Not the one written in glossy onboarding trainings, but the real one. The one that lives in break rooms, behind closed doors, and in the quiet resistance of the most dangerous words in corporate America, “we’ve always done it this way.”
I learned this the hard way.
Early in my transition from law enforcement into the private sector, I took over a team that didn’t want me. Not personally, but symbolically. I represented change, new expectations, accountability, and a threat to comfort disguised as tradition.
They weren’t overtly defiant. But they weren’t bought in either. It wasn’t sabotage. It was survival. And here’s what that resistance taught me about real culture.
Culture Is Revealed in Resistance, Not Agreement
When things are easy, people nod along. When change shows up, the real beliefs come out. And boy, can it come out.
That team had been burned before. Multiple bosses. Shifting priorities. Flavor-of-the-month initiatives that left no lasting impact.
Their resistance wasn’t laziness, it was based on their experiences. They’d seen enough to stop believing words would lead to action.
As a leader, I had two choices:
Force compliance through authority.
Or earn commitment through trust.
I chose trust. It took longer, it was harder, but it built something real.
Clarity Is More Powerful Than Charisma
I thought I needed to inspire them. But they didn’t need a speech. They needed a plan.
They needed to know:
What was changing and what wasn’t.
Why it mattered.
How success would be measured.
And most importantly, how it affected them.
So I stopped trying to be impressive. And I started being specific. Because clarity breeds confidence, and confidence opens the door to buy-in.
Consistency Builds the Culture You Want
I didn’t win them over in a week or a month, but they noticed when I kept showing up.
When the standards didn’t drop. When they were coached, not criticized. When praised in public and corrected in private. Whe decisions matched values. Even when it costs more time, comfort, or popularity.
Culture isn’t declared. It’s demonstrated. And nothing demonstrates more than consistency. (You see a trend here?)
Resistance Isn’t the Enemy, It’s the Invitation
The toughest teams to lead are often the most honest. They’ll show you exactly where trust is missing, where leadership is needed, and where culture must be rebuilt. But if you’re willing to listen through the pushback and lead with integrity, you’ll build something stronger than compliance, you’ll build commitment.
Because real culture doesn’t come from slogans on the wall, it’s forged in the hard conversations, the earned trust, and the leadership that shows up even when it’s not welcomed yet.
Lead through resistance and you’ll earn the right to shape the culture that follows.
Ask most people what security means, and they’ll talk about the “3 Gs”: guns, gates, and guards. They’ll tell you it’s about risk mitigation, emergency response, or keeping bad things from happening. And they’re not necessarily wrong, but they’re not entirely right either.
Security isn’t just about what could go wrong.
It’s about making more go right.
That single mindset shift can transform how organizations see safety not as a necessary cost but as a strategic enabler.
The Old Way: A Defensive Posture
Traditionally, security has lived in the shadows. It’s reactive. It shows up when things break down. It’s often left out of the planning conversations but first in line when blame is passed around.
That model is built on fear.
And while fear can motivate short-term compliance, it rarely inspires long-term commitment. When security is framed as the “department of no,” it becomes a barrier, not a bridge, to progress.
The result?
Security leaders struggle to get buy-in.
Budgets get cut.
Innovation is stifled.
And morale? Don’t even ask.
The New Way: A Mission-Aligned Mindset
What if we flipped the narrative?
What if security became synonymous with confidence? With clarity? With operational freedom?
Great security doesn’t just reduce threats. It expands potential.
It clears the runway for teams to move faster because they know someone’s watching the radar. It gives leadership the data and visibility to make bold decisions. It empowers frontline employees to act decisively under pressure because the systems around them are built for resilience, not chaos.
When you see security as a value-add, it shifts from liability to leverage.
So, What Does That Look Like?
Here’s how organizations can reframe security as a force multiplier:
Start with “Why,” not just “What if.”
Before discussing risks, consider purpose. What are we trying to achieve? Then, ask how security can protect, support, and amplify that mission, not just guard it.
2. Partner early, not just respond late.
Security should have a seat at the table when decisions are made, not just when incidents happen. The earlier they’re involved, the more friction they can remove from operations.
3. Translate risk into relevance.
Don’t just talk about threat actors and vulnerabilities. Show how a security posture improves fan experience, protects brand equity, ensures compliance, or reduces downtime.
4. Measure what matters.
Move beyond incident reports. Track response times, policy adoption rates, stakeholder confidence, and training effectiveness. When you tie security to performance, not paranoia, you earn trust.
A Personal Note
As someone who transitioned from law enforcement to the private sector, I had to unlearn a lot of things.
In policing, seeing the world in terms of threat made sense. But in the corporate world, especially in sports and entertainment, you miss the bigger picture if all you do is focus on what could go wrong. You miss the opportunity to create the conditions where things go exceptionally right. Smoother operations, stronger teams, and safer environments that don’t feel like fortresses.
That’s why I believe in security as a leadership function, not just as a safety measure but as a strategic differentiator.
The Bottom Line
Security isn’t the brakes. It’s the alignment.
It helps you go faster, straighter, and safer toward your mission.
If you’re in the business of building something that matters, whether it’s a team, a brand, or a venue, don’t just ask, “What could go wrong?”
Ask instead:
“How can security help more go right?”
That’s the question that turns safety into strategy and fear into forward motion.
If this resonates with you, subscribe or share with someone leading the charge in risk, resilience, or operations. Let’s build safer, stronger systems together.
