We at Sight N will be sending out blogs for basically two reasons: Information and
entertainment. We want to give our clients as much information on those topics of interest that relate to our diverse training functions and your many talents or lack of them. Blog Categories: Sight N has two very distinct training venues; personal defense, and leadership/management. We feel that the skillsets require for both are similar and play well integrated into the training. Therefore, our information will basically be under those headings and will be defined as Tactical or, Leadership. There will be motivational topics from time to time, however, remember, motivation comes from within. Sight N LLC feels that its clients are multi-disciplinary and will benefit from a variety of topics and information that are, in essence inter-connected. Blog considerations: While there will be an abundance of information to view, we feel that readers’ feedback is critical to all of us. Therefore, we highly encourage feedback be it in agreement and especially if one disagrees. Our goal is to evoke discussion, thinking, learning and knowledge and that applies to everyone. Your comments and suggestions should be professional, and should not insult. We can all express our differences and consider other opinions. However, be prepared to explain why you agree or disagree with the authors. Defend your opinion and convince others. You may not be able to change the others (or the authors) but you will have given them something to think about and that is the real purpose of the blog. The information we provide on various topics will be the opinions of Sight N’ authors and when appropriate we will ensure that any information not expressly ours or borrowed from another person or source will be referenced. Let’s all give credit when it is deserving. Whenever possible we will hyperlink to other sites so you to obtain more information. At Sight N, we take training very seriously however, we do like to have fun and enjoy the time for what it is. Humor is a great teaching and learning tool and so we use it in abundance in our training and will in the blogs. Laughing and smiling are actually healthy and make learning easier. So, if you are easily offended or you take yourself too seriously, good luck. #AIMSMART Sight N LLC Report Date 2 Sight N will try to put out something every other week and once we get into this more, we will establish the day the blog will come out. Right now, we are anticipating something the Wednesday of every other week. This can be adjusted as time goes on if applicable. I’d like to remind you that the owners and adjunct staff at Sight N all have extensive military and law enforcement backgrounds including special operations, training, and leadership/management. We will give our clients the benefit of our experience and lessons learned from the “real” world. To that end, we don’t profess to have all the answers (you can only get that from google) However, we will share what worked or didn’t work for us and possible solutions. Also, as I always tell my students, you have to take any teaching and modify it to fit your situation. What works for me may not work for you. Sight N is a teaching operation and not a training facility. That means we teach you skills and give you information so that when you leave, you are informed and have developed “practice proficiency”. You must train on your own to develop “operational or combat proficiency”. After all, you are solely responsible for your actions or inactions and for your success or failure...We are here to give you the tools you need to succeed. All you need to do is use them. Remember, we at Sight N are here for you individually or as a group. We will provide you with some pretty good skills that as you master, will help ensure your success in your life’s endeavors. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you in our courses. Stay safe and as always, remember to; #AimSmart Andy
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If we deal with problem behavior in a timely manner we can in most cases
probably resolve it. All too often, we are busy handling matters that appear to be more urgent so we ignore what’s really important. With behavioral issues, these little things soon grow into major ones. The reality of it is that problem employees, if not dealt with in the early stages, can quickly become your most urgent matter. How do we do this? An effective way to do this is to have a plan in place that allows you to progressively handle employee problems as they arise. This is commonly referred to as “progressive discipline.” This type of discipline underscores the importance of clearly communicating the organization’s expectations of employee behavior in advance. If expectations are not met, problems are handled promptly in a consistent and effective manner. As a supervisor, it is incumbent on you to be constant and consistent in your approach to discipline. A relatively simple and straightforward system can be used to address all but the most serious of employee infractions and would include the following steps: 1. Verbal Warning (documented) 2. Counseling 3. Written Warning (letter of reprimand) 4. Suspension 5. Termination Of course, there are variations to these steps depending on the organization’s plan and the circumstances of the specific problem. But generally, the first step is usually a verbal warning. Keep in mind that you might have already talked with the employee, probably on an informal basis, about the behavior. These talks are many times not disciplinary in nature. However, for various reasons, the problem persists and now it’s become a disciplinary issue. The verbal warning then is the first official disciplinary step you should take with the employee. An effective verbal warning session can resolve the problem very quickly, without need to proceed to more formal steps. Be completely