April 27, 2009
THE WHARTON EXPERIENCE
William H. Nesbitt, CPP, recently attended the ASIS International Security Executive Program at the Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania. This article briefly explains why he attended this program and some of the benefits that were derived.
I have been a practicing security consultant since 1989. My practice has two primary thrusts, providing security expertise to a wide range of commercial and healthcare clients and the provision of security expertise as a court certified security expert. Prior to these endeavors, I spent a number of years in the contract guard industry as well as in private investigations and the electronic security industry. I became a Board Certified Protection Professional in 1978 by sitting for the very first exam held in Los Angeles. If you do the math, it’s not hard to figure out I am no spring chicken.
I was aware of the partnership ASIS International had with the Wharton School and had contemplated attending this program a year ago. I actually called ASIS Headquarters to get a few names of former attendees. I then contacted a few and the feedback I got was very favorable. Early in the spring of 2008 I again began to reconsider attending the ASIS sponsored Security Executive Program at the Wharton School. Of course by now the economy was heading south. As a security veteran of more than 30 years I first questioned whether I was over the hill for such a program and, given the economic conditions of the day, was this considerable investment prudent? This decision presented a bit of a conundrum; spending thousands of dollars for an educational program when economic times are tough.
Subsequently, I eventually believed that I needed to attend this program, precisely because the economy was going into the tank. At the eleventh hour I decided in the affirmative to register. I attended a one week session in November of 2008 and the second week in February of 2009 and never looked back. This undoubtedly turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. I found this program to be intellectually invigorating and of tremendous pragmatic value. Barely a week goes by that I don’t refer to my Wharton notebooks. Because of this experience I have purchased and read about five books and continue to remain curious.
I would like to take a little time to recount with some specificity the range of practical benefits one may derive from this program. Bear in mind that as a security consultant, I knew that more than ever I would need to bring real value to my clients by not only helping them develop effective security solutions, but by also helping them develop programs that are cost-effective with demonstrable ROI.
There is a double-edged sword phenomenon that has resulted from the economic downturn. The security risks facing organizations are greater than ever, in part as a direct result of the faltering economic conditions. At the same there is an increasing squeeze down on the financial resources needed to support security budgets. In the face of rising threats there is still an inclination by some in management to cut security budgets. We have already seen several acts of violence in the workplace that have, in part, origins contingent on personal economic strife. Clearly security managers must have the required skill-sets necessary to justify their budgets with hard data. They also need to quantify the ROI their budget will actually produce. (Not always an easy task because it is akin to trying to prove a negative.)
A reasonable question therefore is: How can you best articulate, in the language of business the need to invest in proactive security programs? How can you present your strategy so the C-suite will listen and approve your recommendation? How can you manage your own resources to maximize return on investment?
One answer: The Wharton/ASIS Program for Security Executives: Making the Business Case for Security. This program offers core business knowledge from one of the nation’s leading business schools, if not in fact, the leading business school in the nation.
This quotation is worthy of consideration: "Security executives need to become business partners. We sometimes are viewed as the people you call if you have a problem. We need to be seen as partners to make sure we contribute to the business. For example, we are working on issues such as counterfeiting, grey markets, and employment terminations, all of which address key security and business issues. We need to understand the directives and strategic objectives of the corporation and look out for the best interests of the company."
—Steve Chupa, Director of Security, Worldwide Security Group, Johnson & Johnson
—Steve Chupa, Director of Security, Worldwide Security Group, Johnson & Johnson
Tough economic times bring out the best and the worst in leadership. For those leaders and organizations for which a faltering economy brings out the worst, failure will always be lurking around the next corner. For those that preserver by adapting and innovating, success will be achieved and those individuals and organizations will emerge stronger than they were going in. The Wharton Program helps one obtain the tools for the latter.
As it turned out, this program was one of most invigorating and informative education programs I have ever attended, and I’ve attended a bunch of seminars over the past 30+ years. I looked forward to heading to the classroom each day. As much as I gained from the Wharton faculty, I also gained immeasurably for the interactions with my peers, both in and outside the classroom. I would like to highlight a few of reasons for this statement.
First, the faculty is second to none. The folks at Wharton are not ivory tower academics steeped in theory. These professors all keep one foot in the academic world and the other foot in the real world in that they all do a substantial amount of outside consulting with Fortune 100 companies down to small local enterprises, and they do so worldwide. They understand the global marketplace the global economy that the marketplace must function within. There are also the benefits derived from interaction with fellow classmates which adds to the richness of this program. Additionally, this program does not allow passive participation. The attendees are exposed to theories and operational concepts and subsequently these theories are immediately put into practice through interactive role-playing.
One of the highlights of week one was when all of us were exposed to teaching by analogy. The following example also helps to convey the richness of this program. Prior to making the trip to Wharton, we were all invited to read a book entitled “Killer Angels” a novel recounting the Battle Gettysburg in 1863. We subsequentially learned that the reading of this book was preparatory to spending a full day at the Gettysburg Battle site with a Certified Battle of Gettysburg Historian. One might question the relevance of studying a single civil war battle in detail while attending an executive training program at Wharton. It all became clear when, on a cold blustery November afternoon, under the branches of a large oak tree, the professor queried; “If General Lee was running General Motors today, what would his management style be? How do you think he might resolve the current crises?” Similar question were posed throughout the day requiring each of us to apply our analysis to other Generals and battlefield commanders form both the Union Army and the Confederate Army.
The Wharton program for security executives provides the attendee with a set of tools by which to move a security program forward in a manner consistent with the corporate culture of the affected organization. This program also recognizes that no two corporate cultures are alike and that as security professionals, we each would be required to understand the culture and mores of the organization we were dealing with when we returned home. One of universal concepts that came through loud and clear is that corporate decisions, especially those requiring budgetary resources, must be data driven and expressed in quantitative terms. This approach is clearly within the value system of those whose organizations are metric driven. To quote John Percival, a member of the Wharton faculty, “Before you ask the company to spend money, you must know how they keep score.”
This program is not only instructive for those seeking to develop utilitarian security plans, but it is also very helpful in providing the tools required to make it happen. The program spends significant time on the ways and means of negotiations and both internal and external marketing strategies in furtherance of an effective security plan.
Finally, this program also recognized that all who attend this program are not created equally. As a precursor to both sessions, those of us who signed on to the program where asked to respond to a number of diagnostic inventories. These instruments were scored at the resultant profiles were provided to each attendee. The information provided by these instruments gave each of us greater insight into out strengths, preferences and management styles. The ability to asses a situation or to enter into a negotiation is enhanced if one better understands their own strengths and weaknesses as well as their biases.
I’ve attended numerous seminars and workshops over the years. After attending these workshops I come home with notes and handouts. Often these materials are placed on my desk and after a few months they find their way to a bookshelf or file drawer. Every year or so, the file drawers are purged and the materials are eventually discarded and the workshop fades in to a distant memory. This result seems very unlikely with the Wharton Program. The Wharton Program for Security Executives, at least in my case, has stimulated me to learn more. I know that what works today, may not work tomorrow. This means that in order to adapt and change. I must see change coming. Clearly this program has provided the tools to meet these challenges.
William H. Nesbitt, CPP
President
Security Management Services International
1168 Pan Court
Newbury Park, CA 91320
Phone: 805-499-3800
Mobile: 805-410-2300
Website: www.smsiinc.com
Email: bill@smsiinc.com
Mobile Email: SMSI@att.blackberry.net
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