Serve & Protect, Part Four What Makes a Good Security Guard?
By Robert Smith
Well, I am back again with part four in our series. Thanks
for those of you who have sent me e-mail updates on your new view of
staffing numbers for your venue, and I hope you continue to work to
make your venue safer. Alright, let’s get started with part four.
For years, the typical hiring practices for a nightclub or bar security
worker surrounded the person’s size and their ability to kick ass. This
practice and attitude has changed some. Today, many venues are hiring
“normal” sized guys because they have great communication skills. Other
venues even are hiring females for security because women can truly
handle volatile situations differently than men. With this
article, I will address several points that owners and managers might
want to take into consideration when searching for a quality security
employee. Additionally, potential security guards might read this and
get a real leg up on their competition.
I like to use bullets to list thoughts, so here goes. Remember, unless stated as such, they are not listed by importance.
• Communication Skills — This is listed first and maybe it is
the most important. Ask any good security guard or manager what is the
most important skill for a guard, and they will most often say the
ability to talk to patrons, especially the intoxicated or potentially
violent ones. This skill sometimes comes naturally, but I believe
that it also can be taught. During the hiring process of any guard, you
should have a conversation with the potential employee.
Talk about anything and everything: their hobbies, their prior school
or jobs, their family, sports, their love life — whatever — just talk
and most importantly, listen to them. Another tactic to gauge their
ability to carry on a conversation might be to have a group of five to
eight employees help with the interview. Each employee can talk to the
person about their individual interests to see if the prospective guard
can talk back to them.
• Ability to Ad Lib — Yes, the ability to improvise, to be
impromptu in a tense, dangerous or serious moment is crucial. This
trait is harder to find in people but can be touched on during the
interview. Can the person act? Can they tell a good joke? Can they come
back at someone with quick one-liners? These are the qualities you’re
looking for. Another, more obscure method might be to come up with two
or three simple scenarios.
For example, tell the prospective guard to be a door host, and have one
of your other employees act like an angry customer who is not allowed
in. Have your employee be rude but not violent. See if the prospective
guard can keep up and handle the problem to end you desire, but go easy
on them. It might make the prospective guard uncomfortable, but this is
just fine. It’s better to see them under stress and uncomfortable now
then when your liquor license is on the line.
• Ability to Make Appropriate Decisions — Yes, the guard must be
able to think and make decisions without always calling for the
manager. As with the prior heading, provide the guard with a series of
questions you want them to answer. Make sure the guard tells you
why they made whatever decision they made.
The questions might be as follows: No. 1, a man with a handicap walks
to the front of the line and asks to sit inside and wait for his
friends in line. What would the guard do? No. 2, an intoxicated female
is being carried out by a man. What would the guard do? No. 3,
the guard sees a person they think is underage who has been drinking in
the bar for about an hour. What do they do?
• Self Control — This is just as it sounds. Guards must be able
to stay in control and not lose their cool. They must be able to see
the situation, calmly evaluate it and know when enough is enough. From
the proper use of force, stopping alcohol service to holding the door
for capacity sake. They also must have self control when they are
offered money or sex. Business must be business, nothing
more.
Well, this is a great start. I know finding the guard with these
qualities might be hard, but many of these qualities can be taught.
However, the most important quality for a guard might be the natural
gift of kindness. Yes, just like Patrick Swayze said in the classic
movie “Road House,” the guard should, “be nice.” See you next month
with part five for dealing with pay and incentives for guards.
Robert Smith is the president of Hospitality and Security Alliance
Inc. He also is a 14-year veteran San Diego police detective and
a court expert in several topics, including the recognition of club
drugs and narcotics and the recognition of fake and counterfeit
identification. Considered a law enforcement expert in problem solving
and community policing, Smith was the first to use these specialties to
help reduce club violence and continued law enforcement visits. His
company has consulted with more than100 nightclubs and trained nearly
3,500 hospitality employees across the country, and Smith continues to
be a featured speaker at tradeshows and conventions nationwide. His
training philosophies focus on the education of the hospitality
industry and its employees to help reduce violence, reduce liquor
liability and lower rising insurance costs.
Well, I am back again with part four in our series. Thanks
for those of you who have sent me e-mail updates on your new view of
staffing numbers for your venue, and I hope you continue to work to
make your venue safer. Alright, let’s get started with part four.
