Marcus Aurelius said, “everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” 

We live in a time where people’s opinions invade, dictate, and in some instances, ruin lives. Businesses opinions sell merchandise. Financial and political people tell you where to invest your money or who you should vote for. Opinions are very personal, varying from person to person, but they all have in common that they are nothing but a singular view of a singular event or action.

It’s your view and belief into whatever that event is or should be, and these views are constant every minute of every day. For example, what are you going to eat and why? What route to work are you taking and why? What gas are you putting in your vehicle and why? What source of liquid intake do you choose, and again, why? Opinions are your personal preferences and views, and (at least from an American perspective) they are protected by freedoms we have as citizens. You are entitled to your opinion. You may express that opinion at any time and wherever you may be.

Social media has expanded those opinions beyond the regular outlets, such as print, T.V., the media, and radio. The expansion of social media platforms has now emboldened anonymity as a defense. People that would never have the courage to voice their opinion(s) in a face-to-face conversation can now spew that opinion on social media with zero cares given. Some good, some bad, some far out, and some dangerous for a multitude of reasons. There is also no shortage of opinions from managers, advisers, accountants, trainers, record executives, etc.  Then there are the men and women of E.P. that have to understand and navigate the possible perils of having and voicing an “opinion.”

I was told and taught early in my career that executive protection specialists don’t have opinions. If your client asks for your opinion, you should give your client an educated discernment of the facts as you know them to be NOT your opinion. And therein lies the difference. Whether you are a specialist that works 100 hours a week or just 10 hours, minute by minute decisions have to be made. And each decision is a catalyst to whether the client has a safe transition from place to place at a given time.  I’ve seen instances where offering an opinion has even cost specialists their jobs. So, how you can navigate this and avoid not falling into the same situation? The best way is to try and make your professional judgments your voice and not your feelings, guesses, or opinions.

A major mistake that will shorten your shelf life as a specialist is engaging in and offering an unsolicited opinion. Usually, this is done by newer specialists that are not used to the level of protection they are involved in. That’s not to say that there aren’t experienced specialists that do it daily because there are. The mistake is made when you confuse your opinion as a position of power or importance. And that usually annoys the most hardened of clients.

It usually goes something like this:

The client is talking to a publicist about an appearance that the client has pending that day. You are present during discussions. The client is hesitant about going because of the event’s lack of importance to them or their image. As the publicist tries to convince the client to appear and why, you chime in and say, “well, such and such will be there, and last year I worked that event with so and so, and it was off the chain, you should go!” Cue the noise the “X” makes when you get an answer wrong on the Family Feud game show.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Nobody asked you for your opinion, especially if that opinion is based on your ambition to be seen at the event with your client. Maturity in our craft is realizing that many things don’t require your opinion. The other major problem is that specialists have a lot to say about a life they’ve never lived, so how is your opinion even relevant? It’s not going to be long before you are looking for another client to work for.

We’ve all heard the saying, “stay in your lane.”  It sounds so unambiguous and straightforward, but it’s the hardest practice to perfect for many. Whether it’s a need to be involved, a sense of importance, or a “know it all” complex, many careers are sidelined because of one or a combination of any of these.

Another constant vehicle of failure for many in our industry is their personal opinions being cast on social media. Most specialists don’t realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. If you allow your opinion (which you’re entitled to) to permeate your daily views on social media, they will follow you every day. If you have nothing but horrible things to say about a particular political party, how can you protect a person of that party? If you have nothing good to say about a person and who they love, how can you provide authentic protection to someone of that realm? If you constantly espouse to “know it all” on social media, then that attitude will likely get you overlooked for working a detail because you “know it all.”

Now you may ask, “well, how in the hell do I keep my client safe if I can’t give her/him my opinion?” Here is where many in our industry fail to realize why the soft skills you must possess and perfect are the most important skills you must have in E.P. Is a well-planned and accurate discernment of the facts being given to your client an opinion? Are your plans for your clients’ movements on a given day based on facts or opinions? Can you articulate a fact-based plan to your client when asked without your opinion becoming relevant? Can you navigate through other people’s opinions using what you can and disregarding what you can’t (staff, managers, advisers, publicists) to accurately and safely provide protection without interjecting your opinion? If there is an AOP, at what point is your opinion going to matter? But if your actions are based on factual planning, it might be the difference between surviving the attack or not. Your opinion of the adversary means nothing. Remember that.

Now let’s take the same scenario from earlier, and you have NOT given your unsolicited opinion. Your client, during her deliberations, asks you for your INPUT or SUGGESTIONS on attending the event. Can you provide your professional security input and not an opinion?

The client might say:
“I’m concerned about some things having to do with attending this event. One is the length of my time there. Secondly, access to the event and how long it will take because I have another appearance to make afterwards. Lastly, my safety while there because last year there were problems associated with the event. What are your thoughts?”

Sounds like manager questions, huh? This is why you must be well versed. These are usual questions a client might ask her manager, but you are a manager of her health and well being while attending an event.

So, without interjecting your opinion, you can say:
“Sir/ma’am, along with the management team, I have planned our arrival to the closest time possible, so you don’t have to wait around. Our time to the event is such and such time from here barring traffic, which I’ll check on before our departure. In the event of traffic, we will take such and such route and arrive at such and such time. I have also arranged to enter through the ‘such and such’ entrance, which will cut down on the distance and time to your event space. I don’t anticipate it taking long. Also, in my consultations with the event coordinator and my safety concerns, I’ve consulted with the event managers earlier today. I have strong representation from the event sponsors that they have increased and changed the venue security. The attendees to which the problems of the prior event can be attributed to will not be attending this year. However, should an occurrence take place, we will do the following. We will depart at ‘such and such’ time, and be arriving at your next event at, ‘such and such,’ time.”

And there you have an “educated discernment of the facts as you know them to be”, not your opinion. Does that mean that those plans will 100% come to fruition? Absolutely not. So have a  plan. I once heard an A-list celebrity say to their security professional after he offered an unsolicited opinion to her say, “that’s your opinion, this is my life, so what you have to say means nothing!”

Keep your opinions out of E.P. They don’t matter, even if it pertains to security. Base your decisions and advice on your client’s safety on the factual, tireless, thankless, advance work you’ve hopefully done. The facts you have gathered can provide the best security you can for your client, over your or anyone else’s “opinions,” and make no doubt about it. This strategy will increase your worth.

 

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Having “Opinions” Can Make or Break You
By Mark Roche EPS

Mark Roche is a US Based, full-time Executive Protection Specialist.  He is a FAA Licensed Drone Pilot, specializing in EP related uses and a graduate of multiple close protection programs.