Good, Better, Best: A mindset for the modern peace officer

During the 2025–2026 football season, there was a noticeable sense of anticipation around the Chicago Bears—not just because of generally strong team performance and highlight-reel plays, but because of the standard being reinforced behind closed doors. What stood out the most to me wasn’t a touchdown or a stat line, but the way Coach Ben Johnson ended his locker room talks. Johnson would pull the team in and shout:

“Good, better, best!

Never let it rest!”

Until your good gets better

and your better gets best!” 

Of course it was highly motivational, but equally (if not more) importantly, it was a way of communicating a standard. And that resonated with me because the concept extends in a very real way from sports to law enforcement. Standards matter a great deal in our profession, and failing to meet them may have consequences that are far worse than losing a game. So let’s break it down: 

Good

Good is showing up. Good is qualifying on the range at a non-moving paper target. Good is passing defensive tactics at the academy. Good keeps you employed. But good does not necessarily keep you sharp, and it certainly doesn’t reliably keep you safe. It definitely doesn’t separate you from the pack when the pressure hits. In law enforcement, “good” is the baseline. It’s the minimum acceptable performance when no one is pushing you. Unfortunately, the street doesn’t care about minimums.

Better

Better is intentional. Better is staying after training to run a drill again. Better is cleaning up your nutrition and working on your fitness when no one is watching. Better is refining your control holds so they’re smooth and decisive under stress. Better is practicing your weapon transitions so they are crisp and  precise. Better means you are no longer comparing yourself to others. You are competing with yesterday’s version of you. Better builds confidence.

Best

Best is rare. Best is not about ego, it’s about refinement. Best is restraint when force is justified but wisdom governs the moment. Best is fitness that allows you to control without escalating. Best is calm communication when others are emotional. Best is the officer who makes the chaotic scene feel organized and under control just by stepping into it. You don’t reach “best” overnight. You reach it in layers — good to better, better to best — stacked over years of discipline.

The public expects your best. Your family depends on your best. Your partner deserves your best. But no supervisor can force you into it. No policy can mandate it internally. It’s a decision. Every shift, every rep, every call.

In this profession, the standard you accept privately will eventually show itself publicly. And the officers who quietly chase “better to best” every day are the ones who become the steady, dependable professionals everyone wants beside them when things go sideways.

Good, better, best, never let it rest.