The Illinois Model

We are all biased into seeing things according to our expectations. Our expectations are formed by our experiences. Our experiences are stacks of the things we've seen. And the cycle continues... That is...until we interrupt this perverted repetition with reflection, analysis, or education.   The human brain interprets our environments and the things we encounter in clusters and clumps. The subconscious of our inner "caveman" uses mental shortcuts and patterns to make sense of things around us. As such, unless we intentionally hunt out fresh information (and have the knowledge to appreciate its   significance ) to form the best understanding of our situation, we may be seeing a distorted perception of reality. We live in a society of   specialists . We are athletes. Musicians. History buffs. Housewives. Financial planners. Computer geeks. Gourmet chefs. Gardeners. Hunters. Nurses. Cardiologists. Our specializations both   enlighten   us. And ...

There is a popular quiz question in the LEGO community:  In how many ways can six standard 8-stud LEGO bricks be connected?  Think about that for a moment. If you think the answer is a big number, you're right. It's  really  big. But off to another story first... In early 1930's Chicago, there was a young jazz pianist named Doc Giudice. After a full day in school, this son of Italian immigrants would finish his homework as fast as possible. He'd run over to the local jazz clubs and make beautifully unscripted music...with anyone who'd care to play with him that night. As a boy, I saw Doc Giudice play in person. In the days before cellphone video or the flashmob, he sat down unscheduled at a department store piano and entertained the customers for a few minutes. Most of them stopped in awe, dead in their tracks, and began swaying with the musical surprise.   Changing gears... There's no shortage of professional articles on the interpr...

Our executive director Randy tossed out a dozen paperback copies of  Left of Bang . He said, as if no one could possibly question his suggestion, "We are bringing in Patrick to speak at the conference." I picked up the copy that landed in front of me at the long table, filled with board members from the police association of which I was a director. Obviously Randy was impressed with not only the book, but one of the co-authors,   Patrick Van Horne . And when I read the book and met Patrick in person (for the first time), I found out why. While the book is based off the US Marine Corps' "Combat Hunter Program," the authors broadened the application of its concepts to a wider audience and environment.   Left of Bang   immediately went on to my must-read list for not only police officers, but anyone serious about personal safety and readiness. One of the highlights of the book is the unique behavior clusters, where people's observable behavi...

It's been a half-dozen years since I became infected with the  problem-based learning  virus. Some call it a   shift   in teaching style; I see it as a radical and revolutionary flip upside-down. My personal experience has been   that   positive and significant. As have the results in our learners. I joined the police department's firearms training unit in 2001. Immediately after receiving my instructor certificate, I began training police officers to be the best shooters they could be. I taught my shooters using the training techniques that I learned from my instructor school...which, predictably, where the same methods that my academy firearms instructors used on me. It's the perpetual loop of "we teach the same way in which we were taught." I found myself recycling old drills. These were repetitive technical exercises - static marksmanship, reloading, clearing stoppages or malfunctions, shooting with opposite...

Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker ? This question fascinates me. Even as an arguably false dichotomy, it highlights critical issues in individual decision-making, personal morals, written policies, group values, and organizational culture. I vividly remember the first time a similar question was asked of me. I was a young police officer applying for a position on the regional SWAT team. I was seated alone, in the single chair, in the middle of the large meeting room. Oddly, it seemed as if half the lights were turned off. In front of me sat a panel of six police commanders and chiefs (many of whom I had never met before), each wearing his full formal uniform, behind a long table. To say I was anxious would be an understatement.  After a few cookie-cutter interview formalities, one of the deputy chiefs dropped it:  Is it ever acceptable to violate a direct order from a superior officer? Explain yo...

Courtesy of The Virtus Group, Inc. The concepts of  Rules   and   Creativity   are diametrically related. Whenever an organization enacts a new "rule," a bit of creativity is killed.  In my roles as a trainer and policy writer for a police department, I continually navigate and map out the treacherous chasm between what we've called   Rules   and   Creativity  environments and functions. For each and every situation, there is a tradeoff between   restricting decisions via standardized procedures   and   empowering fresh solutions via open creativity .  This spectrum is anchored at two ends: RULES and CREATIVITY.  Rules   are for known and predictable environments. Checklists and step-by-step processes ensure efficiency and consistency. (In policing, we have rigid rules governing: uniform standards; scheduling; criminal laws and statutes; evidence collection; traffic crash reports.) ...