From 9th-Grade Dropout to DC's Longest-Serving Police Chief — Cathy Lanier, Chief Security Officer of the NFL
Executive Summary
A Tim Ferriss Show conversation with Cathy Lanier, former chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, about her childhood, her grandmother's rules about accountability, her early years as a rookie during the Mount Pleasant riots and how she rose through the ranks. PARTIAL COVERAGE: the episode runs about 96 minutes and the available caption text is cut off, so this summary covers roughly the first half, up to her rise under a new chief, and not later topics. Her accounts of events and workplace conflict are her own. Opinions about policing and city politics are hers, not endorsed here.
Key Takeaways
Growing up
Lanier says her parents married right after high school, her father was a firefighter and her mother a secretary, and she is the youngest of three.
Her grandmother's two rules
She says her grandmother taught her to make no excuses and that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't, so you act.
Excuse people or accountable people
She says her grandmother described two types of people, excuse people and accountable people, and Ferriss compares this to extreme ownership.
Consequences
She says every decision has consequences you cannot avoid, but you can choose what you do after them.
The Mount Pleasant riots
She says the night before her first day out of the academy, a police shooting of a Latino man with one handcuff on sparked unrest, and that the department had few Spanish speakers.
Workplace bullying
She says a bullying superior made her physically sick at work, but she could not afford to lose her job, as she had a son, and she was determined to fight until safe.
Rapid promotion
She says she passed the sergeant, lieutenant and captain tests at three, five and seven years, and a new outside chief later made her an inspector over a narcotics branch at about 29.
The Conversation Breakdown
Growing up
⏱ Untimed topicLanier says her parents married right after high school, her father was a firefighter and her mother a secretary, and she is the youngest of three.
Her grandmother's two rules
⏱ Untimed topicShe says her grandmother taught her to make no excuses and that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't, so you act.
Excuse people or accountable people
⏱ Untimed topicShe says her grandmother described two types of people, excuse people and accountable people, and Ferriss compares this to extreme ownership.
Consequences
⏱ Untimed topicShe says every decision has consequences you cannot avoid, but you can choose what you do after them.
The Mount Pleasant riots
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the night before her first day out of the academy, a police shooting of a Latino man with one handcuff on sparked unrest, and that the department had few Spanish speakers.
Workplace bullying
⏱ Untimed topicShe says a bullying superior made her physically sick at work, but she could not afford to lose her job, as she had a son, and she was determined to fight until safe.
Rapid promotion
⏱ Untimed topicShe says she passed the sergeant, lieutenant and captain tests at three, five and seven years, and a new outside chief later made her an inspector over a narcotics branch at about 29.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Excuse or accountable - her grandmother's test
Decide which kind of person you will be.
Always act - her grandmother's rule
Do not let circumstances decide for you.
Choose after consequences - Lanier's view
You cannot avoid consequences, but you can choose your response.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Write one excuse you have been using and one action that replaces it.
- ✓Name a recent consequence and what you chose to do after it.
- ✓Ask whether you are communicating with the people you serve in their language.
- ✓Check dates and events in her account against public records.
Notable Quotes
“You always act.”
“You can't avoid consequences, but you can choose what you do after those things happen.”
“two types of people in the world. Excuse people and people who are accountable.”
The One Thing to Remember
Lanier says her grandmother taught her to make no excuses, take action, and accept that you choose what you do after consequences.