The Six Things You Need to Know About Executive Protection

Protecting executives and upper management requires risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis and old-fashioned legwork.

"You need to know how to walk, dress and talk like your executive," says Ilan Caspi, executive vice president of the Global Security Group and a former member of Shin Bet, the Israeli counterintelligence and internal security service. Blending into the executive's milieu is critical to ensuring his safety and minimizing the impact of a security detail on his daily life.

So who is the executive protection professional? "These men and women are educated, trainable, respectful and dedicated professionals," says Robert L. Oatman. Oatman, author of a book on executive protection, founded R.L. Oatman & Associates, which specializes in executive protection operations and training. "They know how to blend into their environment and carry on an intelligent conversation, and they understand that they represent the executive." Many companies hire former police officers, secret service agents and military officers to fill this role, but experts like Oatman point out that it's also possible to find people within a corporate security organization who have the right character for the role. The physical skills necessary to do protection can be taught, but the dedication, discretion and integrity necessary to do the job well are often harder to find. "This job is not for everyone," says Oatman.

Protection professionals have to be great communicators. They have to be able to establish a good rapport with their principal without getting too close. "You want to make sure that you keep everything on a professional keel," says Tim Koerner, deputy assistant director in the office of protective operations for the U.S. Secret Service. "When you are in close proximity for a long period of time, people sometimes let down their guard and become more chummy. The best results are when things are utterly professional."

The CSO's role is to identify promising protection professionals (both within the company and outside of it), and to mentor them and make sure they receive the appropriate training. That training can include skills such as choreography (knowing how to stand, walk and get out of a car with a principal), conducting advance work to prepare for trips and events ahead of time, effective countermeasures to deal with an attack or security threat when it materializes, proficiency with home alarm and access control systems, familiarity with armored vehicles, and firearms training.

Tip #3 Make protection feel like a perk

Some people come into the protection business imagining they'll be like Clint Eastwood, firing off magnum clips and cool one-liners in rapid succession. But opportunities for gun-play are hard to come by if the job is done well. In fact, the job can seem quite dull when success is measured by how uneventful the executive's routine becomes. Nerdy as it may sound, good organizational abilities and excellent research skills will prevent the lion's share of problems. These things also carry an ancillary benefit: helping an executive eliminate many of the usual annoyances of travel.