How to Manage Expectations & Avoid Mission Creep

As protectors, we are called on to problem solve and put out all kinds of fires in the line of duty. Sometimes, we manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat by completing off-the-wall and impossible tasks. But could this be creating a bigger rod for our back by creating unmanageable expectations?

In this edition of On the Circuit, we will explore how pulling off the impossible can sometimes set us up for failure. We'll share some top tips and advice so you can manage mission creep and tackle whatever comes your way to help you keep your sanity and professionalism along the way.

Let’s get into it!

The Circuit Magazine Podcast

Pulling off a 'minor miracle' is a double-edged sword... you solved your Principal's problem but now they will expect a miracle every day...

On today's Short Circuit Podcast, Elijah Shaw is pleased to welcome Vantrell Wilson, Supervisor at ICON Global to uncover the secrets to effective problem solving for protectors including:

  • Should the protector be expected to pre-plan problem-solving for the unexpected?

  • How can you balance managing your family obligations with constantly moving expectations for work-related problem-solving?

  • How can the protector remove emotional responses to routine problems?

  • How can we adopt the mentality of 'playing how you practice'?

  • If you manage to pull of a minor miracle, how can you manage expectations regarding always pulling it off?

If you enjoy listening to the Circuit Podcast and can spare a minute, please rate/review us. Your rating will help us to rank higher making it easier for others to find the podcast.

The Need to Know

Japan’s defence ministry has said it is alarmed at fresh threats from Russia and has growing worries about Taiwan, in an annual report that comes as Tokyo considers significantly increasing military spending.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was prepared to use his country's nuclear arsenal in a military clash with the United States and threatened to "annihilate" South Korea, state media reported

The Home Office has argued that the taxpayer should not foot the bill for the litigation and has said it will recover legal costs from Harry if his attempt to overturn the decision to take away his armed guards is unsuccessful.

Iranian officials claimed Mossad agents entered the country through the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Classified talks were held in D.C. on Friday, with pressure growing on counterespionage officials to stamp out a suspected Russian intelligence compound in the Bronx.

The future of two American citizens detained in Russia could hinge on the release of a convicted Russian arms dealer, nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" by his accusers, whose life story inspired a Hollywood film.

A bodyguard of Gebran Bassil, the leader of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and son-in-law of President Michel Aoun, has been charged by the FBI over a plot to smuggle weapons from the US to Lebanon.

George Ajaltouni allegedly conspired to smuggle hundreds of firearms from Cleveland from May 2011 and September 2014, and resell them.

For more timely global updates like this, get the Circuit Daily Briefing delivered to your inbox... daily! Get on the list >

From the Pages of the Circuit Magazine

Mission creep is volunteering to do any task that is not related to the overall security responsibility or expectation.  

Mission creep changes the expectations of the client/protectee, not the detail. Once the client/principal begins to view something new as expected, and when it does not contribute to the overall security mission, then you have crossed territory into the gray zone and it will then infect the detail.

In this article Eric Konohia outlines how mission creep is like a disease that will infect everyone on the team at a fast rate. Once the infestation has begun, it will affect the expectations of all working the detail.

If you enjoyed this article and want more great content from across the industry then sign up for the Circuit Magazine >

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- Steven Dorsey

Geopolitical Analysis by RANE

If MbS fully embraces normalization upon taking the throne, it could cause irreparable damage to Saudis’ trust that their king, while unelected, always has their best interests at heart.

For now, Saudi-Israeli normalization looks sure to remain slow under King Salman. But Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (commonly known as MbS) will eventually ascend to the throne once his 86-year-old father dies. And when he does, MbS’s characteristic brash approach to geopolitics could see Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel sooner rather than later.

At stake, however, could be the legitimacy of Saudi Arabia’s monarchy, which binds together a diverse nation of some 22 million citizens under a single ruler based on the enduring belief that the royal family has Saudis’ best interests at heart. But if MbS decides to normalize with Israel upon being crowned king, he will be testing the limits of that relationship, because while the case of normalization may be in the strategic interest of the Saudi state, it’s less clear how it is in the interest of the Saudi people.

The monarchy’s legitimacy is frail, as it is not backed by a constitution or political institutions but by personal and tribal allegiances, overlaid with a royal mystique that imbues the king and royal family with an unassailable position in the kingdom (it is, after all, Saudi Arabia, a country named after a family). And if MbS ignores public opinion and normalizes with Israel, he might finally take a step too far for the public. 

