Bodyguard Careers

Bodyguard Careers is an informational site with the purpose of providing bodyguards with all the information and tools necessary to succeed in the executive protection industry.

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How to Excel in the Bodyguard Trade

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles

By Doc Rogers

For many the bodyguard industry is not easy to excel in. Breaking into the bodyguard business can be an uphill battle.  This is the cold, harsh reality of the bodyguard and executive protection industry. However, there are a number of executive protection and bodyguard schools you can attend to better your chances of breaking into the trade. Refer to Harlan (Hucky) Austin’s Executive Protection Schools E-book to find the best options.  Here are some suggestions that have helped me over the years to excel in the profession, protecting people, making a good living and doing what I love. Please pay very close attention.

1. Customer Service.  Whether you are just starting out in the business or a seasoned veteran you need to provide customer service.  Some misinformed apprentice bodyguards don’t get this. Their point of view is “I’m a bodyguard, protecting clients’ against personal threats; I don’t need to provide customer service.”  Bodyguarding and executive protection is a service industry; we are here to improve the client’s quality of life. Customer service provides value to your client, builds your professional reputation and helps you to earn client loyalty.  And to do this you must be hundred per cent focused on the client.

2. Get Results. In your efforts to provide amazing service to your clients, make sure you give them the results they are looking for.  You don’t hear the word “results” often when talking about the bodyguard trade. Results are the favorable or concrete outcomes of your bodyguard duties.  Results speak louder than words. Here are some of the results clients may look for when retaining your bodyguard services:

A. Reduced fear. B. Reduced annoyances. C. Smooth and fast-tracked services. D. Crisp and expedient ground transportation.  E. VIP treatment. F. Low profile or high profile bodyguard service (depending on client’s request). G. Make a difference in the client’s life.

Bottom-line; do the things you were hired for in the first place. That’s why you are paid the big bucks. Do the above things consistently and watch your client base grow.

3. Network Intelligently. The bodyguard trade is a connections game. Who you know, can get you work and make your career. Start networking seriously and make the right connections. This is no easy business, but making good connections help. If you play your cards right, attend the right bodyguard academy, go to the right seminars, workshops and conventions you may find yourself employed and going on assignments in no time. The pitfalls; if you don’t plan you may find yourself unemployed and broke quickly. A winner plays the game like it is the last game he will ever play. It’s your decision.

4. Strive to Be Better Than Your Last Assignment.  Improve your bodyguard craft, service and people skills. Learn from your last assignment (the good, bad, and ugly). Commit yourself to do better each time. Keep learning the trade by reading and taking distance study courses. When not on the road attend bodyguard workshops and seminars and interact with the instructors and people in attendance. As you increase your knowledge, you will be able to help clients more efficiently.  There are no “get rich programs” in the bodyguard or executive protection trade only hard work, adding value and serving and keep client’s safe. Good luck and God speed.

Crash Course on Bodyguard Observational Psychology

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles, Featured Bloggers

 

By Doc Rogers

Although entire books have been written on observational psychology here are the basics. As a bodyguard you need to identify various facial expressions and body signals which may be signs of impending assault or aggression against your client.  You need to constantly watch the hands of people within a crowd. The hands are the primary means for holding dangerous weapons (handguns, rifles, shotguns, automatic weapons, grenades, knives, etc.) pay particular attention to people with hands in pockets.

Watch for the classic attacker profile by interpreting body language; abrupt hand movements or the hands being covered in some manner, fidgeting, unusual body language, attire, behavior or facial expressions not in accordance with the function or environment should raise cautions flags for the bodyguard. You must learn to trust your gut instinct and to be suspicious of anything or anyone out of the ordinary. The old saying “better safe than sorry” truly applies to the bodyguard trade.

An adversary provides you with 55% non-verbal communication concerning an imminent threat towards your client; its up to you to pick up on this and take appropriate action by watching peoples:

• Hands (priority number one). • Facial expressions (might giveaway hostile intentions).  • Gestures (uneasiness, perspiring, etc.). • Body language (hostile, aggression or assaultive positioning).

