Paul Harvey, Board Director at Ultimate Security, discusses his thoughts on the security industry in his latest blog for Infologue.com. He writes: “Firstly, I would like to thank Infologue for the platform to offer some personal thoughts and views. Over 20 years’ in the industry has certainly provided me with a variety of experiences. It has also given me with a career and the ability to support my family. Like many, I never had security as my first choice career. I went into a family business after leaving university and never left. But, I’ve enjoyed (nearly) all of it and developed personal and corporate skills that are invaluable and highly-transferable. I am passionate about what we do. Why wouldn’t I be? For me, the security sector has played a positive and significant role in forming who I am today.
Over these 20 years, we have seen lots of change, but equally many things stay the same. In some small way, I would like to encourage key stakeholders to either think differently or act on what they already know. Our sector is surrounded by intelligent and ambitious people and brilliant companies. They vary in shape, size and discipline. It has always been a challenge to think big in a ‘details’ sector. Whilst being ‘head down’ has its place, it is equally critical to look up.
Change can start small. ‘Thinking big’ requires forward-thinking and setting goals beyond our comfort zone. Without being too romantic, a single snowflake has bigger ambitions. It gets together with other snowflakes and when it does, it grows bigger and stronger. As an avalanche it can be spectacular and incredibly powerful.
In 2012, The Security Research Initiative study, led by Professor Martin Gill, stated that there was no cohesive approach from the top 30 companies. I believe this statement is still be true today. The ‘Top 30’ represent roughly 78% of the market (source: Infologue.com). Individually we aspire to an environment where we can improve quality of service and deliver the highest professional standards. We need to stretch our imagination and think of the possibilities beyond the current situation. Short-term thinking has denied us the opportunity to see solutions that lie just a few steps ahead.
By thinking clearly, creatively and problematically, we can encourage best practice, look at industry risks and opportunities and challenge whether our regulatory Body and Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) are fit for purpose, both now and in the future, for a professional security sector.
We have the capability to demonstrate leadership through building a shared vision. I invite key stakeholders to explore this idea with me. There have been a number of initiatives in this area. Individuals, trade associations and various groups have tried, with limited or no success, to gain traction. Does that mean that we should give up? Absolutely not. It may not necessarily be original, but it all begins with a single thought”.