TIG’s Duaine Labno on Using Hostage Negotiation Skills to Lead Threat Intel Teams

Hostage negotiation skills translate directly to threat intelligence work in ways most security leaders never consider, Duaine Labno, Director of Special Investigations & Threat Intelligence at TIG Risk Services tells Ben. His 26-year evolution from patrol officer to his current role demonstrates how crisis psychology techniques enhance modern threat assessment capabilities. Duaine's hostage negotiation background provides foundational skills for threat assessment work that most security professionals lack, including reading psychological trigger points in subjects under investigation, maintaining emotional control when third-hand information creates operational hysteria, and asking probing questions that separate factual evidence from assumptions. 

His four-question decision framework around ethics, morality, legal compliance, and community impact prevents emotional reactions during critical incidents when information is fragmented and stakes are highest.

Duaine also explains his team's 260 hours of mandatory annual training creates what he describes as "control during chaos" — security professionals who coordinate through technology rather than verbal commands during critical incidents, with silence indicating peak performance rather than confusion.

Stories We’re Telling Today: 

• How hostage negotiation principles translate directly to threat intelligence work.
• The systematic approach to building "elite" security teams through 260 hours of mandatory annual training focused on scenario-based exercises with realistic environmental stressors.
• Rapid operational redesign after an emergency, demonstrating how security teams can implement real-time employee tracking integration.
• The mental models for critical decision-making under pressure, emphasizing evidence-based analysis over third-hand information.
• Why "control during chaos" represents peak team performance, with effective communication happening through technology channels.
• The challenging transition from hands-on investigator to security leader, particularly learning when to step back and trust team training.
• Advanced screening techniques for identifying tenacity in security personnel, using stress-situation interviews to evaluate both technical competence and human interaction capabilities.
• Building trust within security teams through the "family philosophy" approach that balances high performance standards with open communication and mutual accountability.
• The evolution of physical security threats requiring constant intelligence monitoring through multiple news sources and real-time threat feeds.
• Mentoring approaches for developing the next generation of security leaders, including succession planning and the importance of evolving threat landscapes.

Too busy; didn’t listen: 

• Duaine Labno's hostage negotiation background directly enhances threat intelligence work through pattern recognition, de-escalation techniques, and comprehensive situational assessment skills.
• The 2023 Michigan State shooting exposed critical gaps in employee accountability, leading to complete system redesign within 24 hours integrating real-time tracking with risk management software.
• Elite security teams require 260 hours of annual training focused on "control during chaos" where silence during critical incidents indicates peak performance rather than confusion.
• The hardest leadership transition involves stepping back from hands-on investigative work and trusting team training, requiring deliberate development of delegation skills over natural problem-solving instincts.
• Screening for tenacity through stress-situation interviews reveals both technical competence and human interaction capabilities, essential for security professionals who deal with people during traumatic situations.

Skip to the Highlight of the Episode

[8:10-9:22] And when we do scenario-based training, I'm all about control during the chaos, everyone has to stay calm. So it's great walking into the room when they are working as a team and you have silence, I mean, there's not a lot of talking. They are communicating with each other, they're using technology to communicate with each other, but they've really honed in on that skill set to be able to work under a chaotic situation. So that's one of the things that I try and push towards my people. And as probably you've seen throughout your career, many of these events sometimes can be reported as being more chaotic than they really are. So we have to take control of our own emotions, have a clear mindset, have a process in place, and everyone needs to know how to do their job and be very proficient at doing their job. And I think the more you practice that, the better you become during the stressful situations.

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