That’s your cash course on Bodyguard Observational Psychology for this month. Keep studying this important subject there is lots of research material out there.  Keep safe and God speed.

Eight Bodyguard Types in the Industry

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles, Featured Bloggers

By Doc Rogers

Observations of humorous personality types and characters observed in the BG industry over the years:

1. Body Beautiful. The BG who continuously checks himself whenever a mirror is available; hotel lobby, restaurant, venue, etc.  Flexing and paying more attention to himself than the client. Making others think that all BGs are vain and egotistic.

2. Chatterbox. The BG who talks about himself during the whole assignment and does not listen to assignment instructions.  Often talking about war stories of past assignments but his mind is not on the present one.

3. Hollywood. The BG who has not received any formal BG training and goes about “guarding” the client as depicted in the movies. Often seen in dark sunglasses, Armani suits and black combat boots.

4. Know-It-All. The BG who has been on “high-speed, low-drag” assignments around the world and you can’t tell him a thing about the requirements of the present detail; because he already knows everything.

5. Cut Rate. The BG who charges $19.99 per hour for services and devalues the industry, not a true trade professional, but someone wanting fast cash by charging a cheap rate. A year from now the cut-rate BG types will be out of business, they are truly flight-by-night characters.

6. The Shark. The BG who is always looking to steal other BG’s clients. They are always in the background ready to strike. However, these shark types never really seem to get a head professionally; because cheaters never prosper.

7. The Destitute. The BG who only has two part-time clients and is always broke. They look for clients frantically, but are avoided like the plague; others can sense their desperation that they wear on their sleeve.

8. The Old Workhorse. The BG who was the Detail Leader on Frank Sinatra’s team and is still on-the-job. These types normally are assigned lesser positions because of their “advance age,” but have often forgotten more about the trade than the current DL will ever know.   It’s always good to have one old workhouse on the team for stability. Keep safe and God speed.

Understanding the Commercial Side of Bodyguarding

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles

By Doc Rogers

This article will assist bodyguards to understand the commercial side of the business and give them some common sense suggestions on how to avoid becoming a victim of potential unethical business practices in the industry.

Contract: The bodyguard and client should agree to and sign a contract before each assignment.  They must ensure that procedures are inplace to guarantee that the contract is up-held by both the client and the bodyguard and that all payments agreed upon are made.

Attorney: Hire an attorney to write you a professional contract. Don’t use a client’s contact because most contracts that clients provide are not very good for the bodyguard. Use an attorney to write up the contract in your favor. Retaining the services of a good business attorney is not cheap and should be viewed as an investment. They protect the interests of bodyguards.  One of the most important aspects of the contract is to ensure the bodyguard gets paid what he agreed upon with the client before he starts a bodyguard assignment. Be smart hire an attorney to safe guard your interests and ensure that everything is legal and absolutely clear prior to entering into a contract with clients.

Independent Contractor: Many firms retain bodyguards under exclusive contracts. These contracts can range from one day to multi-year professional relationships. However, the majority of service contracts with independent bodyguard contractors are for a one year term. Payments for bodyguard services are usually made by weekly installments consistent with the bodyguard firm’s regular payment procedures.  If you hire independent contracts let them know up front that they will be paid $XX base salary, which will be paid weekly, in the amount of $XX.XX.

Bodyguard Recruitment: If you are a bodyguard businessman you must ensure you retain only highly trained and motivated independent bodyguard contractors, whose compensation is tied to the revenue that they help generate on bodyguard assignments. As a bodyguard businessman you must continually seek to identify, recruit and develop additional independent bodyguard contractors for your business.

Sub-Contractor: Nowadays being a sub-contractor is the norm in the bodyguard world. The danger arises when the bodyguard sub-contracts unknowingly with a fly-by-night security company.  These types of security firms give checks to bodyguards knowing they have insufficient funds to pay for professional services rendered. If sub-contracting with a newer security firm, make sure the contractor has placed enough money up front before the assignment starts to insure that all the bodyguards get paid.

