What got you here won't keep you here.
When I was in the academy in 1993 I was 20 years old. I remember running in formation in the snow and picking up cigarette buts on Friday till 6pm as a punishment for the whole class. Great memories, that shared misery is what your remember years later and the thing that builds the strongest bonds. The collective suffering solidified bonds that have lasted almost three decades. I can pick up the phone and call any of my classmates for advice and they would help.
When we took the emergency medical portion of the academy training I remember getting a final grade of 88. That was the lowest grade I received in the academy and was actually a huge ego hit. Honestly I can't remember any other grade but I still think about getting handed that 88. Now I deserved and earned it, believe me. My efforts were honest and I in my mind I still came up short.
I graduated in February 1994 and was out of the coach program in a couple weeks. I was working midnights alone and I received a 911 call to the the 600 block of Harding Highway. When I arrived I saw an elderly female on the floor in obvious distress. I forced entry into the residence and immediately knew I had to begin CPR. She was blue and not breathing. I was alone for about fifteen minutes. Our rescue squad was amazing but it was volunteer. It seemed like a lifetime and that 88 began to weigh on me. I know I needed more training and more experience. I was sharp in that uniform and everyone talked about how I knew the law and studied it. But I still got an 88 in emergency medical response. I was alone responding to these calls an rarely had back up. I knew that what got me here would not keep me here. For the first time in my life I knew what I did not know. I started volunteering on the local ambulance squad, I attended and passed EMT, EMT-D and Tactical medical planning and response.
This began my habit of self analysis and education. I have taken educational courses on a regular basis ever since. I constantly look for ways to learn skills. It's humbling many times to analyze where you come up short. For me then it was medical calls. I now have a trauma kit I carry on my ankle and larger kits in my car. I have never run a range without and EMT present and a solid medical plan. When I teach NRA courses at my home I hand out a medical response plan to each participant. I have all the Range long and lat written on the inside of my vest. I have treated gunshot wounds stabbings and applied a tourniquet on a guy when I was just trying to get a salad and came across a traffic accident. I can't even count how many time i did CPR and I even have a save. This training has enriched my life and it was all because I needed to learn more. It was borne out of what I perceived was a failure.
So here is the lesson. Know what you don't know. If you are falling short regroup and redouble your efforts. I use linkedin learning which is an amazing way to develop basic and even advanced skills. I just used Linkedin learning to develop a budget and what a great feeling. I have taken countless excel classes and I have to tell you I now love solving problems with excel.
Steel sharpens steel. I heard this from Timmy Gallagher and it stuck! I was recently reminded of this by Matthew M. when he signed up for a certificate class at Wharton pushing his personal development. I have jumped all into my current position as I have a lot to learn. I know that I have have not pursued my education or read my books on Stoicism which is a passion and a relaxing hobby. I have missed leadership development meetings and not initiated coaching sessions. No more steel sharpens steel I am re-committing myself to learning what I do not know. This is how I will become a better father, husband and Ops Director.
领英推荐
Look for you next educational experience and make it something that will change your life. You can't lead until you have your own house in order. Read books grab the nuggets out of the book and write them down. I have a "Play Book" with my nuggets from at least thirty different leadership books it is priceless. Don't wait until you get a call in the middle of the night and be the person who got a B+ in emergency medical response! See what I just did their gentle reader, my ego would not let me call it a B. What can you improve? Tony Robbins calls it CANI constant and never ending improvement.
I wish you all the best in your endeavors and if this helps let me know I would love to hear from you. If you want to add to it let me know. I hope this helps sharpen your steel!
May God Bless you and Protect you
Respectfully,
B
"Be transformational not transactional." Performance & Leadership Coach
1 年Way to stay sharp Barry “Steel sharpens steel”
30 year law enforcement professional with leadership experience; specializing in criminal, administrative & background investigations, property & evidence management and training.
2 年Great read Narry Ballurio…. I actually ran into the instructor from the academy who taught you the EM class and was responsible for giving you that 88 a few weeks ago… He remembered you an said he was going to PYITF next time he sees you …
Open To Work
2 年Well done Barry! I learned to train for the unthinkable and to train those scenarios in every conceivable way possible! After every training session I'd conduct an After Action Review and then I'd have my team brief their own performance during the event. These self evaluations were never about identifying tasks we excel at, we knew exactly what we were good at, we would have served in the capacity we did if we lacked in those areas. The self assessments was always about identifying where we fell short. Each of my teammates would identify something they missed or that they didn't perform well at during our training and speak to how and what they would do to self correct and close those gaps. In turn, I would do the same. Whether it was basic marksmanship, prepping our blow out kits, or planning a route to an objective, we made this a standard practice and it made our team one of the best in our company. We were always seeking knowledge and finding ways to constantly push ourselves to train outside our comfort zones. Constantly training on the areas that we exceled at and the ones we fell short on built muscle memory and in time that muscle memory became second nature. You said it best, "You only know what you don't know!
Licensed Psychotherapist and Psychoeducational Consultant - I help individuals become "unstuck" by unraveling the trauma patterns that stifle our growth and development.
2 年YW :)?
Licensed Psychotherapist and Psychoeducational Consultant - I help individuals become "unstuck" by unraveling the trauma patterns that stifle our growth and development.
2 年Kudos to both you and Matthew McManus for maximizing your potential :)