Sam Rosenberg releases Maslow's Missing Rung model to explain security training demand

Live Ready founder Sam Rosenberg has introduced Maslow's Missing Rung, a framework for why successful business owners and executives still seek personal security training. The model ties crisis confidence and leadership under pressure to a need Rosenberg says wealth and outside protection do not fully satisfy.

Why it matters: - Maslow's Missing Rung is aimed at a real gap in executive preparedness: confidence in handling a crisis when money, status and outside protection are not enough. - Live Ready says the model helps explain why business owners, executives and parents still pay for personal security training even after achieving success in other parts of life. - Rosenberg links that gap to leadership, arguing that crisis management is a core leadership skill.

What happened: - Live Ready released Maslow's Missing Rung, a model created by founder Sam Rosenberg. - Rosenberg discussed the framework on the Million Dollar Flip Flops podcast with host Rodric Lenhart. - Live Ready said Rosenberg has trained tens of thousands of people and hundreds of organizations, including family businesses and Fortune 100 companies. - Rosenberg is a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and personal security trainer whose former protection clients include Warren Buffett and Tom Cruise.

The details: - The model builds on Abraham Maslow's 1943 hierarchy of needs, which moves from food and shelter to safety, belonging, esteem and self-actualization. - Rosenberg said many successful clients already have safe neighborhoods, strong relationships and thriving businesses, but still want training. - Rosenberg spent years in close protection, the bodyguard industry, before moving into training. - He said many clients, including people already surrounded by security teams, wanted to learn how to protect themselves because they feared losing what they had built. - Rosenberg said the missing rung is a safety need that wealth and outside protection do not fully satisfy. - During the podcast, Rosenberg said, "When you don't have those skill sets, it's like a missing rung on the ladder. You filled all the other pieces of the puzzle in, but there's a lack of confidence internally that I can handle myself in a true crisis." - Live Ready's executive programs cover personal, family, home and travel security. - The firm also offers workplace safety training for organizations. - Rosenberg said many adults, especially men, are taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu and other hands-on training because they want practical confidence. - Rosenberg said soft skills such as reading people and situations matter more than physical technique. - He said many problems start when someone misreads a person, misreads a situation or mismanages it. - Rosenberg recommends a three-step sequence: start with his book, move to online training, then take hands-on instruction with his team or another qualified instructor. - He said that progression helps people avoid programs that create false confidence.

Between the lines: - Rosenberg is positioning security training as a leadership tool, not just a defensive skill set. - The framework also reframes personal safety as an emotional and decision-making issue, not only a physical one. - That framing may resonate with executives who are used to solving business problems but have not stress-tested themselves in a true emergency.

What's next: - Live Ready is directing readers to more information about Maslow's Missing Rung and its training programs at the company's website. - Rosenberg's broader training mix includes online courses, private instruction, executive retreats and corporate workshops. - Live Ready says it works with clients across North America, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. - Rosenberg is the author of three books, including Live Ready: A Guide to Protecting Yourself in an Uncertain World and The Traveler's Guide to Personal Security. - Rosenberg also holds a patent on the Response Pen. - Live Ready's social channels are listed on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

The bottom line: - Rosenberg's new model argues that some high achievers still lack the final layer of confidence: trust in their ability to protect themselves when pressure turns physical and immediate.