The GPF Core Values Blog
For the past ten years, Guardian has been held together by a firm belief in its Core Values. They are not only the edict for which all officers base their behavior, while on site, but they also inspire our staff and officers to be better at their jobs.
The framer for GPFs Core Values was the late Byrd “Jack” Lewis, otherwise known as Captain Jack. Back as a freshly minted Lieutenant, Jack set to work creating the Core Values. It is not exactly clear what inspired him to choose the words he did, however, it can be theorized that Captain Jack adopted these core values from the Navy and Army. We remember Captain Jack as a calculating and meticulous man, and he often choose his words carefully.
ATTITUDE | ATTENDANCE | APPEARANCE
CHARACTER | HONESTY
INTEGRITY | CUSTOMER SERVICE
The popular acronym for the Guardian Officer Core Values AAA-CHIC. Although every Security Officer has their own interpretation of the GPF Core Values, this is ours:
ATTITUDE: Nobody likes to work with a jerk or a slacker. You’re there to do a job; and if you don’t have the right mind set to do it, then find another job.
ATTENDANCE: Captain Jack use to say: “If you arrive to work on time, you’re late. And if you arrive to work fifteen minutes prior, you’re on time.”
APPEARANCE: When a Security Officer wears their uniform proudly and make sure its looks and smells nice then that reflects your intent to provide professional service. However, if a Security Guard shows up to work looking sloppy (i.e. Security Uniform shirt not tucked in, Tactical pants are torn with stains on them, etc.) it sends a message - and folks will not take that Security Professional, well professionally.
CHARACTER: This one is difficult for us to explain. Captain Jack told us once you either have character or you don’t and left it at that. So far, we can only deduce that character is a unique and preferably pleasant persona that you developed over time basic on your own experiences. Those without character, may appear robotic or lifeless in the eyes of others. Now, while I believe that this is a character in and of itself, it is clearly not a very approachable one. There's a reason Security Robots haven't taken over the industry, yet.
HONESTY: Being honest is like being in a state of vulnerability, which is something we, as humans (and Security Professionals are human), don’t like to be in. We are imperfect creatures who often make mistakes and don’t like to be judge for them. Unfortunately, when it’s time to admit to those mistakes, it can be easier, or more advantages to be dishonest to avoid punishment. In these modern times, everyone has a way to capture the truth, cameras, cellphones, etc. Therefore, the advantage of lying has waned, and is not worth the risk. Long-story-short, just be honest.
INTEGRITY: This one is by far the biggest test of a Security Officer’s medal. Doing the right thing when nobody is looking. Imagine being hired to watch a rock in a barren desert. There is no one around for miles; its hot and your shift just started. Integrity is staying vigilant and looking around even when you know nobody is there. It can be difficult especially when you’re bored, but you must maintain your integrity. We don’t accept bribes! We don’t accept tips! We don’t accept favors! These can lead to a crumbling of your integrity.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Many in the security field don’t connect this value to everyday security work, but yes, we are in the business of customer service. In fact, it is one of the more important values we have. Put simply, customer service is helping others in a professional and courteous manner. The original security officers were the Samurai. That is the literal translation of the word “Samurai,” to be of service. And yes, they too had their own set of Core Values that they firmly believed in. The greatest of those values was honor and service to the Emperor or Daimyo. We strive to be as they were, minus the bloodshed.
All senior security officers at Guardian are expected to know the GPF Core Values by heart and act accordingly when on site. Senior Security Officers lead by example and are also expected to train the other officers to do the same.
The Core Values are the thing that sets GPF apart from other Private Security Companies in the industry.