Workplace Violence And The Power of Backward Thinking!

Let me begin by expressing my sincerest condolences to the victims and families of the recent violence in Texas and Florida.

Workplace violence is an ever-present threat in today's world. And, regardless of what we may think about our own likelihood of being attacked, none of us knows who's out there - planning God-knows-what - and when and where they will act out their intentions!

Living in denial is not the answer. Make no mistake about it. Each and every one of us - and those closest to us that we love - can all become the victim of violence. And, as I said, violence in the workplace is one of the greatest threats to the average adult in today's world!

Case in point are the two most recent shooting sprees that occurred at Ft. Hood, Texas and in Orlando, Florida. One committed by an officer of the United States Army - a professional and a psychiatrist no less! And the other, by an ex-employee who had been fired for poor performance - 2 years ago!

As I was welcoming students and parents to martial arts class on Friday, there was a lot of discussion about the 2 incidents. We also discussed my most recent bookings to speak for several organizations - including a security group in southern New Jersey.

During one conversation about my work as a corporate workplace violence consultant and self defense trainer and the Orlando attack, one of the parents who hadn't heard about it said, "Well I guess you were too late for them, huh?" To which my immediate reply was...

..."absolutely not..."

"THEY were too late for me!"

It's amazing how we can often gravitate towards a problem from an outside-to-in type of thinking. What I mean by that is that we can expect that someone or something else should have been there to rescue us from our dilemma. "If only this or that would have happened, we would have been okay."

When, the truth of the matter is that the world demands that we act and prepare from an inside-to-out manner. That means that we, and we alone, must foresee possible problems - especially when the warning signs are all around us - and make sure that we have the ability, capability, and willingness to handle these things should they arise.

"But," I can hear you saying, "how can I know that 'that' thing was going to happen to me?"

And the answer is...

You can't.

But, based on the fact that this type of thing happens to people every day - you CAN do everything in your power to insure that it doesn't happen to YOU!

This is not strange logic. It's the same logic we apply to our lives every day.

We don't want to have to walk to work, be limited in our travels, or spend more money on public transportation, etc. So - we get our own car.

We don't want to be poor, live in a shack or on the street, or live off of welfare. So - we get the best paying job or start our own business that will give us the money we need to live the kind of life we want.

We don't want to lose our house, car, or end up with horrifying medical bills should we fall victim to an accident or become ill. So - we maintain the insurance we need to take care of these things should something happen.

So, no - there is no difference between things things and what we do to protect ourselves from the "possibility" of them happening, and learning the skills necessary to protect ourselves should we find ourselves in danger from whatever cause - including an act of workplace violence!

You don't "expect" to have your car stolen or to be involved in an accident. But, it might happen.

You don't expect for your house to burn to the ground or for someone to break in and relieve you of your valuable possessions. But, you know it's a possibility.

I could go on and on but you get the point.

You don't need more of the logic that creates more victims. You need to take action.

And, you don't need to wait until you get through this or that problem, project, or whatever you keep using as the reason that "this isn't a good time."

There will never be a "best time." But I'll tell you what there will be.

And that is...

...the moment that you're being attacked by a killer bent on murdering you!

THAT will be the "worst-time" to think about the self defense and workplace violence survival training that...

...you DON'T have!

Oh, and before I forget, what kind of consultant and trainer would I be if I didn't offer you a solution to this critical problem? This one's on me, compliments of WCI Consulting!

Get your copy of my hard-hitting report, "Attack-Proof Your facility!" It's available free to subscribers of my corporate workplace violence training newsletter.

Here's the link: www.wcinternational.com/SubscribeNewsletter.html

You can also get your free copy of my safety DVD, "Danger Prevention Tactics," here. It contains strictly non-physical strategies and tactics for avoiding, escaping from, and surviving potential violence - including violence in the workplace! Just pay a small fee to help me get it to your door. Get your copy of Danger Prevention Tactics at: www.warrior-concepts-online.com


Until next time,



Jeffrey M. Miller, SPS
Warrior Concepts Int', Inc.
WCI Consulting
362 Market Street
Sunbury, Pa. 17801
USA

Ph# (570) 988-2228
email: warriorc@warrior-concepts-online.com

Workplace Violence Article Archive

Workplace Violence - Staying Focused on What's Important For Self Defense

In the realm of workplace violence and policy development, there is a problem that is both preventing companies and their employees from being safe, causing policy and procedures to miss the mark, and resulting in damage, financial loss, and even the loss of life.

