The Mental Performance Pipeline- Brad Christian
It’s difficult to extract any one component or principle of
Special Operations teams and apply it to success in the corporate
environment. Throughout the entire
process of identifying, assessing, selecting, training and managing Special
Operations personnel there is an immense amount of logic, legacy, analysis,
overhead and investment in the pipeline to ensure that the product that is
produced is, to put it simply, extremely capable.
What is useful however is to analyze how individual SOF
operators and teams approach professional goals and objectives. From this analysis we can identify some
mental tools that anyone can use to navigate challenges and obstacles commonly
found in any corporate environment and in most organizations.
First, here a few assumptions and personal observations from
which I draw conclusions and create associated principles that are applicable
in non SOF, corporate or other civilian environments.
1)
Regardless of the specific SOF unit, (US Army Special
Forces, Rangers, US Navy SEALS, Marine Special Operations, Special Mission
Units and Others) there exists a highly developed program that assesses, trains
and produces individuals capable of carrying out that unit’s mission in most
any environment. Additionally, the individuals
that comprise these teams, on any given day, are significantly more prepared to
adapt to unexpected challenges than most.
Finally, these individuals are among the most innovative and capable
problem solvers, thinkers and “doers” found anywhere.
2)
Individuals and teams in the SOF world have a
level of “trust among peers” that is unique, highly valued and extremely
durable. The trust I reference here
results from the knowledge that your teammates at every level have been through
a significant testing process, and they have passed. They have proven that they possess “all conditions
dependability”, or very close to it, and have demonstrated an above average
ability to communicate, think, move, drive, shoot, fight, lead, follow,
organize, you get the idea. No matter
what it is, they are pretty good at it.
They train hard, take risks, laugh at challenges and stay focused on the
right objectives, most of the time. They
can be counted on to do “whatever it takes” to accomplish their mission. They will give “100% and then some”; endure
cold, heat, thirst, hunger, physical pain, uncertainty and threat of death or
great bodily harm to achieve their objectives.
They all believe in their chosen profession, and take pride in knowing
that their contributions often go unseen and nearly always misunderstood.
3)
Most civilian companies that I have worked for,
(and there have been a few), and most that my close friends have worked for,
fail miserably where “assessing and training” their employees are
concerned. The phrase “thrown to the
wolves” is the norm in most corporations.
This is true for entry level jobs, mid-level management and executive
positions.
4)
Civilian corporations want #2, but have no idea
how to get it.
On any given day, someone who is a part of a team that I
described in #1 possesses superior mental tools. They are highly aware of themselves, their
surroundings and their team. They are
mentally strong. They have unbelievable
focus and finally, their perspective is highly developed. These
traits are sometimes also found in other areas, specifically teams of elite
outdoor guides (ex: Exum Mountain Guides) and other extreme athletes often possess
very similar mental capabilities.
1)
Awareness-
SOF operators possess highly advanced personal and situational awareness. Your awareness is tested in selection, an
environment where you are constantly observed by instructors who take their
jobs very seriously. A simple mistake or
oversight by a hopeful Green Beret or SEAL can result in a “no go” during any
portion of the training pipeline. After
selection, new graduates enter the supercharged environment where elite teams
train and prepare for daring and dangerous operations. Training for these types of missions is in
itself dangerous. Shooting in close
proximity to your friends, jumping out of planes, swimming at night with heavy
gear, protecting VIP’s, driving big off road trucks through the mountains in
total darkness are all dangerous activities that result in unfortunate
accidents and even deaths each year. You
learn early and quickly to pay attention in training and your situational
awareness is honed to a sharp edge.
Finally, living and working in high threat areas and executing combat
operations puts you and your team in the sights of highly motivated and creative
enemies. On any given day, lack of
awareness by a single individual can result in catastrophic failure for the
entire team.
a.
How can you develop this type of awareness? The answer is by conducting your own personal
assessment and training program. There are many great tools in the civilian
world to assess your individual personality type and identify your mental
strengths and weaknesses. It’s critical
to keep an open and honest approach when assessing your personality type. Think about who you really are, not who you
would like to be. This is “Phase
I”. You need a solid foundation of
awareness, and it starts with an accurate self- assessment. During a senior year Management course at
Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, we devoted nearly an
entire semester to studying and analyzing assessment and personality profiles
tests. I was personally able to try out
many different types of personality and mental assessments tests. There is something to learn from most of the
reputable products on the market. A
classic product is the Meyers Briggs type indicator that assigns a letter code
(explained by a detailed matrix) to each individual. Many are available online and are quick and
easy. What does the SOF selection
process look for? Integrity,
selflessness, team work and above average powers of deduction, to name a
few.
