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Chameleons have the amazing ability to change the color of their skin according to their surroundings or mood. They can blend into the background to escape danger. They can stand out to attract a mate. And they perform their chromatic magic dynamically, instantly switching colors as the situation demands.
Executive protection agents would do well to learn from the chameleon’s adaptive strategy. We too must both blend in and stick out. And, we must do it quickly and seamlessly with every new assignment.
For most of us, the sticking out part is not hard. It’s not something most of our corporate clients are too keen on. One of the most overlooked competences in executive protection is the ability to fit in.
There is no one way of doing things.
Executive protection agents need to communicate and interact with principals who are as different as night and day. As we move with them through their business and often private lives, we must relate to all kinds of people and cultures. Many who work in executive protection – even those with years of experience – believe there is only one way of interacting with the principal, and that this one way is the best way. This belief is often based on a career that has exposed them to one tech CEO, one government agency or one celebrity.
In order to be truly skilled in executive protection, you must be able to blend in with any principal in any environment and adjust to any social situation, a “social chameleon”.
Understanding the principal’s personal preferences: It’s more than clothes.
But this is about more than appearance and language. It’s also about understanding the principal’s personal preferences in all kinds of other ways.
Making the effort to connect in an appropriate way socially contributes greatly to that end. Another thing I’ve learned is that that doesn’t make you a friend.
No two principals are alike, so make it part of your SOPs to treat them all in nonstandard ways.
I’ve heard the following way too often: “I learned in ___X___ that the correct way to interact with a principal is ___Y___.”
Now, everyone fills in the blanks his or her own way, depending on where they got their fixed ideas about how to do EP. X could be an EP school, the military, the government, a police department, or even the guy’s last detail. But while everyone’s take on the question is a little different, they are all convinced that their answer is the most correct.
To succeed in EP, you have to be smart, analytical and adaptable in your approach. Every time. Why should EP be the first profession that rewards people for trying to fit square pegs into round holes?
Every principal is different. What’s more, their needs evolve and change. If you’re used to working with principals in corporate settings and you carry that way of doing things over into work in the sports or entertainment industry, it won’t work. Ditto on the vice versa. Old-school corporate culture is one thing. Silicon Valley corporate culture is another. The worlds of sports and entertainment are different from either.
Even in Hollywood, where looks and images are worth millions, there are agents who couldn’t be bothered to adapt themselves to their principal. Or, maybe they just didn’t understand how important it is to do so. Each principal is different, and EP agents need to be able to adapt as clients change.
When up close and personal is part of the job description, you need a good sense of discretion.
Keeping the principal comfortable really can be challenging at times. Especially if you’re on a detail that keeps you right next to him at practically every waking hour of their day. And yes, this can include the most intimate times with their family, trips to the restroom and a visit to the White House to meet the president.
It might seem glamourous, but being someone that is famous, always under public scrutiny, the constant target of direct and indirect threats and surrounded by security really take its toll. Think for a second how that would affect you as you move through your own life and be constantly shadowed by someone who is neither friend, family or favorite pet.
The best EP agents become masters of neutrality and assiduously avoid displays of annoying personality traits. Of course, you can’t just erase your personality out of the equation, but there are few tricks of the trade that can really make your presence more neutral.
One way to have a neutral presence is to avoid standing in direct eye contact with the principal while he or she is meeting with or talking with anyone. If you always maintain eyeball-to-eyeball line of sight with someone, you’re going to end up smothering them. The solution is simple: Stand to the side or behind them – you’ll give them some you-neutral space, a break from seeing your pretty face, but you’ll still be in a tactical position to respond if needed.
Silence is another powerful tool. Learn to use it. Less experienced agents can start to feel awkward and try to fill the dead space with idle chatter. But when you’re famous and everyone in the world outside your car wants to ask you questions about your life or tell you stories about theirs, conversation can be the most aggravating thing in the world. A break in the talk stream can feel like a luxurious holiday. Silence is a good thing. When it comes up, leave it alone.
Dig in, read up.
When you travel with your principal to other countries, it pays to do a little research before getting into the plane.
