"F**k off or we start shooting people". This was the message sent by the armed offenders in a robbery of a commercial premises. Prompt police action had resulted in them taking the staff hostage as more police staff - include me as the incident controller - arrived outside. The message was relayed by a very experienced officer who I respected as one of the best front line staff I worked with (and who remembered me as a fresh faced recruit!). After we successfully resolved the incident (all offenders apprehended, no injuries to hostages), I debriefed the team and learnt a valuable lesson on leadership - that the officer had complete trust in my ability to make the 'right' decision not because of any course I had been on, my lessons from senior staff, or the rank I displayed on my shoulder - rather it was what he had observed over the years I had worked with him. Trust is something to be built up every day - easily lost, is it a treasure to be protected.
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