Eight Bodyguard Types in the Industry

By Doc Rogers

Observations of humorous personality types and characters observed in the BG industry over the years:

1. Body Beautiful. The BG who continuously checks himself whenever a mirror is available; hotel lobby, restaurant, venue, etc.  Flexing and paying more attention to himself than the client. Making others think that all BGs are vain and egotistic.

2. Chatterbox. The BG who talks about himself during the whole assignment and does not listen to assignment instructions.  Often talking about war stories of past assignments but his mind is not on the present one.

3. Hollywood. The BG who has not received any formal BG training and goes about “guarding” the client as depicted in the movies. Often seen in dark sunglasses, Armani suits and black combat boots.

4. Know-It-All. The BG who has been on “high-speed, low-drag” assignments around the world and you can’t tell him a thing about the requirements of the present detail; because he already knows everything.

5. Cut Rate. The BG who charges $19.99 per hour for services and devalues the industry, not a true trade professional, but someone wanting fast cash by charging a cheap rate. A year from now the cut-rate BG types will be out of business, they are truly flight-by-night characters.

6. The Shark. The BG who is always looking to steal other BG’s clients. They are always in the background ready to strike. However, these shark types never really seem to get a head professionally; because cheaters never prosper.

7. The Destitute. The BG who only has two part-time clients and is always broke. They look for clients frantically, but are avoided like the plague; others can sense their desperation that they wear on their sleeve.

8. The Old Workhorse. The BG who was the Detail Leader on Frank Sinatra’s team and is still on-the-job. These types normally are assigned lesser positions because of their “advance age,” but have often forgotten more about the trade than the current DL will ever know.   It’s always good to have one old workhouse on the team for stability. Keep safe and God speed.