What do leaders, entrepreneurs and Navy SEALs have in common? A lot actually. Guts, the desire for growth—perhaps you call it ambition, others will just think of it as the constant desire to be better, unwavering leadership skills, competitiveness and a healthy dose of moral fiber.
In this post, I’ll recount the leadership skills and lessons embodied by the Navy and attempt to translate these in the business world.
In the business, as in the Navy, you’re always in competition with yourself—your past self that is.
If you’re to succeed, you must remain competitive all the time. And for that to happen, you must be comfortable in competing with yourself through daily tests—constantly (daily!) test the limits of your patience, comfort zone, productivity, coaching skills and so forth. Create daily tests or situations that will allow you to see how much better (or worse) you are as a leader on a daily basis.
Admittedly you won’t see significant changes from daily testing, but you’ll see significant improvements– noteworthy accomplishments that wouldn’t have been possible without your daily challenge, in a month or two.
The fight is won in the field… not from a distant office
NAVY men aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, even their commanding officers don’t hesitate to work on the field if the mission requires it.
As the leader, you may be tempted to take a “courtside” approach to doing business, preferring to oversee the organization from the comforts of your plush office. That might work if you’re the CEO of some mega corporation, but even so, many big shot CEOs swear by the importance of interacting with employees who don’t have direct access to him.
In a small or medium business setting, employees admire a leader who walks the talk, someone who isn’t afraid to talk to customers, do the excruciating work and occasionally be proven wrong. A leader like this does a better job of setting an example for his team, than a leader who coaches from the sidelines.
It’s not all buzz cuts and stiff, overly formal conversations… humor and personality counts, too
No one wants to follow a boring leader, even in the Navy. Did you think working in the Navy is all missions and “yes sir”/“no sir” conversations? Officers on duty at a ship would go crazy if that were really the case.
Just imagine, a ship of 1000 to 5000 men all very stern and serious in their manners on board a ship floating somewhere across the Pacific with no land in sight—and their tour lasts for months to years! No one would last in that boat. In the same light, no one would last in a company lead by a boring, all-work, no-play boss.
To prevent this, aim to become a leader that holds his employees accountable for their work, but don’t forget that your employees are human, too. However efficient or professional they treat you, I’m sure they’d appreciate a joke or two. If you’re not good with jokes, try breaking the ice with a game or maybe even a simple dinner.
Leadership skills aren’t limited to the office setting. If you look hard enough, you’ll find leadership lessons almost everywhere you look.
© 2014 Incedo Group, LLC