Find out before you go to Japan that it’s rude to point, accept things with one hand, lean back in your chair and show the bottom of your feet while sitting. You don’t need to become an expert in Zen tea ceremonies, but you do need to understand that there’s a little ritual around exchanging business cards. There have been plenty of situations where I could clue in the principal on proper cultural etiquette, which makes them look well-informed and makes me look impressive. After all, we’re not only there to make sure they are protected, we’re there to prevent them from any sort of embarrassment.
When you need to communicate and you don’t have the luxury of a shared tongue, body language is invaluable. An experienced EP professional can negotiate transportation, ask for help, buy food in a market, and get directions from a stranger through hand motions alone. Remember, also body language can get lost in translation. A typical gesture from your country might mean something completely different in other parts of the world. It’s wise for Americans to know that the V for victory, or peace sign, is offensive in the UK and Australia, that showing your palms in Greece is insulting, and that giving the thumbs up in Thailand is a sign of condemnation.
It’s simple when you break it down, but this can be often overlooked in the EP industry.
Go ahead and act natural.
Bringing all of this together to adapt to your principal isn’t a simple thing to do. One of the toughest parts for someone new to the business is coming off as genuine rather than someone playing a bit part in a high school play. The tricky part here is that being a social chameleon only works if you are genuine. It can’t be an act; it needs to be real!
Every person walking the earth has different sides that come to the fore in different situations. This isn’t about being a fake. It’s about being perceptive to other people’s sensibilities and needs.
Think of some examples from you own life. The way you talk to your grandmother at her dining table is probably very different from the way you talk to your buddies in the locker room. You don’t act in exactly the same way around your co-workers as you do with your spouse, your brother, your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s all you, but you adapt to varying social situations for your own good and for the good of the folks you’re with.
The same holds true for how you choose to communicate with your principal. The relationship is unique, and at the end of the day that’s perfectly alright. Be yourself, but be the version of yourself that you need to be in the special social circumstances that define close protection.
It’s not about you.
When we protect principals as they move through their daily lives, there’s no room for our personal opinions, beliefs, philosophies or ideas. It’s not about our needs, it’s about the principal’s.
We are our own people, but our personal opinions aren’t our principal’s business. Our philosophy and personality while providing a service must match the principal’s sensibilities and needs. If the principal changes, we must adapt to the changes.
The same holds true for communication style. If you don’t adapt to your principal’s communication style, this can cause unneeded friction and confusion. This is easier said than done: Our social skills and adaptability vary considerably, and some of them seem more or less baked into our personalities. They are tough to learn if they don’t come naturally. And while I think everyone can learn and improve at least to some extent, some people just don’t have the psychological makeup that will help them become happy campers as effective social chameleons.
Don’t fly too close to the sun.
There is a famous story in Greek mythology that tells the tale of Daedalus and Icarus. The father-son duo was imprisoned by a king, but Daedalus, a brilliant engineer, found a way to escape: He fashioned wings from feathers and wax so that he and his son could fly over the prison walls to freedom. Although Daedalus warned his son not to fly too high, Icarus was tempted and flew high in the sky and much too close to the sun. In doing so, the wax in his wings melted and he fell into the sea and died.
The old adage “don’t fly too close to the sun or you’ll get burned” is also true for executive protection professionals. In our world, the principal can be seen as the sun: Although many are powerful and charming, it can in fact be dangerous to get too close. If you’re flying too high and getting chummy with the principal, you become overconfident and start taking risks; you ignore warning signs because being close to the sun is glorious and thrilling. You become so enthralled that when you reach the moment of splendor, you have the ultimate downfall. This all happens because you didn’t understand the realities of the world your principal lives in.
If you want to have a long and successful career in our field, working close to the sun (our principals) every day, you need to learn how to insulate yourself from the principal. Don’t think that you need to be friends with them. Do try to be part of the small percentage of people in the principal’s life that doesn’t want something from them.
Successful executive protection agents don’t ask for favors. They don’t ask for business advice. They don’t ask for friendship. They do understand that most people around a celebrity, billionaire or any other famous public figure have their hands out and want a piece of that money, notoriety or fame.
Be one of the rarest people that your principal has ever seen. Be the social chameleon that doesn’t want anything from them.
