Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I have been a supervisor and trainer in the public sector for over 20 years. I have trained soldiers, emergency medical responders and police officers across the country and around the world. I have had the pleasure of working with first responders and public sector managers both in person and in cyberspace.

I envision using this space to share the lessons I’ve learned on public safety issues, leadership training and management. I expect to post two new articles each month during the second and fourth week. While I believe people new to public safety leadership will learn many lessons here, I also expect those of you with some experience will share what your have learned also and create a positive learning space for everyone.

My qualifications include 31 years of service in the United States military, three years in the regular Army the balance in the National Guard where currently serve a the Chief Instructor at a Regional Training Institute at the rank of Master Sergeant. I completed two combat tours in the Middle East training the security forces of the host nation and training military security forces. After completing the hitch in the regular Army, I joined the police department in my home town and also worked on the local rescue squad. After four years there, I moved to the next town where I expanded my knowledge and was promoted to supervisory positions.

During my time studying and practicing leadership, I have noticed the more tools one has, the better one adapts to the situation at hand. No single leadership theory takes into account all the variables that exist in any leadership situation. Leadership is a continuum and fluctuates based on the leader, the followers, the situation and communication. The same is true of adult training. Training is a formal attempt to change behaviors to achieve a desired outcome. If leadership is a process of influencing others, then training is one method of applying influence. Again the strategies employed to teach adults new skills and theories and how to apply them to real life is a mixture of the trainers skills and knowledge, those being trained, the situation they are training in and for and how well they communication. As a result, there are many parallels between training and leadership.

This blog will seek to explore and inspire others to improve their leadership and training. The discussions will center around applications in the public sector, however the principals apply equally in the private sector. Learning to adapt the principals to your situation is the secret to success in leadership and training. I look forward to sharing what I have learned and from hearing from readers how they apply the concepts we discuss. You may contact me by email at christopher.saint.cyr at gmail.com.