There’s a lot of great things I learned as a Navy SEAL that translate well to business, and quite a bit that translates like a turd in a Sunday church punch bowl.
It would take me a few years to sort this out and recalibrate my friend or foe detector.
Here are my top three lessons learned.
Frogman Ethics that Do Not Work Outside of the Military
Navy SEAL Ethics that DO Translate Well On the Outside
I still laugh at this reporter who interviewed me a few years back and proclaimed, “Your business seems to be quite contentious.”
My response was something like, “No shit Sherlock. Business itself is contentious.”
It’s like expecting the ocean to remain calm at all times. Calm comes, but most of the time, the sea state is up, the wind is blowing off the bow, and waves are crashing on the stern.
Any entrepreneur who’s been around a while will tell you they’ve seen the best and worst in people as a business owner. Suicide, lying, cheating, stealing, backstabbing, and more.
Why do it? I can only answer for myself. Because it’s fucking worth it.
Being an entrepreneur is like being the captain of a ship at sea, and I like being captain.
Storms will constantly rise up, and with it comes dangerous terrain to navigate.
Our jobs as captains are to keep the crew calm, the ship running, and always pointed toward our destination, even if we get blown off course for a while.
A good captain without a good crew is worthless, and a great crew with a shitty captain is equally as worthless.
Let that sink in!
After going through my own version of the entrepreneur version of Navy SEAL “Hell Week” (Yes, they keep us up for five days with no sleep!), Harvard Business School helped me become a better leader and a better human being. I’m forever grateful to the program for this and the network of life-long friends made.
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.
This post originally appeared on Brandon Webb’s personal author blog. To sign up for regular blog post updates and Brandon’s mailing list, visit www.brandontylerwebb.com
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