I’ll admit it, I have a guilty pleasure. And that guilty pleasure is watching “Dancing with the Stars” (security experts have to relax somehow, right?). Now that the 2012 season of Dancing with the stars is over, I am finding myself already longing for the new season to begin. So, to help ease the pain of my “Dancing with the Stars” craving, I decided to come up with some ways that “Dancing with the Stars” can teach us about security:
Stay Compliant: Familiarize yourself with the NISPOM
It isn’t just enough to be an FSO. You must constantly make sure your cleared employees’ are compliant—it is this drive to succeed that will make you stay ahead of the pack. And, it is this drive that made “Dancing with the Stars” winner Donald Driver succeed, as well. By all accounts Driver is a really great guy. The first thing he did when he landed his first big contract with the Packers was buy his grandma a house and tell her she would never have to worry about money the rest of her life. He set up a foundation. He’s heavily involved in the Wisconsin community and volunteers his time as well as donating money for charity. He’s written 3 children’s books. His teammates love him. But, make no mistake, the guy is not the greatest dancer in the world—but, he is a fierce competitor. He was bound and determined to win and that was exactly what he did. He might not have been the best dancer (that was Katherine the Welch Opera singer, in my opinion), but he was the most driven to win.
Make Sure You Have a Strong Security Program in Place
Driver knew going in he had one GIANT asset — Green Bay Packer fans. You see, fan voting counts for half of his score. And he knew how loyal Packer fans are, and with no football to watch they would be watching (and voting) for him on “Dancing with the Stars.” Practice Security by walking around. Let your cleared and uncleared employees, know that you are their security officer.
Don’t Assume Anything: Make Sure You are Aware of the Contract Requirements;
Of all the dancers, Driver was the ONLY one who would mug for the camera, mouthing about he wanted their vote and making a phone gesture with his hand. It was really cute and very inoffensive how he did it (so yes it IS possible to ask for the sale in an inoffensive and cute way) but the point was made. Vote for Donald.
He actively asked for the vote over and over. And it was even bigger than that — he tweeted about it, he put it all over his website. He worked and worked that asset, and I suspect his efforts also got him some votes from non-Packer fans. And it was a good thing he did this — the 3 couples were virtually tied with the judges’ votes. It was up to the fans to make the decision. And the one they voted for was the one who asked for it. You want to make sure that you are involved with the proposal team, so that you will know what the contract requirements, will consist of.
Security is a TEAM effort