What I mean is that, managers and administrators focus most of their time, either in denial about the problem of workplace violence or the possibility of it occurring in their business, or creating more policies related to prevention and reporting. Meanwhile, they are creating or, more to the point, "allowing" a gap to exist within their overall workplace violence and crisis management plan that leaves themselves, their employees, and the company, as a whole, completely unprepared for actual physical violence.

If you are to be able to escape from or survive an actual act of violence, you must first accept that violence exists AND can touch you. Living in denial or under the delusion that you are somehow invisible or impervious to danger - that you are the one exception in the whole human race that can't or won't be targeted by another irrational human being or other natural disaster will only leave you paralyzed in fear when something happens. This first phase of an overall 8-phase strategic formula for safety and self-protection that I teach my clients is called General Awareness.

In this phase, we consider not only the fact that danger exists, but what forms it could take and the types of attackers you could encounter. This information allows you to seek out exactly the types of self defense training, tactics, and techniques that would work to de-escalate, escape from or defend against an attack if and when it does come at you. Remember, violence is random. It can happen in any business, and at any time. And when it does, you are either prepared for it, or not.

But, I digress. The information that we gather in the "General Awareness" phase of our plan is absolutely useless in the moment of an attack. Because, in the moment when pure, unadulterated and uncivilized brutality is being thrown at you, the only thing that matters is quick, decisive, and pre-planned action. This is true in emergency situations where medical professionals are trying to save lives. It's true when a company has a crisis where massive amounts of money are being lost and the company's future is at stake. And, it's true when you are face-to-face with a violent aggressor trying to beat, break or kill you on the job!

This type of thinking - the "why is this happening?" and "why would this person do such a thing?" mentality, instead of taking action is not what's important during an attack. It reminds me of an old story about a warrior who was shot with an arrow. Before he would let anyone take the arrow out of him, he wanted to know the name and family of the archer who shot him, the type and materials the arrow was made of, the bird that the feathers came from, what poison it was tipped with, etc., before they could answer all of his questions - he died of his wounds.

Too much overthinking and not enough action based on knowledge and experience will do nothing to help you, and anyone that you're responsible for to escape from or survive a real workplace violence attack. And, let's also not forget that no amount of whining, blaming, or punishment for the attacker will take away the pain, loss, or fact that you just weren't prepared when you needed to be. That's why there are 8-phases to an effective plan or formula for developing the section missing from most workplace violence plans - the piece that deals with the operative word in your plan - violence!

If you don't have the knowledge and experience to put this critical, life-saving element into your existing plan and procedures (don't worry, most managers and administrators don't) then your first step is to find someone who does. And remember, you're not limited to choosing between gung-ho karate masters or ex-military commando types, nor the other extreme of the passive consultant with no experience at dealing with violence.

To be safe, you and your employees do not have to have a training program that will turn you into martial arts black belts. You also don't have to train for years to be proficient. There are programs and trainers out there who can give you the content you need, and within the context of your business needs. You can get the self defense training to be able to protect yourself during a workplace violence attack - training that is both easy to learn and effective, as-well-as being liability conscious and allows your managers and employees to convey professionalism and concern throughout the incident.

Do you want to learn more about the way I do it? I have just completed a brand new special report for surviving workplace violence attacks entitled, "Attack-Proof Your Facility"

Download it free here: Workplace Violence

What if you could add life-saving training that would allow you and your employees to easily and effectively de-escalate, escape from, or survive a workplace violence attack without the concern for liability issues, collateral damage, or financial loss to your business? How? By following this simple, proven system for workplace violence self defense success: http://www.wcinternational.com

Jeffrey Miller teaches individuals, organizations, and business owners the critical components necessary to not die or fall victim in a violent situation. Jeff says "If you have a serious desire to learn what you must know to be a survivor, I can teach you how to master the skills necessary to successfully defend yourself against any attacker, guaranteed" Mr. Miller also provides keynotes, seminars, workshops, teleseminars, and execu-camps(TM), and is an international speaker.

