Do we see what we really see?
When you watch the two high profile incidents at the G20 summit isn’t it easy to criticise the performance of the police? Please watch the following video on this page as it may well change your thoughts,
What did you see? The majority of people see the police officers ordering the suspect to put his gun down. When he is complying he is then shot.
If this is what you saw, then I have successfully highlighted exactly why people should not judge anyone’s performance based only on a short film clip, as in the G20 summit.
Returning to the incident in the video, watch it again and, this time, watch the suspect’s right hand while he places his weapon down with his left hand. What you may not have seen is the suspect pulling a handgun from the rear of his trousers. Once he’s on the ground you can see the weapon in his right hand. It’s a good job that the second police officer saw it, for both of their sakes!
Thankfully, Michael Winner has written a more balanced point of view about the policing of the G20 summit, pointing out that it is all too easy to be critical of the police without knowing the full facts. His full article can be read here. He is correct when he states that the viewer cannot see what led up to these incidents or what is going on around the people concerned, whether the police or the public.
Of course there are elements of these reported incidents that cannot be condoned, such as the officers not wearing identification. However, this is a good example of when certain practices go unchallenged and become ‘the way we do things’ then they become part of the organisational culture. I’ve dealt with this more in my latest Ezine article “HMIC Review of Police Tactics Should Be HMIC Review of Police Leadership”
Overall though, the performance and strategy of the police at the G20 summit cannot be criticised. It’s the first such summit that hasn’t resulted in mass disorder for some time. Perhaps it is because there wasn’t much else to report that the media chose to focus on these incidents.
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To show how easy it is for the minds eye to be deceived here is a bit of fun that will do just that.
Both this picture and the apocalyptic street scene within the slide header on the home page are courtesy of Edgar Muller. http://www.metanamorph.com
Review of ‘Living Strategy’
This is another book that I have owned for a while, where the relevance of its content is right up to date. I have just completed a review of Living strategy as it has everything to do with what businesses large or small need to focus on.
Please go here for my unbiased review.
Review of Strategies of the Serengeti
I have owned this book since it was first published and it is one of a very select few that I often refer back to.
I have just completed a review of Strategies of the Serengeti – an absolute ‘must read’, whether you are in business, an ecologist or an anthropologist who’s interested in why animals have survived for so long and what humans should be learning from them.
The author is currently offering a 20% discount and I can assure you that this book will change your entire thinking concerning strategy.
Please go here for my unbiased review.
Book Reviews Page Now Added
I have read many books relating to both elements of performance and strategy, some have been very worthwhile reads whilst others have had little or no impact. I intend to post a review of these books (good and bad) with the intention of giving some guidance to the benefits of each book.
As we intend to review other books, we have created a separate Book Reviews page. We’d like to include reviews of relevant books you’ve read as well.
Additionally, we will put ‘essential reading’ books on there, such as ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy (text and cases)’ by Johnson and Scholes. Not easy reading, but a core text.
(Review on this coming very soon).
