We know what the Term “Warrior Mindset” is supposed to mean.

It is having the emotional drive and mental preparedness to think through the problem, fight through the problem and then not stopping until you are satisfied with the solution. While this works well on the battlefield, can we assume that this “mindset” will work in the Executive Protection Industry?

Who hasn’t heard the term “Warrior Mindset”? It brings to mind a soldier on a battlefield, covered in blood and dirt, with either a sword or a battle rifle, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen enemies.

It also brings to mind a person who wakes up at 5 a.m. and runs 5 miles, before he does 100 push-ups and then still hits the speed bag, all before 6 a.m., then calmly walks into the board room at 9 a.m. and conquers the world with the confidence of a 5 star General.

The negative of this vision however, is the tanned muscular former soldier that still has his mustache and goatee left over from Afghanistan, standing around in his name-brand tactical pants, with his eyes covered by his name-brand sunglasses and his finger indexed over his name-brand rifle.  Let’s not forget his name-brand hat that he doesn’t have the decency to remove when he enters a room, or the name-brand chewing tobacco he won’t spit out before he speaks. And the battlefield language and military vernaculars he uses to insure that everyone around him knows he is (or was) a soldier.

So the question really isn’t whether the Warrior Mindset will work, or has a place in our profession of Executive Protection, it is whether the person hired for the job can adapt the warrior mindset to our profession with the appropriate amount of finesse, etiquette, good manners, consideration and common decency, all of which are ignored in combat training.

It is possible to take children who were raised with good manners and turn them into foot soldiers, or take soldiers with no social polish and train them as officers, (understanding that officers are taught civility, manners and etiquette as part of their training and operating protocols), but it is almost impossible to convince a billionaire businessman that a Neanderthal can fly jet fighters or that an infantry soldier can wear a suit and blend in with a group of world class business leaders.

So the question has to be answered with another question:

Is it possible to hire a person with the “Warrior Mindset” who also possesses the other qualities desired by the client?

To answer that question, you have to ask the client what they expect.

Since every client is different and each of their needs and risk scenarios is different, an extensive client questionnaire must be completed and analyzed in order to interview, handpick and if needed, train the right individual for the job.

In preparation for this article, I contacted several past clients for whom I no longer provide service and reviewed about 40 questionnaires files. Here are comments from the majority of the clients questioned along with the most desired qualifications:

• Minimum of a high school diploma
• Have 10 client references and 10 personal references
• Speak, read and write in the language of the country you operate in.
• Height not over 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) for men
• Height not over 5 feet 9 inches (175.26 cm) for women
• Weight not over 220 lbs men, 160 lbs women for max height.
• 35 to 50 years of age
• Manicured or at least well groomed nails. (men and women)
• Know how to tell time and ALWAYS be 15 minutes early.
• Be fiscally responsible with the client’s money
• Don’t talk too much but always have an answer to any question
• Smile, be polite, speak quietly but with authority
• Don’t get too friendly or too comfortable with the client
• Be both typing and computer literate
• No visible tattoos. (This means outside of a bathing suit line)
• No piercings other than ladies earlobes (None for men)
• No habits.(smoking, drinking, chewing tobacco, chewing gum, biting nails, picking nose, sniffing…….)
• No facial hair. (this includes mustaches, beards, and sideburns)
• No strong perfumes or colognes
• Must wear antiperspirant and deodorant
• Never out-dress the client (no jewelry or expensive watches, no cuff-links, no bright scarves or ties, no designer suits or shoes, no three-piece or double-breasted suites, and ladies…. No dresses……ever).
• Men, no hair on the collar. Women, hair tied back in a bun. No ponytails for women or men.
• Only one button undone below the collar when a tie is not worn
• If you carry it, know how to use it. (this includes weapons of any kind, electronic devices including cell phones and counter-surveillance equipment)
• Know how to drive and how to prepare the car for the client
• Know business and dining etiquette
• Know how to lose an argument gracefully.
• Know how to say please, thank you, good night and good-bye.