The Stratfor Center for Applied Geopolitics

The Stratfor Center for Applied Geopolitics is a global center of excellence for geopolitical intelligence and analysis.

The Center seeks to identify, develop, and strengthen best practices in geopolitical analysis and provide tools, methods, and training to organizations and individuals as they integrate geopolitical risk and opportunity into their business practices. 

From the Community

Actor Sharnaaz Ahmad has hired a bodyguard following a recent controversy where he was accused of beating up a person.

He said that the bodyguard's role is to control him from getting involved in unwanted situations.

“This is to ensure I do not get involved in any problems. If I am about to get into trouble, the bodyguard needs to get me out of the situation.”

While this situation may seem like an unorthodox use of protective services to the uninitiated, it should not surprise anyone in our industry; indeed, all experienced protectors know that the biggest threat to a protectee is often themselves.

The methods we employ to protect an individual are potentially unlimited and the bodyguard’s remit can be far and wide.

Beyond the day-to-day expectations of the job, what requests have clients made of you?

And, could they be justified as falling under the umbrella of protective services?

*Spoiler... usually, they can!

Ask questions, get advice, and find industry resources from an active and thriving community of professional, working operators:

🇬🇧 BBA Connect >

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To any industry insider, being 'On the Circuit' means being operationally active in the world of international protection. To anyone else, it's just three words. Those who know, know!

Upcoming Events

The program will provide methods to assess the impact of geopolitical events on business continuity, supply chains and strategic planning, and tools to build and monitor geopolitical forecasts and scenarios to inform strategic decisions and contingency planning.

Meanwhile...

The Security Industry Authority (SIA), which regulates the industry in the United Kingdom, has introduced top-up training for close protection operatives who apply to renew their SIA licence from 1 October 2022. The top-up training will be available from July 2022.

The new top-up qualification will include physical intervention skills, safety-critical content and terror threat awareness.

Operatives must make sure that their first aid qualification has at least one year to run before they take the top-up training. The top-up requirements will only affect existing licence holders when they come to renew their licence after 1 October 2022. This means that these changes for existing licence holders will roll out over the course of the next three years.

The risk assessment process shouldn't be dreaded. Get ready to breathe easier with six steps to move toward a smoother risk assessment process and much tighter security. 

1. Understand the organization’s greatest risks and start there. 

The entire point of a risk assessment is to identify security gaps in order to create a plan to remedy them. Different businesses have different needs, which means they’ll have different security priorities. Yet, many risk assessments are structured in a one-size-fits all format. The first step in making risk assessments more palatable (and valuable) is to figure out what is most important to each individual business.

Elsewhere on the Circuit

With allegations of an affair, missing CCTV footage and claims of a cover-up, Indonesia has been transfixed by the mysterious death of a bodyguard at his boss’s home.

The controversy revolves around the death of 27-year-old Nopryansyah Yosua Hutabarat at the home of Inspector General Ferdy Sambo, the Indonesian National Police’s head of internal affairs.

According to the police version of events, Hutabarat, a bodyguard and driver for Sambo, died after a shootout with another lower-ranking protection team member on July 8. Police said the firefight broke out after Hutabarat sexually harassed Sambo’s wife.

However, lawyers for the family said that Hutabarat’s relatives discovered multiple bruises and other wounds on his body when preparing to embalm it, defying a police directive not to open the dead bodyguard's casket.

“The nail of a finger was removed by a clamp, his leg was stabbed with something sharp and there was an incision behind his ear.”

Other anomalies included:

  • Hutabarat, a trained sniper, fired seven shots and missed everyone while the other bodyguard unloaded five rounds, hitting him four times and leaving seven bullet holes!

  • Hutabarat received death threats before he was killed

  • Contacts and messages from his mobile phone had been deleted.

  • CCTV cameras at the house were out of order at the time of the incident.

The furious scrutiny of the case and intense public interest have led to a wider police investigation. Hutabarats body is set to be exhumed to conclude what occurred in this mysterious case.

Final thoughts with Orlando Wilson

Being aware of what’s going on around you, who’s watching you and who’s following you is the most important aspect of any personal or professional security plan.

Your aim is to identify and avoid, not react… because in the real world, the chances are you won’t have time to react if you have been set up.

For further reading on this subject, check this article on Counter Surveillance

Until next week...

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