Teachers and Workplace Violence: Dealing With School-Age Psychopaths & Socio-Paths

by Jeffrey M. Miller, CEO
Warrior Concepts International, Inc.

Before you dismiss this post as having nothing to do with you because you're not a teacher, school administrator, or support employee, I suggest that you take the few minutes to read it and see where I'm coming from.

There have been several books, as well as countless reports that have come out of the research accumulated about the tragedies that have occurred at Columbine and several other schools. And, what these reports have concluded is that, what you and I were told about what caused the shootings to occur was, well, flat-out wrong.

If you missed the recent news story that appeared in USA Today, and ended up on many online news services, like Yahoo News, here's the link:

Columbine Myths

The information provided by these sources will go a long way in helping school officials, medical and psychological professionals, and members of law enforcement to understand why these things happen. And, that's a good thing.

However, there are several notable points that I keyed in on while reading through this material. As you know, my focus is on surviving these threats. I am all for prevention and deterrence because they provide for the least amount of damage, and wear-and-tear. But, let's take a look at two key points that should never be forgotten.

The first is that, the perpetrators of these acts were NOT normal people who "just snapped." What I mean is that, the attacks did not come out of the blue.

That's good news for the psychologists and advocates of prevention because it means that we can identify certain traits and characteristics of those prone to this kind of behavior. The problem is that, the assailants had a history of psychological disorders of the worst kind. They were geniuses as manipulating everyone's perceptions of them.

One of the boy's parents is even quoted as saying that they, "thought they had things under control."

So, while it is true that there are things that we can use to identify potential assailants, these people are also very good at convincing us that they're not a threat. All the while they are building their bombs, buying their ammunition, and planning their attacks.

In fact, that reminds me of something one of my teachers said to me once. He said, "somewhere, someone is training to hurt you. And, if you're not training - and you meet him - you will LOSE."

That's why I'm constantly advocated actual survival training, whether in the form of attack avoidance, assault evasion, self-defense, or escape tactics. Prevention is like having laws for everyone to follow. Deterrence is the presence of police on patrol to remind everyone of the consequences should they forget about the law. But, survival is what happens when you personally, and successfully defend yourself against an attack from someone with no regard for the law and there are no police around to stop them.

My clients recognize the fact that violence happens in an instant and long before the police have a chance to get there. They know that self-defense is not a choice, it's a responsibility. And, they have chosen to be personally responsible for their own safety, rather than abdicating that responsibility to others or the government - those who won't be there when the chaos is happening.

The second thing that caught my attention in the article was this: the point was made that, had the boys not acted out and perpetrated their attack at Columbine High School, that they wold have done it years later, once they were out of school and in a regular job. Then, it would have been a workplace violence incident.

The problem that I have with this is that...

..it was ALREADY a workplace violence incident.

Differentiating between "school violence," violent patients, and violence in a business is like splitting hairs over types of traffic accidents based on the type of vehicle or the type of road it occurred on. The truth is that, the incident occurs in a controlled environment, against victims and targets who are a part of that place. The school is the workplace for the teachers, professors, administrators, and other support personnel, but it is also the place where students do the "work" of learning. If both people must be there for six to eight hours a day, and it can be assumed that they will be there at a given time, then we are talking about the same type of incident. The same holds true for hospitals, churches, or any other organized, structured, activity or environment.

The point of all this is that, you can plan, research, and do everything in your power to try to prevent or deter these incidents, but they will still occur. And, when they do, I can assure you of one very important thing. And that thing is this:

"I don't care why it's happening." I also don't care:

"Who the assailant is or why they're doing what they are."

And, you shouldn't either.

Because, in the moment that a violent attack is taking place, there is only one thing that matters, and that is survival. Period.

If you would like to discuss how to make sure that your facility is as safe as possible, I invite you to call me at my international office in the US at (570) 988-2228. If yo haven't already done so, I highly suggest that you get my corporate report called, "Attack-Proof Your Facility." It will give you the critical information you need to prevent and survive a workplace violence attack.


Peace Happiness, & Safety,


Jeffrey M. Miller, SPS
(570) 988-2228