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Have You Seen the Grey Man?

2/9/2013

12 Comments

 
Well for starters he isn’t that grey and he is easily seen. For those of you who do not know of the grey man/woman let me explain and I’ll do this from three different perspectives:

·
 The Executive Protection Specialist

·
 The Sheep

·
  The wolf

For the uninitiated the sheep are the unaware people of our society and the wolves are the bad guys out there.

The Protection Specialist
Cool names have been attached to the ‘Grey Man’. Hey, you would think being called the ‘Grey Man’ was a cool enough name, but there are a few more: invisible, covert, unseen, subtle and
nondescript are just a few more. It would sound as if ‘the protector’ has super powers and can disappear at will, move among us without our knowledge, only showing himself when the life of the client/principal is under threat.

Please, this isn’t the movies, I happen to be one of these protection specialists. I work in the real world and I am sorry to burst the Bubble (OK I am not sorry) of those who believe in the Grey Man,
but he is a myth. A myth started by training providers and perpetuated by those who blindly follow what has gone before with their only thought being, ‘hey the myth has been around for so long it must be right, who am I to challenge this
concept’.

The Sheep
Within our society the Grey Man is just as much a myth as in the protection world. These members of the public, just your everyday people living there every day life with one big problem, they do not want to be noticed, they want to be Grey, they want to be invisible. The only thing is they do not know how to go about not being noticed.  

You see them everywhere, head down looking at the ground or head in a book, ear phones on, trying to be small or scurrying about as if the faster they move the less noticeable they will be and the faster they can get from A to B the safer they will be. They don’t or won’t make eye contact, well you can’t if you’re looking down can you? They are like children who think they can’t be seen if they close their eyes. These are the sheep.

The Wolf                                                                                                                                               
The big bad wolf sees everything. At the top of the wolf pack are the terrorists, murderers, kidnapers and rapists while lower down are the muggers, robbers and violent abusers. The upper echelons of the wolf pack see the so called Grey Man of the protection detail trying to not be noticed, how? Because they have studied or taken our training, they know how we operate, where and how we stand, whether we are armed or not, formations, movements and driving skills, they know it all.

The lower echelons of the wolf pack target the weak, timid and nervous, the unaware and the downright dozy. They see you darting about not hearing or seeing anything until it is too late. You
may be grey to other law abiding members of the public but to the wolf you are very much in plain sight and you are their prey.

There is no such thing as grey when it’s your life on the line. This is where everything is either black
or white.

Stay Dangerous

Rock

12 Comments
Tony Scotti link
2/9/2013 12:18:13 am

Paul - Good article - Thanks

Reply
Paul
2/9/2013 05:17:19 am

Thanks Tony

Reply
joseph
2/10/2013 08:11:41 pm

As military man it is very important article. Also I do 'HUMINT' Jobs Thanks bro.

Reply
Rock
2/11/2013 10:26:07 pm

Hi Joseph thanks for your comment.

Reply
Craig link
2/11/2013 08:36:00 pm

Hi Rock
I had to read your article a few times to be sure that I understood the message that you wished to impart. We can agree at least that the "Protection Specialist" comes in many guises, some only suited for domestic environments and others to operate in hostile territories. I am less inclined to accept the wolf/sheep scenario; I would accept that the more armoured of us know how to use our “noggins” to provide an appropriate response to any situation remembering that we are in the business of providing a service. This does not mean that we necessarily provide a hostile or aggressive counter response, rather we provide one that is measured to invoke a desired outcome.
Generally speaking I have observed the difficulty that many encounter unable to perform correctly due to having little or no knowledge of the environment they find themselves in and in desperation find themselves believing that simply by being an imposing figure that is “dangerous” will dissipate the contra actions of another. They could not be more wrong.
In closing I would ask that you reconsider the position of being “dangerous” and encourage that they be “professionals” in their every endeavour.

Regards

Reply
Rock
2/11/2013 10:24:58 pm

Hi Craig

Thanks for your comments. Yes the EPO job spec does cover a wide area populated by both professional and unprofessional operators and some do use posturing thinking it will deter anyone.
You will have to explain more on your wolf/sheep comment before I can answer that, is your comment just in relation to the EPO?
Staying dangerous is not in the way you are taking it. Staying safe is a passive and negative mindset, staying dangerous is just the opposite, positive, professional, the correct attitude, this includes both the mental and physical aspects, not talking about posturing or ego or anything like that but being prepared 24/7. Staying dangerous is a constant reminder to be switched on at all times.

Reply
Craig
2/11/2013 11:51:04 pm

Rock

Thanks for making that clear.... I am inclined to agree that we need to remain switched on 24/7 and not become complacent and arrogant. As to the many who just do not cut it, sadly you are right.

Craig link
2/11/2013 11:51:23 pm

Rock

Thanks for making that clear.... I am inclined to agree that we need to remain switched on 24/7 and not become complacent and arrogant. As to the many who just do not cut it, sadly you are right.

drew
2/18/2013 03:43:17 am

Hi Paul
Nice article good way of explaining cpo mindset.

Reply
Rock
2/20/2013 12:11:40 am

Hi Drew

Thanks for your comment.

Reply
Jill Reid Olson link
3/22/2013 10:50:07 pm

Rock ~ I'm one of the sheep... I get the living in grey, rushing from place to place and always in a hurry. You bring to light something that people in all walks of life need to think about.
I like the "stay dangerous" finish, and the black and white mentality of good versus evil. I feel encouraged after reading your blog, and am grateful that there are dedicated professionals willing to educate and inform those of us that become complacent and forget about the dangerous world we live in. Thank you. Jill

Reply
Rock
3/23/2013 07:14:35 am

Hi Jill, thanks for your comments. You would be surprised at how many professionals also easily become complacent, especially when nothing untoward has happened for any length of time.

Only by constantly applying procedures everyday in real time in all aspects of our lives will our awareness of ourselves and our actuality begin to seem like second nature. Until this happens it is easy to get distracted by the mundane happenings that form part of our daily lives.

Reply



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    Combat Focused
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    Paul 'Rock' Higgins

    Certified Master Anti - Terrorism Specialist,
    Executive Protection Operator,
    Self Protection Instructor, speaker and author of Meditations of a Modern Warrior.

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    I am available for guest blogs, magazine and newspaper articles and speaking engagements.
    I've used Anker products for a number of years now. Great close protection tool; keeping your electronic kit fully charged. 

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