The Need for Comprehensive Skills in Team Lead & Operations Manager Roles in Executive Protection
We see a lot of articles and posts that address the issues with executive protection agents or what skills are needed and how one should perform as a member of the team. But we rarely see an article that clearly addresses the issues concerning those in positions such as a team leader, security manager or operational director. While its always easy to blame the boots on the ground, it’s important to see and address the issues concerning those who are managing them.
Primarily, we see leadership positions held by people who have just left (Yes, that’s correct, just left) the employ of the ‘Three-letter’ agencies, military, or in some cases, people who have been heavily involved in the industry as EP agents for a number of years. As you can understand, there’s every reason why the first group are, quite often, the best choice for such roles. So today we will discuss the second group, and why the EP industry today, demands more from its leaders than just experience in the field.
We all know that positions like Team Leaders (TLs), Security Managers, or Operations Managers play an important role in ensuring the success of protection teams and client satisfaction, and why holding one of these positions is not just about having a “higher role” (and payrate). However, a recurring issue in the industry is that many individuals ascend to these roles solely based on time served as EP agents, security guards, military service, law enforcement, or other security-related positions. While such backgrounds may seem at first to provide a strong foundation, they are insufficient on their own to support the multifaceted challenges a leadership position entails. Being a good soldier, having a great arrest record as a police officer or K9 handler, or having been an EP agent for ‘X’ amount of time, doesn’t automatically translate that you are a great fit for a leadership position.
Leadership roles have critical needs that go beyond their past experience, and they require additional skills and training in diverse domains. The consequences of neglecting professional growth in these areas can result in complications such as poor hiring decisions, misaligned role assignments, and inadequate team management. You will be amazed to realize how many times a failure wasn’t so much the fault of the lowly agent, but primarily due to the people in those leadership positions above them.
The Problem with Experience-Only Leadership
Experience in the military, law enforcement or other security related roles, often instill discipline, situational awareness, and tactical skills, qualities that are valuable in executive protection. However, these experiences (or the time you spent in the career) may not translate to effective leadership or operational management in a corporate or private security setting. Here’s why:
Inability to Define the Right Candidate for the Job
Many TLs, Security Managers, and Operations Managers lack the skills to create detailed job profiles for hiring. Instead of matching the best candidate to the job's requirements, they often try to tailor the job to fit the skills of candidates they personally favor. They often default to selecting individuals with similar backgrounds as theirs or their generalized security experience. They overlook key factors such as soft skills, specialized training, and the ability to adapt to the diverse requirements that the client needs or wants. And even more detrimental, there are many cases of managers and detail leaders who find the resume or background of a highly qualified candidate to be intimidating and/or feel challenged by their respective experience and remove them from the list of qualified applicants. While the industry seems to always be complaining about the “quality” of agents, no one appears to be complaining about who did or didn’t hire them for the client in the first place! The best ‘fit’ for the task is not always on the task…
Challenges in Role Assignment
Even after hiring, many leaders fail to continue to assess their team members' individual strengths and weaknesses. Each agent brings specific skills to the table, yet instead of assigning them to roles that align with their expertise, such as surveillance detection, client interactions, or working with children, they often assign tasks indiscriminately. This approach leads to inefficiency, mistakes and decreased team morale. While it can sometimes be challenging to identify the best role for an individual, leaders should be open to reassigning team members. If a placement doesn’t work, avoid forcing it and instead, reassign them to a different position. Leaders must be willing to experiment and refine roles until each team member is in a position that maximizes their value within the team. Try to maintain a long-term mindset. Role assignments are not static; they should evolve as agents grow in their careers and as team needs change.
It is also important to create a culture where team members feel comfortable discussing their strengths, preferences, and areas where they excel. This insight can be invaluable when deciding role assignments. In addition, when assigning roles, think beyond individual skills and consider how team members will interact. The right mix of personalities and expertise can significantly enhance overall team effectiveness…And the wrong combination can be its downfall.
Lack of Professional Empathy
Good and effective leaders must be able to balance operational demands with the well-being of their team. Unfortunately, history has shown us that 9 out of 10 in leadership positions don’t particularly care about their team. This can come about because they are not aware of what it takes to be the agent on the ground, or because of their own past experiences in very much different environments. They expect their agents to work overtime (mostly without being paid for it) or handle unreasonable workloads without considering the impact on their wellbeing and operational performance. It still baffles us that many do not seem to grasp the fact that if you overwork your agents, their attention to detail and their reaction time to incidents will suffer significantly. And we all know how important these two areas are for a protective detail!
Some will even go to extra lengths to ask the agents to do duties that are outside their scope of work, because they do not want to “inconvenience” their clients by making proper demands. And we have found out, instead of standing up for their teams, they are terrified to speak to their clients. They allow their ‘Boots on the Ground’ (who are the most important part of any security detail) to be abused and mistreated, instead of doing what their job calls for, which is to be the go-between and make sure the team has what is needed and that they are all being taken care of.
And for those reasons, this is the type of additional training, skills, and mindset critical for such roles:
-Leadership and Management Training: Leadership courses can teach skills like conflict resolution, team building, and emotional intelligence. Leaders who can inspire trust and foster a positive team culture are more likely to achieve long-term success.
-Human Resource Management: Training in hiring practices and personnel management is crucial for selecting the right candidates and building a well-rounded team. Leaders should learn how to conduct behavioral interviews, assess qualifications, and identify red flags during the recruitment process.
-Operational Planning and Logistics: Advanced training in operational planning can help leaders create efficient schedules, optimize resources, and assign roles based on individual expertise. This ensures that every team member contributes their best to the mission.
-Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Leaders must cultivate professional empathy—understanding their team’s needs, limitations, and aspirations. This includes setting reasonable work hours, recognizing accomplishments, and providing support during challenging assignments.
When TLs and Operations Managers possess well-rounded skill sets, the entire team and client benefits.
A leader with HR skills can build a diverse and competent team, ensuring that each member contributes unique strengths to the operation. By aligning team members with tasks that match their expertise, leaders can enhance efficiency and job satisfaction.
A leader who shows empathy and prioritizes work-life balance, fosters loyalty and motivation, leading to better performance and lower turnover. When the team operates seamlessly under skilled leadership, clients receive a higher level of service, strengthening the organization’s reputation.
The roles of TLs, Security Managers, and Operations Managers in executive protection are too critical to be entrusted to someone whose value is solely based on some specific skillset unrelated to the role. While some backgrounds can be valuable, they must be complemented by additional training and skills in leadership, human resources, operational planning, and empathy. Only then can these leaders effectively hire, manage, and deploy their teams, ensuring operational success and client satisfaction.
For the EP industry to continue evolving, it’s time to prioritize comprehensive development for those in leadership positions. This is not just a recommendation—it’s a necessity for the future of executive protection.
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