When you decide to move from military or police life to corporate protection keep in mind that you need to make some changes to your professional structure in order to focus on business protection.
by Héctor Torres, PhD, MBA, CPP, CFE
A fraternal greeting from Puerto Rico to all colleagues and readers of this column! It is a pleasure to share again with you. A very special greeting to Mr. Olegario Zambrano with whom I had the privilege of working in the Ministry of Defense of Colombia a few years ago.
I was sharing with this great friend and we talked about our transition from militia to the world of corporate security. For me this transition was full of personal and professional challenges to the point of becoming a real martyrdom because I had no idea how different corporate security was from military security.
I was able to overcome these challenges thanks to two great colleagues in corporate security; Dr. Ralph Otero and Dr. José Cruz, who always took advantage of their valuable time to advise me and develop me professionally. However, I would have liked someone to have given me some practical advice to prepare myself before I started this transition.
In this issue, I want to share three tips for all military or police officers who have already started or are about to enter corporate security to be successful in their transition.
1) Enter the world of corporate security with an open mind and heart.
Although experiences as military or police officers establish a good basis for entering corporate security, we must focus on the future and not on the past. You have to have a lot of humility and be willing to learn corporate security management. There is a Chinese proverb that says that in order to taste a different tea you have to first empty your cup.
To learn the business of corporate security, we must change the way we think. One must accept the fact that military, police or intelligence experience does not adequately prepare for corporate security. The difference is that corporate security is the managerial function of businesses that is responsible for protecting the assets of a corporation or organization. The emphasis of the definition is on the part of business managerial function.
As a business management function, corporate security in the twenty-first century is based on three important principles: predictability, control and the creation of added value. Predictability is the identification of the risks and vulnerabilities of the corporation is its business environment. Control is based on the measures taken by corporate security to protect the corporation from risks and vulnerabilities. Finally, value-added creation is achieved when the managerial function of the corporate security business improves organizational efficiency, improves profits, and develops a competitive advantage for the corporation. That is, it is not doing security for the sake of doing security.
2) Develop professionally in the business world. Consider returning to college to earn bachelor's or master's degrees in business management to deal with the stigmas associated with having been a military or a police officer. Additionally, the business world is changing vertiginously and therefore business administration. Consider obtaining professional certifications within the security field through recognized organizations such as the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). Look for good counselors inside and outside the corporation who can assist you in your professional development in the fields of security and business.
3) Become leaders who promote organizational change.
As I have already pointed out, the business environment in the XXI Century is an extremely volatile one. Therefore, organizations have to constantly and continuously adapt to changes in their business environment. If they don't adapt, organizations can't compete properly and if they can't compete they will cease to exist. Organizational change requires strong leaders who are agents of change.
A change agent is defined as a leader who acts as a catalyst for organizational change. Business organizations are looking for leaders they can execute as agents of change. To be a good agent of change, these leaders have to be wise entrepreneurs in the management of the organization's business.
I invite you to continue to share your ideas and concerns of the world and security management.
A hug and see you next time!!
If you wish you can write to the author at the email: [email protected]
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