Tips for Developing a Special Operations Mindset

As a leader, where you should your focus be?  As leaders in military special operations, we have to be prepared to directly engage the enemy in ground combat just like everyone else on the team.  Unlike the other team members though, we must constantly transition from looking through a weapons optic to looking at the complete battlefield situation.  The tactical leader here must have the variable focus to instantly go from the micro-focused to the macro-aware and back. For leaders-especially new leaders, it is critical that you manage your areas of focus properly.  You can’t be constantly down in the weeds, nor can you be stuck at the 50,000ft level left unaware or underinformed of the details on the ground.  The reality is that in most leadership positions it requires a seamless shift between both of these planes of focus.  Sometimes the leader must be down in the weeds and be hands on, especially in the infancy of a leadership relationship.  There must be oversight of training and development while also building two-way trust between the subordinate and leader or team.  Often, the leader must be down and in to see for themselves the challenges and realities on the ground, in the field, or on the line.  The challenge is not to get caught there, especially when things go sideways or get chaotic.  The leader cannot allow themselves to be captured by that chaos.  They must be able to shift that focus out enough to get that macro view and to gain objectivity and the full view of the situation in the context of the big picture.  Only then, can they make the proper adjustments and course corrections.  It is the leader’s job to be strategic, to provide the vision, and deliver clear guidance.  It is also the leader’s job to be connected and well informed at the lowest levels of operations.  It is a leader’s job to maintain a variable focus. #leadership #mindset Jon Macaskill Andy Riise

Do you think like a Special Operator?     The general consensus is that all special operators can think about is “pew-pew” 🔫 🔫 🔫 . While this may seem true to the outsider looking on, in reality, the love of the “pew-pew” is supported by hours upon hours of intense training, being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and having a borderline love of pain. (Yes, the word masochist has even been thrown toward me).   This mindset is necessary in the special operations field of service. I remember attending SFAS, Special Forces Assessment and Selection, which is the very beginning and entry point into the world of the Green Beret. This first phase was simply called “Selection”. The whole point was to push the students to the breaking point, and then off the cliff. It was amazing how everyone focused on the physical aspect of preparation, yet very few ever developed their mind to combat the full frontal mental assault that awaited them.   Success seemed like a mirage, no one ever seemed to have a checklist that, if followed, would guarantee your completion AND selection. Oh, this was the other wrench in the pipeline of attaining your Green Beret. You could make it through the 2-3 weeks of Selection yet still not be selected. Imagine the heartbreak, the sense of failure, the despair. I saw grown men weeping for failing to meet the phantom standard. I saw men throw in the towel out of frustration of not knowing the exact standard they needed to complete certain tasks.   This rare capability is found across all the special operations units, it has a moniker, one that many of the un-initiated find simplistic and medieval. “Embrace the Suck”