Professional Development
Security Industry Specialists
Innovative Management - Tailored Solutions
Professional Development
by Kim Pecheos, Director of SIS Training
Have you ever heard the word kaizen? Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “Change for the better” or “Continuous improvement.” It is a philosophy that says we should constantly try to improve ourselves, in our personal lives as well as our professional lives. We should always look for ways to improve, although it does not always have to be major changes; making small incremental changes is just as valuable. Small changes build on one another and over time, lead to greater and greater improvements. I want to challenge you to implement the philosophy of kaizen in your life.
While the SIS Training Department can help employees on this journey, there is one universal truth for all people - the change must start with you. Ultimately, you are responsible for your personal and professional development, which means you need to make the decision that you want to improve yourself. Nothing can happen until you make that decision. Once that has happened, we can help.
The first step in your professional development is to seek out guidance. You should speak to your leadership and let them know you are interested in development and advancement. This will accomplish a couple of things: It gets you noticed with your leadership. You can go through your professional life being a fly on the wall, but if you want to develop, you need to get noticed. It shows you are willing to stick yourself out there and make a commitment. True development requires commitment. When you make a commitment to your leadership, they will hold you accountable for the things you need to do for development. This leads to accountability. It gives your leadership the opportunity to help you. Leadership wants to help those who really want it. No one wants to invest their time in someone that will not appreciate it. So, if you truly want to develop, talk to your leadership and ask for their help.
The next step in your professional development is to search out ways that you can develop yourself. Remember - you are ultimately responsible for your own development, so seek ways to accomplish that. Find a book that will help you develop your professional career, and set aside 15 minutes a day to read it. If your goal is to promote within SIS, I suggest reading books on leadership such as: The Art of Ronin Leadership by Mike Howard, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, and finally How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The book doesn’t need to be perfect, there are plenty of opinions on the best leadership books. The important thing is that you read, learn, and improve.?
Once you’ve found your book, don’t forget to put the lessons you learn to work. It’s great to read a book on leadership but it does no good to just have knowledge. There must be action associated with the new information in order for you to retain it. Take a few points you learn from each book, and document ways you are going to apply them to your life - whether private or work life. Only by applying the lessons you learn will you see results. Remember kaizen; you do not need to completely change your life all at once. Apply the lessons one at a time, and make small incremental changes. Once you've mastered one idea, move on to the next. You will see results.?
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If you aren’t a big reader, there are many other ways to get professional development. Here is a list of sites where you can get free training that will help you develop in the security profession:
Finally, seek out a mentor. Seek out one individual that you trust and respect, who can give you personal and professional guidance. This should be someone who succeeded in areas you are trying to develop. Someone who has wisdom and experience, who is not afraid to tell you the way it is. A good definition of mentoring is:
“To provide guidance, advice, feedback, and support to the mentee. As well as serving as their role model, teacher, counselor, advisor, sponsor, advocate, and ally. You will provide them with all their tools to be able to become a better version of themselves.”??
Are you ready to start your journey to self-improvement? Are you ready to embrace kaizen? The entire training team at SIS is here to help our employees with this goal. We hope to hear from you soon.
Kim Pecheos hails from the Sea/Tac area of Washington, where he served for 18 years in various roles with the Pierce County Sherrif’s Department, including patrol, special investigations, fraud, narcotics, and the SWAT team. In addition to his law enforcement experience, Kim also served as an Infantry Officer in the Army for 6 years, later calling upon his experience while training the Afghanistan National Police with DynCorp International. He began his career with SIS in 2012 as a Training Coordinator, and is now the Director of Training. He is married with 5 children ranging in ages from 21-37 and is also a grandfather to an eleven-year-old precious little treasure.