911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Ashlie: Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host Ashlie Walton.
Clint: And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.
Ashlie: In today's episode. We are going to talk about how the difference in mindset made all the world for Clint when he tested for detective and how it finally paid off. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. Now Clint, last week you finished the process for testing for detective and this was your third go at it.
Clint: Yeah it was definitely a whole different experience and it has been for me any the other time that I tested for it. You know I actually had people after the fact tell me I can't believe how calm you were throughout the process.
Ashlie: And as you listen Clint did finally make the list for a detective and I am so proud of him.
Clint: Thank you.
Ashlie: And Clint for anybody who might be anticipating a process of promoting whether it's in law enforcement or not, can you just take us through a little bit about what happened to you that day and how different it was for the other two times that you've tried this.
Clint: For me I really came to the realization actually just before that day of I've been doing the job of you know a detective and a corporal for some time. I mean for years I've been practicing for it, just by implementing it in my day today work. And when I came to that realization I recognized the fact of I already know the questions that they're going to ask me I already know the answers to them. In saying that I was not fed answers, I was not given the questions before the testing process. I just started practicing in my day to day routine of being on patrol or working in my special detail the job of being a detective. So going into the actual testing process I knew I was prepared for it. I didn't have to do crash study sessions and really try remembering and memorizing all the different aspects of what I needed to say or what I needed to do. I just needed to articulate what I've already been doing.
Ashlie: The thing that stands out for me that was so different this time around was that the other two times you were so caught up in the nuances of having to study this wide array of material and it took you days just to nail down like your introduction and then to tell yourself that you had to memorize it going in and for this process you specifically told me like I'm not even going to worry about memorizing anything. Like I'm just going to go in there. I mean you know the key points that I want to make sure that I that I say and that way if I do miss a beat when it comes to memorizing something, I don't find myself like word vomiting everything out.
Clint: Yeah and that's exactly what I did every other time, I threw out all this nonsense that really had no relevance into it. You know memorization is great for some people, but it didn't work for me. Because I got caught up in my own head of if I said something out of place I just went down that rabbit hole of not being able to recite it like I had memorized. And a lot of it came from I would ask other people who were already promoted or you know for their advice, for their input. So I asked 20 different people their input on what I could do better to prepare myself and this time I asked maybe one and it wasn't, I didn't ask him how I could test better. I asked them what could I do to improve myself for the process and that question alone just opened up a world of self-empowerment and self and betterment.
Ashlie: The crazy thing for me is after finding out that you made the list I had asked you to reflect back on the other two times when you didn't make the list. Because our conversations during those times were like okay I didn't make the list because I'm not in the in crowd. Like they don't like me because I don't try to be like them and I don't try to kiss ass the way that a lot of other people do and making up all these excuses to really hum the fact that you just failed at it. And of course me being the wife and supporting you had some agreement with that.
Clint: I pushed out the blame on the other people instead of owning it myself. And that was something that I definitely recognized in this time.
Ashlie: And I had asked you. So looking back at those other two times like do you still believe that that was the case or do you truly feel that you just weren't prepared enough.
Clint: For me it was I was prepared. I believe I truly was prepared, but I let my nerves get the best of me and I didn't have the mindset or the readiness to actually perform the job.
Ashlie: What got you to that place of developing that mindset apart from just being on the streets and just acting the way that a detective does to sort of embody that?
Clint: Along with the mentors that I've had over the years and really kind of just guiding myself down the route of being a field training officer and teaching the new officers how to be a safe effective police officers. That really shifted my complete mindset in seeing the impact that I can make within my department. When I had that mindset shift when I arrived on scene at kohl's I wasn't looking at it, let's just get this done and go on to the next one. It was more of let's fix this problem today and make it so we don't have to come back to provide that customer service to help the citizens out we're there to effectively save you from whatever may be going on in their lives. But while afterwards after we control that scene, going over with my trainee xyz, why did we do what we did.
Ashlie: You keep mentioning the role that being a field training officer is played in the process of you promoting. Can you talk about that a little bit.
Clint: As a field training officer we were responsible for the new officers. I mean just imagine you go in to a new job and no one you've had some kind of guidelines of what you're supposed to do. But no one's actually taught you how to be a cop and you have to look at so many different aspects around it. Whether it's liability whether it's criminal action, whether it's just the letter or spirit of the law. It's building those relationships with the community and with your brotherhood and sisterhood that you work with.
Ashlie: I think it's important that you touched on that because I believe no matter what profession it is that you're in. Whether you're looking to get a new job or you're looking to advance in your career, having that guidance and those mentors and to be able to embrace those roles of leadership and those people in those leadership positions even though a lot of people maybe have defiance towards them, which I've seen a lot of. That's really the only way for you to grow is to start to be humble and to really step back and get over yourself a little bit. And it's my belief that that comes with a lot of maturity. And as your wife I can say that I've definitely seen that growth in your maturity level as it pertains to you being a police officer and having those types of relationships and the way that you really consider those authority figures to be vital in your own advancement.
Absolutely. That is so key in everything going through this process. And apart from knowing already recognizing the fact that I know the answers to the questions, but also being able to get into a place within my own body and my own mental state to where I'm not overanalyzing, overthinking every instance and bringing myself back down to where I actually had a sergeant after the fact call me and say you're a breath of fresh air in our interview because you were just so calm.
Ashlie: A lot of that comes from just being comfortable with yourself I think. In this past year I've really seen how comfortable both of us have become with who we are. That's a lot us to grow in ways we never would have even considered possible before this new journey of self-development that we've taken. The formal education, you know lots of money and time and tears have been spent on that. But if you could give anybody any advice maybe as they envision advancing in law enforcement or even if they're not in a law enforcement career, what would that advice be for them?
Clint: Prepare yourself not just before the test, but prepare throughout your whole career for the advancement that you want and meditate. Practice presencing and just listen to people who know how to guide you. Let your ego go and listen.
Ashlie: I think that's great advice. We talk about that inner chatter a lot when it comes to coaching our own clients and how I would say 99% of the time what's holding us back is just ourselves and for you I know without any doubt that you're getting over yourself was what allowed you to proceed in this process and then finally make the list for detective after you know this is your third go around. And that's not to belittle you. I truly feel looking back now that mentally you just weren't prepared. Not that you weren't prepared with the tactics that were involved. Not that you didn't know the material or how to be a detective, but I don't believe in looking back that you were mentally prepared and confident enough in yourself to be able to execute it.
Clint: Absolutely not.
Ashlie: And in moving forward as you listen if there is any place in your own life where you can maybe identify that you've held yourself back, what does that inner chatter saying to you? Is there self-doubt that criticizes you? Do you hear someone else's voice telling you all the reasons why you can't move forward? Do you still feel like someone younger than you really are? I would challenge you to consider the fact that those thoughts don't control you. You are allowed to be the CEO of your own mind. It takes a lot of practice, takes a lot of guidance and of course mentorship. But when you finally have the ability to step aside from that inner chatter and realize that you're self-sabotaging yourself by the negative connotations that are constantly being streamed into your mind, there's a way to replace that with positivity. A lot of it has to do with faking it till you make it. There is the hero's pose where you put your hands on your hips and you pump your chest out and you really just embody that feeling of greatness. You can google many ways to put yourself in that mindset. But the thing is that you have to make the choice to do that. And by choosing to do that and then adopting one technique after another, it's impossible to go back to the way it was before. And when you're able to own your greatness and you know that you're capable of an endless amount of possibilities in this world, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.
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