“Every once in a while I need to remind myself that security is a journey,” says Michael W. Wanik, CPP, CBCP, who is Senior Director, Corporate Security for United Therapeutics Corporation.
On June 28, Wendi Winters lost her life when a man shot her and some of her colleagues in the Capital Gazette newspaper office.
Yet, Winters is being hailed as a hero, according to some who witnessed and survived the shooting, because Winters reportedly fought the gunman, and “charged forward holding a trash can and recycling bin,” reported the Capital Gazette.
“The country’s come quite a long way. Fans now expect security, and it made me feel good that I could take my wife and daughter to a baseball game, spend a couple hundred dollars, and feel safe about it,” says Adam Stockwell, Vice President of Security for the Milwaukee Bucks.
I love technology. My college degree is in math. I enjoy solving problems using technology. I love its disruptive nature. It can force us to rethink the way we do things. It changes us; how we think of ourselves, our families, our work and our society. It provides hope to the crippled, opportunities for the poor and disenfranchised, and healing for our environment. Its potential is a two-sided blade. It can harm us or help us. It can be used for good or evil.
How would you feel if a thief rang your doorbell at home and said, “I want you to help me burglarize your home?” How would feel if a crook knocked on your door and said, “Will you look the other way while I steal your car and your kids’ bikes and rip out some of your shrubs?”
Building up trust and increasing positive reinforcement can start to help employees to see security in a different light, and possibly even start to change some minds about the personal benefits of paying close attention to security rules.
Security awareness isn't just education, communications and training. It is cultural change and a movement that requires buy in from the top down and the bottom up. All too often, employees are told they are the weakest link, but they can also be a huge asset to any security team if they are given the right tools and trained properly.