prepared before sitting down with the employee to discuss the problem. Approach the discussion with an open mind and use active listening to hear their side of the issue. Once you have identified the problem, be sure to outline your expectations of the change(s). Before ending the meeting, make sure that the employee understands and acknowledges the steps you will take if the changes are not made. If verbal discussions are ineffective and the problem continues, you will then provide formal counseling to help improve the problem behavior. It is important to document the counseling and to note specific behaviors and specific actions that you have recommended during these sessions. The next step is the more formal written corrective phase sometimes referred to as a letter of reprimand. This part of any disciplinary review must be handled correctly or you open yourself up for significant legal problems especially if this process is not handled carefully and consistently. Written documentation of an employee’s performance must be objective, clear, and complete and must describe specific behaviors not issues such as attitude. There can be no misinterpretation of the problem or the corrective action that needs to be taken. If the above efforts fail then one might consider suspension. This is a temporary removal of the employee from the workplace. You might need to review State and Local laws relative to this step. As a last resort, you might determine termination is the only possibility left. Make sure you are prepared for this step. As with all written notifications, this termination notice should clearly state the actions you require the employee to take to avoid termination. It should also outline the time constraints to fulfill those requirements. It you decide to terminate, remember that termination must always be handled with the highest levels of attention to proper procedures and they must be constant and consistent. The entire case must be documented in writing. There is no guarantee that the employee will pursue legal action but by carefully following the right process and maintaining excellently written documentation, the chances significantly improve that the organization will win. For those of you that have trouble coming up with descriptive comments for your evaluations, I’ve provided some taken off of actual evaluations. Don’t try these for real as they were written and used by professionals: “Since my last report, this employee has reached rock bottom…and has started to dig deeper.” “His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity.” “This employee is really not much of a ‘has been’, but more of a definite’ won’t be’.” “He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.” “This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.” “This employee should go far…and the sooner he starts, the better.” “I would like to go hunting with him sometime.” “He certainly takes a long time to make his point pointless.” “Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn’t coming.” “Has two brains: one is lost and the other is out looking for it.” “If you gave him a penny for his thoughts, you’d get change.” “He would argue with a signpost.” “He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room.” “He has a knack for making strangers immediately.” “When his IQ reaches 50 he should sell.” “IF you see two people talking and one of them looks bored, he’s the other one.” “It’s hard to believe that he beat 1,000,000 other sperm to the egg.” “Takes him 2 hours to watch 60 minutes.” “When he opens his mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet.” “The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead.” “Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thing that holds it all together.” Remember, evaluations can be fun… and at times creative. Mindset:
The military has time to change mindsets and is not 100% successful Weapons Trainers don’t have time to do this so we must count on the individual to rebuild themselves. Use of force and firearms training cannot be sugar-coated but we do. DEADLY FORCE DECISION-MAKING: We do not need to teach, shoot don’t shoot using machines. We only test: Visual acuity or target identification Reaction time to a threat Some marksmanship All these produce false readings as there is no recoil, report, or sense of danger. Live fire test marksmanship under self-imposed stress. NEGOTIATE MENTALITY: We must overcome. Defined as you are talking or posturing when you should be fighting or shooting. Life is threatened and the threat is imminent. We now negotiate until we fail, then we try to solve the problem. We now wait for the sake of waiting not for a strategic purpose which should be to improve our tactical position. SET YOUR MENTAL TRIGGER AT DEFENSE OF LIFE - Recognize circumstances that place you in imminent fear of death or great bodily harm to yourself or someone else. Imagery is very important here as you can not be in lethal force situations every day … except in your mind. After making the decision to shoot, mentally rehearse making a statement to include the facts and circumstances that led you to press the trigger OPPONENT’S SKILL LEVELS: Don’t underestimate but take the extra time needed to make the shot. See the mass of your pistol and manage your trigger. Most of the people you will go up against are unskilled. What they have going for them is THEY ARE WILLING!!! YOUR OWN SKILL LEVEL: Be confident. This requires an intense desire to be good Rehearse or train, train, train. GET MAD: Courage is the complement of fear. One can not exist without the other. A man that feels no fear can not be courageous. He is also a fool and probably a liar. The greatest disease of the 20th century is cowardice and non-involvement. The only way to overcome fear is through CONTROLLED ANGER. |
AuthorAndy Casavant Archives
March 2023
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