August 26, 2024

158: Leadership Fundamentals with Admiral William McRaven

21 minutes

Admiral McRaven is a four-star admiral who oversaw the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden; his forces were responsible for the capture of Saddam Hussein; and he also led the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates (which became the basis for the blockbuster movie, Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks).

As commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, Admiral McRaven led a force of 72,000 men and women and was responsible for conducting counter-terrorism operations worldwide.

After his military career, he served as chancellor of the University of Texas System, overseeing 14 institutions, 220,000 students, 20,000 faculty and more than 80,000 health care professionals, researchers, and staff.

In 2014, he gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas that went viral, titled, “If You Want To Change The World, Start Off By Making Your Bed.”

He is also the author of several books, including Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and the New York Times Bestseller, Make Your Bed.

In this episode we discuss the following:

When Admiral McRaven asked his Master Chief how to earn the respect of the soldiers, he responded: “Work hard. Come early. Stay late. Work on the weekends.”

You don’t have to be the most talented to succeed. But regardless of talent, everyone can work hard.

You will earn the respect of others if they know you are working hard on their behalf.

Know your business. As a Navy SEAL that meant knowing all about weapons, diving, and demolition. It also meant knowing the details of the playbook. For example, if you’re in an ambush, first guy goes left, second guy goes right.

When Admiral McRaven’s solider accidentally blew off the leg of his colleague, the Master Chief wanted to go relatively easy on the solider. But Admiral McRaven believed they needed to “throw the book at him.” And through the tough love of accountability, the solider bounced back and became Sailor of the Year.

How do you gain respect of those you lead? Work hard and be a good person. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

When I asked Admiral McRaven, “Did you ever get scared?” he laughed out loud: “Yeah, of course. You’re scared all the time.” But he was able to fall back on his training and barricade his fears to help him get through countless life-threatening situations.

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By Nate Meikle

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