By David George, Executive Editor, TalkLPnews
Let’s talk about something we don’t discuss enough in Loss Prevention: the person who enjoys having power over other people. You’ve met them. Maybe you’ve worked for one. Maybe, if we’re being honest, you’ve occasionally been one. They’re the ones who seem to enjoy saying no. The ones who treat every policy as an opportunity to demonstrate authority. The ones who believe that being in charge means everyone else should know their place.
I call them the Everyday Sadist.
I’m not talking about someone with a clinical psychological disorder. I’m talking about a person who gets a little too much satisfaction from making someone else’s day miserable, particularly when their position gives them the power to do it. And I wonder how many of these people we’ve allowed to flourish in our profession.
Think about what Loss Prevention offers someone who craves control. We investigate people. We question them. We enforce policies. We make decisions that can affect someone’s employment, reputation, or even freedom. We’re often the ones who get to say, “No, you can’t do that,” or, “You’re going to have to explain yourself.” Those are serious responsibilities. They require judgment, restraint, and a healthy understanding of the difference between authority and power. But for the wrong person, those responsibilities can become something else entirely: an opportunity to feel important.
The employee who makes an honest mistake becomes a suspect. The store manager who challenges a recommendation becomes an adversary. The customer who questions a decision becomes someone who needs to be put in their place. Instead of asking questions to understand what happened, they interrogate to intimidate. Instead of coaching, they embarrass. Instead of resolving a disagreement, they have to win it. Then, when someone pushes back, they double down. Why? Because for some people, being right isn’t enough. They need everyone else to know they’re right.
Here’s the uncomfortable part: these individuals can look remarkably effective on paper. They enforce policies. They conduct investigations. They hold people accountable. They may even produce impressive results. But at what cost? How many good employees have we alienated because an AP professional treated them like criminals? How many store leaders have stopped calling Loss Prevention because they expect a lecture instead of a partnership? How many opportunities to prevent loss have we missed because people are afraid to tell us what’s really happening?
We spend a tremendous amount of time talking about the importance of partnerships, culture, and influencing behaviors. Yet sometimes we promote people into leadership positions because they’re tough, decisive, and willing to hold people accountable, without asking a more important question:
Do people respect this person, or are they simply afraid of them?
Those are two very different things.
Let’s be clear. Loss Prevention isn’t a popularity contest. There are times when we must make difficult decisions, confront dishonest behavior, enforce policies, and deliver consequences. Empathy doesn’t mean being weak. Kindness doesn’t mean ignoring misconduct. And treating people with dignity doesn’t mean compromising the integrity of an investigation.
But professionalism requires us to understand that we can be firm without being cruel, confident without being arrogant, and authoritative without being abusive. The best AP leaders I’ve known understood something fundamental: the authority of their position was a responsibility, not a privilege to be enjoyed at someone else’s expense.
They didn’t need to intimidate people to earn respect. They didn’t confuse compliance with commitment. And they understood that how we achieve a result matters almost as much as the result itself.
So why do we sometimes tolerate the Everyday Sadist?
Maybe we mistake aggression for leadership. Maybe we reward short-term results without considering the long-term damage. Or maybe we’ve convinced ourselves that because someone is good at catching dishonest people, their behavior toward everyone else doesn’t matter. It does.
Our profession is entrusted with protecting company assets, but our responsibilities extend beyond merchandise, money, and inventory. We influence workplace culture. We shape relationships. And every interaction either builds trust in our function or erodes it. We should be asking not only whether our people can identify dishonesty, but also whether they can exercise authority with sound judgment, emotional maturity, and basic human decency. Because the person who abuses power in the name of Loss Prevention may be creating a different kind of loss—one that never appears on a shrink report.
So… Change My Mind.
Do you believe we sometimes reward the wrong behaviors in Loss Prevention? Have you seen people confuse being tough with being effective, or authority with superiority? And how should we hold our own people accountable when the person responsible for protecting the business becomes part of the problem?
I’d genuinely like to hear your perspective. Send comments supporting or challenging my position. You just might Change My Mind.
Send comments HERE. If your comment gets listed in the TalkLPnews Retail Rundown, it will be listed as anonymous.
David E. George, CFE, CFI, is the Managing Partner of Calibration Group, Inc., and of its subsidiary, TalkLPnews. Previously, David served as Vice President of Asset Protection for Dollar General Stores, a company with more than 20,000 stores in 48 states. While serving Dollar General, David was responsible for the Asset Protection field team, the Asset Protection corporate team, the Shrink Improvement team, and the Shrink Analytics team.
Prior to Dollar General, David held the Vice President of Asset Protection position with Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc., a regional chain based in Charlotte, NC. He served Harris Teeter for more than 14 years and has had previous loss prevention leadership roles with Kmart Supercenters. For more information about Calibration Group, visit www.calibrationgroup.com
