Weekend Building Blocks - 30 JUN 2017


There's no value in collecting blocks unless you're connecting them to build something awesome!
Scuba diving. Parade floats. Street cops. Trainers with self-awareness. A wide variety of topics in this week's list:
  1. The Real World Dangers of Diving and How to Prevent Them. Derek Gill with Imminent Threat Solutions discusses scuba diving threats. The closest I've been to scuba diving a 20-minute snuba on a snorkeling excursion on my honeymoon. I found value in this article because of, not the technical knowledge, but the structure of how it's presented. Very articulate format. Plus I learned something! Meanwhile, I think I'll stay on the surface with my snorkel. 
  2. The Critical Component Missing From Your Marketing and Communications Processes. Melissa Agnes is a crisis management strategist, based in Montreal. She and I have had many conversations, debates, and laughs over the years of knowing each other. In this 5-minute #CrisisReady video, she addresses how to challenge and question your own content in how it might spill into a mess. Melissa is consistently putting out gold nuggets like this. Be sure to follow her! 
  3. What Cops Know. This piece was written by Peter Nickeas, one of my fave Chicago crime reporters. Peter goes places, both physically and with his writing, that few journalists dare. He knows as much about (and arguably more than!) crime trends in the Windy City as the police officers.  This head-nodding piece speaks from the hearts of our protectors on the ground in the most violent, crime-filled pockets in the nation. As a suburban police tactical officer/detective, I spent small doses of time in these same City neighborhoods; I've had my fill. 
  4. The 6 Habits Every Great Trainer Must Have. Nate Regier builds "cultures of compassionate accountability." In this blog, he outlines a half-dozen behaviors and mindsets for trainers of any type. Among them, he highlights self-awareness and communication traits. I found value in the side-by-side comparisons of some phrases and wording...and how they might be received by the learners. 
  5. How to Act Quickly Without Sacrificing Critical Thinking. Jesse Sostrin writes about "urgency trap," priorities, and "extreme tilts." One of the things that struck with me is our tendency to gravitate towards completing tactical/technical tasks rather than reflection/strategizing. We also have to be cautious to properly assign urgency to particular aspects of our function. 
I also wrote a blog this week:
  • Working in a Perpetual State of Chaos. I watched a brand new officer's face as he sat in roll call - eyes darting from the criss-crossing conversations. It was chaos to which we veterans had long acclimated. I share some thoughts on what it takes to thrive in chaotic environments. (Hint: it has more to do with stabilizing than structuring.)
Have a great weekend. I hope you find value with these pieces above...and connect with the authors! 
    Lou Hayes, Jr.
    thinking & adapting like a Tactical Philosopher

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