2)
Strength-
the SOF world is filled with challenges at every turn. Individual, team and organizational
challenges exist, are often daunting and always require a positive mental
attitude to ensure a successful outcome.
In this world, there are no points for second place and the phrase “pays
to be a winner” is taught from the beginning.
The most important type of strength is the mental strength that mature
SOF operators possess. Overcoming
challenges develops mental strength.
Long rucks, early mornings, cold, heat, night jumps and repeated
deployments cause a forging of the mind and a certain type of mental toughness
to occur that becomes an individual warrior’s greatest weapon.
a.
How do you develop this type of strength? You have to challenge yourself with tough
goals. Training never ends. Face your fears and train to improve your
weaknesses. Are you afraid of
heights? Go skydiving. Lack confidence? Run half a dozen obstacle course races and
make yourself speak in public. Are you
physically out of shape? Find a good
local cross fit box and a community of supportive peers or better yet, check
out Mountain Athlete. Take an advanced
shooting course at ACADEMI or, after you have done all of those, and think you
are ready, sign up for an AOG Teton Operator Course. The mental forging that occurs by overcoming
challenges is powerful. You will be better equipped to deal with everyday problems
and stressors. Training never ends. Whatever you choose, do a lot of it. Repetition is key. Change up your training, diversity is
important. Keeping setting bigger goals
for yourself. You peers will notice the
difference and will see you as a leader, even though they won’t be able to
exactly understand what is different about you.
Find your arena. No excuses.
3)
Focus-
Awareness and Focus often increase simultaneously. Focus often means the difference between
success and failure. I have come to understand
and teach the optimal approach to understanding focus by thinking of three
different, overlapping and often competing missions that must be kept in
balance. These are your individual, team
and organizational mission. First is
your individual mission. What are your
personal goals? In combat, they are
pretty straightforward. Keep yourself
and your teammates safe. Second is your
team’s mission? What are your small unit
objectives? Again, in combat these are
usually pretty clear, communicated down from a higher chain of command and
normally achievable based on precedence, training and expected outcomes. Third is your organization’s mission. Organizational missions are strategic in
nature, sometimes more difficult to understand (best case) or completely misunderstood
(often) by the individuals and teams comprising the organization. The best approach is to understand where the
territorial boundaries are for each “mission circle”, when you are crossing the
boundaries and especially, which circle is the most critical one to address at
any time. It’s rare that all three are
in sync, but military organizations and objectives most often come closer to
achieving balance between the three than most civilian organizations.
a.
Accept the reality that in the civilian world,
these three mission circles will usually be out of sync, but hopefully not all
three at the same time. Though your job
will not be fun or always uplifting, keep in mind that your job is fulfilling
an individual objective for your personal mission. Whether that is providing for yourself or
your family, acting as a launching pad for another opportunity or challenging
you to grow as a leader, your individual mission is important in the work you
do. Your team’s mission circle, the
second type, will have many ups and downs and will be among the most unstable
of the three, in the civilian world.
Poor communication, lack of peer trust, high turnover, insufficient
training all contribute to sometimes negative small team mission circles in
many corporate environments. (All the
more important to have certainty in your personal mission circle). In the modern economic environment most
companies are dealing with more uncertainty than ever before. Don’t expect that your organization will
always be able to communicate the master mission statement, or describe the
path to success for your company to accomplish its mission. Accept it.
Strive to lead by example and develop your version of a roadmap to
organizational success. If your chain of
command fails to give you the proper training, guidance or support, then prove
you are capable of succeeding in any environment, use “SOF Focus” to lead
yourself and your team through the chaos.
You can always find one thing to do, one task, one objective that your
boss, or your boss’s boss will approve of.
There are no excuses. You must find or create a way to help your
organization achieve its mission. Will
you always, or ever, be recognized?
No. Will your peers, family or
friends understand how your sacrifices or creativity contributed? Hardly ever?
But drive on. You know the
reasons why.
4)
Perspective-
More than anything else, keeping perspective will help you stay emotionally
balanced and healthy. Your awareness
means that you are thinking ahead and setting yourself up for success. Your strength means that you will endure the
hard times with greater resiliency than your peers. You’ll be seen as a leader, and relied on
during periods of chaos or uncertainty.
Your focus will ensure that you achieve the right goals, keeping the
three mission circles in balance, and courageously forging a path ahead when
others are wandering aimlessly.
Brad Christian is the founder of Adventure Operations Group,
a company dedicated to improving individual and team performance. Brad and the entire AOG team draw upon
diverse backgrounds and benefit from a balance of critical operational and
corporate leadership experience. The AOG
team creates custom individual courses, specialized team assessment programs
and epic guided experiences designed to develop a “Beyond Normal Limits”
mindset. Contact AOG today for a confidential consultation
or visit our website to learn more about our custom corporate consulting services.
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