.
Keeping principals safe as they move around the country and the world is the first priority but smooth travel logistics do more than that. It allows principals to make the most of their time wherever they go. By keeping their focus on running their busi- ness rather than running around looking for taxis, hotels and the next meeting, they get more done even when they are on the road.
Consider the high-profile chief execu- tive at a Fortune 500 company, who was planning a major trip that would take him to five countries spread throughout Asia. In additiontoawidevarietyofmeetingswith subsidiaries and customers, the principal has also been invited to a number of meet- ings with the highest level of government in the capitals he planned to visit. More than 25 company executives were also included in the itinerary, as they would be participat- ing in key meetings and a number of offsite events. Finally, the CEO wanted to take a short personal vacation while in the region.
Drawing on a number of internal and external resources, the team integrated their own EP agents with in-country secu- rity and logistics providers.
The itinerary was complex. The first two countries each required support in two separate cities; in the final three coun- tries, the entourage increased by up to 25 additional high-level travelers.
In order to provide the client with a consistent and familiar travel experience, agents had to “leap-frog” between destina- tions. Staff did advance work at all stops to make sure that local assets were vetted and in place, and ready to deliver accord- ing to objectives.
A support matrix was created across the entire team so that everyone involved could easily understand the plan and their roles, ensuring reliable and efficient delivery.
All travelers accomplished their planned goals, and the ambitious itiner- ary went well despite a few unforeseen in- cidents. The team easily handled the few minor illnesses that slowed down several company travelers and quickly resolved a
customs issue that interrupted the journey for one of the participants.
Even though the itinerary was complex and complicated by the large entourage and the multiple agendas and destinations, the trip went off without a hitch.
THE MOVING PARTS
Think about all the moving parts involved in an operation like that and then add in all the personalities and agendas that also have to be managed. That takes people with all of the characteristics identified earlier in this article along with the ability to keep focus on risks, threats and vulnera- bilities. Maintaining awareness and a cool head under high-pressure situations is key togainingtheconfidenceandtrustofthe people in the organization.
The next challenge that the emerging and rapidly growing industry is facing is the hiring of executive protection directors and managers. The stakes and complexity are higher to find people with human skills, hard skills and can now lead and run a ser- vice business that delivers protection and productivity support in the private sector.
The key is to find people that can lead and manage the operations, finance and administration and ensure that people are aware of the features, benefits and value- add of the organization. Be strategic and pay attention to the details. Remain fo- cused but be able to multi-task.
Have effective conversations/collabora- tions with the principal, the executive ad- ministrative assistants, the security orga- nization, human resources and recruiting as well as legal, procurement and finance.
There is a lot more to this profession than meets the eye. When it is done right, the EP agent blends into the environment and makes everything that they do look effort- less, practiced and planned – even when it is not. They are in the right place at the right time – all the time.
Brian Jantzen is executive vice president, head of executive protection and intelligence services at Allied Universal.
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