Jason Brezler is the Founder and President of Leadership Under Fire; a program that equips leaders and organizations with human-centric processes, practices, and skills needed to optimize human performance in high-risk settings.

Jason is also a New York City Lieutenant firefighter and a US Marine. He has been deployed overseas several times, and it is in these high-intensity situations that Jason developed the skills necessary for being able to lead under fire.

In part one of my interview with Jason, he shares his expertise on leadership in high-risk settings. Listen to his remarkable stories and advice on optimizing human performance and leading under pressure!

Highlights from this episode

• Jason's professional interests [3:03]
• How did deployment help shape Jason's view of leadership? [3:51]
• How did Leadership Under Fire discuss its perfect name? [5:22]
• Leadership as both a science and an art [7:53]
• What challenges come with leading a group of diverse people? [10:48]
• Human performance optimization - what does that mean? [12:50]
• 3 keys to succeeding in high-risk settings [14:06]
• Finding the right leadership mindset [17:20]
• How can I enhance my performance mentally, emotionally, and morally under stress? [19:54]

How did deployment help shape Jason's view of leadership?

Jason told me that without question, one of the most formative experiences of his life professionally, and one of the most formidable challenges he's ever navigated as a leader, was when he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq with an infantry battalion of Marines. It was at the height of the war there. 

As he reflected post-deployment trying to make sense of what he had seen, experienced, witnessed firsthand, gotten right, and also gotten wrong in Iraq, he was able to contemplate with fellow marines that were also in the same position. 

When he came back from that deployment, he realized that much of what he had learned while there was counterintuitive. 

It was then that he and his marines made somewhat of an informal pledge to share those lessons with leaders and other high-risk or highly-competitive industries. That's exactly what led to the creation of Leadership Under Fire.

Human performance optimization - what does that mean?

I know that human performance optimization can sound like a mouthful, but it simply means preparing leaders and organizations for the moral, physical, and mental rigors critical to optimal performance and leadership in high-risk and highly-competitive settings. This is done by developing strength of mind, body, character, and critical thought.

The 3 keys to succeeding in high-risk settings:

If I would have asked Jason what it was going to take to win in an incredibly lethal environment prior to his deployment, he would have said: weapons, technology, and the best intelligence available. Except, that deployment experience taught him that the three things that mattered most were in fact... Well, you'll have to listen to find out!

Connect with Jason Brezler

• At Leadership Under Fire's Website
• Like Leadership Under Fire on Facebook
• Follow Leadership Under Fire on LinkedIn
• Follow Leadership Under Fire on Twitter
• Follow Leadership Under Fire on Instagram
• Find Leadership Under Fire on Apple Podcasts

Connect With Rich Daughtridge

• www.Daughtridge.com 
• Follow on Facebook
• Follow on Instagram
• Follow on Linkedin
• Follow on Twitter
• Subscribe on YouTube

Subscribe to Relative Profitability on Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK https://www.podcastfasttrack.com