http://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2012/09/18/from-the-battlefield-to-the-boardroom-a-navy-seals-guide-to-business-leadership-success-part-1-of-3/
Former Navy SEAL combat veteran and passionate entrepreneur, Brent Gleeson, is the co-founder and CMO of Internet Marketing Inc. You can follow him on Twitter at @BrentGleeson.
I spent five years as a Navy SEAL supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war on terror. During “capture or kill” missions in Iraq and clandestine operations in Northern Africa, I gained a unique perspective on teamwork, leadership, and what it takes to succeed in a competitive and challenging environment. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my experiences in combat had given me a highly valuable and applicable set of tools that translated well to entrepreneurship and leadership in business.
In Part 1 of this blog series, I will focus on six important aspects of military leadership that are critical to building a business, a driven team, and profitable organization.
Mission Communication: Defining Reality for Your Team - There are three things you have to do well to be a SEAL operator: Move, shoot, and communicate. While all three are important, communication is the most crucial. When we would call up the chain of command saying “pass the word,” that meant, “tell us what the hell is going on!” Sound familiar? When the team understood the big picture and everyone knew their specific roles in accomplishing the mission, we were always set up for success. In a business, when the team has a clear vision of where the company has been and where it’s headed, and more importantly how their contribution to the end goal matters, they will have a much deeper sense of ownership.
Mission Planning: Strategizing in a Chaotic Environment – Many factors affect the outcome of any great plan. However, a great plan is worthless without proper execution. Planning for contingencies is imperative in combat as well as in business. There are many factors at play in our new economy. These externalities we face in running a growing business include the impact of emerging technologies, economic shifts, generational gaps among employees, and dynamic industry conditions. These factors can create a chaotic environment in which planning becomes even more critical. Any great special operations team or professional athlete will envision what winning looks like before they go on their mission or start their race. Define what winning really looks like to your team outside of just the financial aspects. I am a big believer in a one-page business plan that keeps things simple, focuses on your top priorities, and leaves flexibility to change as conditions evolve.
Mission Team: Maximizing Engagement and Inspiring Innovation – One of the most interesting differentiators about the special operations community, and specifically the SEAL teams, is they are rather flat organizations. The traditional military is more like corporate America, where special ops is similar to the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship. Team guys, as SEALs often refer to themselves as, are generally very well educated (most enlisted SEALs have college degrees), freethinking professionals who have an unstoppable will to succeed. We, as leaders, must learn how to inspire our team members within our organizations to have the same drive and enthusiasm that we do. As Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because they want to do it.”
Mission Structure: Respecting the Chain of Command – The special ops’ community is known for its casual culture and the common respect shared between all team members whether enlisted or officer. Everyone follows the same grueling path to become a SEAL. That said, chain of command is still critical especially when bullets start flying. Having a team of free thinkers is good, but the direction still needs to come from the top. Respecting the chain of command is not just a bottom-up philosophy. It is just as important for senior leaders to respect the chain of command from the top down. Not doing so by going around middle management not only destroys the fabric of authority, but also causes mass confusion. Never disrespect the chain of command by going around your middle managers. If you find yourself doing so you most likely need to examine your personal leadership style or ask yourself if you truly trust middle management.
Mission Debrief: Allowing Your Team to Have a Real Voice and Offer Transparent Feedback - One of the things that really builds camaraderie in the SEALs is that we can always count on our fellow team members to tell us when we screwed up! There is always an after action review or mission debrief…always a review of the tough lessons learned from each mission. This is how we have constantly improved our tactics. In the same way, successful business leaders learn as much from their failures as their successes. But as long as you collect the right intelligence and properly apply what you have learned to the next situation, you can ensure more successes than failures down the road. Build a culture around transparency and encourage anonymous feedback with 360 degree reviews.
Mission Training: Preparing for the Next Mission - Always be learning and always be training. A SEAL team will rehearse every single mission prior to execution without fail. As mentioned above, once the mission is completed, one of the most important elements in the mission debrief is the discussion of “lessons learned.” What are we going to take away from this operation to help us improve as a team and always develop as an organization? The most successful companies are often the most innovative. So how do they become innovative? They do so by encouraging and supporting growth, providing resources for constant learning, and rewarding creativity. People succeed when they are inspired and excited to come to work. When we love what we do, it’s not work. This is what we want from our talent and it’s up to us as leaders to ensure they have it.
