I've been thinking more about @
HCMs central question of how do we interest/motivate LE Firearms Instructors. I had an epiphany today about this. Unfortunately it was born of depression and despair, but I think the lesson is still valid.
Several of us have talked about the importance of instructor selection to a programs success. I still believe this is true, and have frankly come to believe that a demonstrated passion for shooting is more important than performance on a selection shooting test, up to a point. Give me someone with a passion for shooting, and I'll quickly get him/her to a point where they will smoke the person with natural hand/eye coordination but no actual passion/interest. Of course some level of skill is necessary, but I firmly believe the passion trumps that. Secondarily, the person has to demonstrate an ability to communicate, which is an absolute prerequisite for an instructor. I like @
HCMs use of public speaking experience in this regard. If you can find and select these people, it will go far to making your program successful.
But the question was more about motivating existing instructors, I think. Can we even do that? I think you can, to an extent. I think you need to motivate them by challenging them, and continuous exposure to outside instructors is the way. It worked, for a time, for my staff. Two classes in 4 years, but the necessity of performing on new tasks, for an outside authority who was evaluating/judging you, was a powerful incentive to perform. For a time that motivation lasted. Now that myself and the only other instructor passionate about shooting are leaving....the motivation is gone. There is no one to challenge them, or push them....or even get them more training. Hopefully my successor will continue to try....but I'm not optimistic.
Continuing to challenge instructors to perform, for outside 'experts', is powerful motivator in my opinion. And in my experience one of the only ways to motivate the Civil service types. No one wants to be 'that guy' in front of their peers.
That's my take on motivating the ones we're stuck with. Thoughts?