Workers’ Compensation: Bodyguard who work as independent contractors need to realize that in the event of physical injury arising from professional activities they are not entitled to any workers’ compensation coverage or similar benefits for injury, disability, death or loss of wages. The bodyguard can’t make any claim against the bodyguard firm for such coverage or benefit.  It would be a wise move to get independent contractors’ health care coverage from your local your health care provider.

Pay Make sure you get paid as much as possible for your professional services; get paid what you are worth. Hopefully you’ll hold onto some of the cash you’ve earned after your short bodyguard career is over. You don’t often hear of the sad stories of well-respected bodyguards of yesteryear now living in trailer parks on government subsistence. But it’s a gloomy reality for some.  This is a cautionary tale; don’t squander away all your money and sound financial planning is the order of the day. In the bodyguard trade there’s only a small window of economic opportunity; save as much as possible when you are in the prime of your bodyguard career.  Keep safe and God speed.

Doc Rogers has been the “Go To” person for executive protection and secure executive ground transportation in Southeast Asia, India and Pakistan since 1991.  Visit www.icepltd.com for more information.

Mindset Re-Orientation: A Critical Component of Protection Training

Featured Articles, Rick Colliver

Have not had an opportunity to post this week’s feature article. Reason being, I’ve been asked by the staff at The Executive Protection Institute to come out, an observe their training. So I’m posting a blast from the past, Mindset Re-Orientation: A Critical Component of Protection Training By Rick Colliver. Enjoy!

Having been involved in the training and selection of protection personnel over the years, I have learned that everyone brings something valuable to the table in the way of their professional experience. As a matter of fact, my co-instructors and I learn something new from the students throughout each class, and if we like a particular technique or learned about a new study or process, rest assured it will be included in the next program.

We recognize that many of the individuals who take principal protection training have already completed training in traditional police, military or martial arts subjects and may be eager to share these techniques with the class, or to build them into their professional tactics tool box. We also appreciate that the people who attend protection courses are energetic, involved and ready for action. However, in order to assure that everyone starts from a level playing field we have found that it is important to isolate some fundamental differences between protection work and traditional police, security and martial arts concepts.

[Read more…] about Mindset Re-Orientation: A Critical Component of Protection Training

Street Smart Bodyguards

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles

By Doc Rogers

As more people enter the bodyguard industry from all walks of life, there tends to be a section of individuals who are only book smart or academy smart and are not aware or have an understanding of the world.  Street smart bodyguards on the other hand maintain good common sense and know how to avoid bad situations before they happen. They possess the skills necessary to operate in most environments and do so with confidence.

This does not mean street smart bodyguards are not well-educated.  They are mostly academically smart individuals.  But ones that have an advantage of an additional street education; they may have received their street education growing up in bad neighborhoods or by former occupations where they dealt with unpleasant people on an everyday basis.

How You Can Help How can street smart bodyguards teach teammates who are only book smart or academy smart to deal with the real world on assignment?  Although street smarts are a set of characteristics that take years to fully develop, you can start teaching your fresh out-of-the academy or relatively naïve teammates the following recommendations.  It will take time and dedicated effort, but will be well worth it.   Risk and Consequences When on assignment in unfamiliar operational areas teach them not only which areas to keep away from, but also why.  Let them know what may be waiting around the corner so they can effectively avoid potential trouble.

Intel Keep them informed of what’s going on in the operational area and how it may affect the security level.  Teach them to observe, listen and understand the environment they are working in. Remind them that being street smart is knowledge of the operational area and all information should be taken seriously.

Neighborhoods  Brief them on the people in the operational area and what to expect when dealing with them. This includes the risks they present and how to avoid them. Inform them to become acquainted with the common problems in the neighborhood, the ins and outs of the locale and to understand the people in general. This will assist your teammates with making the right decisions and how to deal with different situations that may arise.

Support Support the new BGs on your team who have lived sheltered lives and know little about the real world. Share your intelligence, common sense and wisdom with them. Give them the skills necessary to handle circumstances and avoid bad situations. Have the ability to subtly mentor and teach them to function professionally within a team environment. Show them how to improve their mental toughness, obtain a winner’s mindset and up their street IQ.  Keep safe and God speed.

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