Meet Protocol Professional Fitzgerald Heslop!
Fitzgerald Heslop, Director of Professional Household Management Program & Social Decorum Academy at Peak Technical Institute, LLC, and Lead Instructor for Front Range Training & Consulting, LLC (FRTC) What is your proudest moment as a protocol officer?
My proudest moment as a Protocol Officer was accepting my position with Front Range Training & Consulting (FRTC) General’s Aide Program Lead Instructor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the field of Professional Household Management to train and certify Enlisted Aides throughout the Department of Defense as Professional Household Managers.
Enlisted Aides are assigned to serve in a General Officer’s residence to create and maintain an environment suitable for that general to conduct official business. Their service provides the appropriate atmosphere for entertaining dignitaries and heads of state in order to secure those opportunities which may better provide for the security of our nation. My proudest memories will always be remembering how our graduates leave with the Etiquette and Protocol Intelligence to serve their Principals with confidence, authority and distinction.
Why do you love protocol?
When Protocol has been properly established it provides an atmosphere where business can be conducted without distraction. In his book, Corp Values, Zell Miller shares an old adage that states, “for want of a nail, a
horseshoe was lost; for want of a horseshoe, a horse was lost, for want of a horse; a battle was lost.” I love Protocol because the absence of established Protocol gives rise to meeting agendas taking dramatic turns, weddings that get crashed during toasts, dietary restrictions for guest not considered and worst the rights, dignities, customs and courtesy’s of people and nations not honored and respected. Protocol Officers ensure streamlines continuity of service which ensures success at every turn of events.
Why should others love protocol?
People who share the same unquenchable thirst that I have for ensuring that all things are done with decency and in proper order already get it. There are those who sit on the side lines and ask, “Why does protocol matter anyway?” The answer is quite simple. It matters only to those who believe that we must always be good stewards and curators of our personal and professional image and never leave the honor and respect that comes from proper etiquette and established protocol to chance. Just know that if you saw the things that I have seen, (shaking my head) then you will do what I did. Get the training and certification from the institutions that are leading the industry.
What do you wish you would have known when you were a “newbie”?
As a newbie, when I first began my career in the world of Etiquette, Protocol and Professional Household Management I knew I didn’t know everything about being a Protocol Officer. What I learned was that no one else does either. I learned to embrace the idea that we should find something we are willing to die for and live for it. I found it. I learned that our past may be stained but our futures are still spotless. I learned that every day is a new opportunity to explore the world of Etiquette and Protocol and that I will always be willing to sacrifice who I am for who I could become. Pamela Eyring told me when I first began, that Etiquette and Protocol would become a lifestyle worthy of my highest aim. I didn’t believe her. Now I do.