PDF Summary:The Way of the SEAL, by Mark Divine

In The Way of the SEAL, retired Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine outlines strategies adapted from his military experience to help business leaders master the challenges of today’s rapidly evolving world of work. The explosion of technology has forever altered the corporate landscape. Leaders must have a balanced, flexible, forward-driving mindset to navigate the change.

Divine blends SEAL strategies, yoga, and martial arts to create mind-body training techniques to build powerful leaders. After publishing The Way of the SEAL in 2013, he authored Staring Down the Wolf and Unbeatable Mind. Divine founded six multimillion-dollar businesses, including SEALFIT and Unbeatable.

In this guide, we’ll discuss modern work world challenges that resemble a SEAL battlefield and examine Divine’s strategies to identify your values, focus on your goals, embrace uncertainty, and harness your mental strengths. We’ll look at actions leaders can take to lead and succeed in a complex business world. Finally, we’ll provide views from leadership, military, and mental health experts that support, counter, and contextualize Divine’s ideas.

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Your top goal should drive every goal beneath it. If you’re working on smaller goals that don’t help you achieve your top goal, stop working on them.

Action 3: Confront Your Fear and Unleash Your Potential

Divine says that to tap your inner power and operate at your peak, you have to step out of your comfort zone and confront your fears. Your comfort zone makes you feel safe but is actually a prison. It allows you to live in a state of fear of the unknown. This makes you reluctant to try new things and prevents you from growing.

The only way to escape the comfort prison is to seek out and do things you’re scared of. When you push your limits and find you can conquer challenges you didn’t think you could, your understanding of yourself expands—leading to greater confidence and growth.

(Shortform note: In The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone argues that you shouldn’t allow fear to sap your energies, but rather inspire you to action. Fear tells you that you’re on the right track. When you push yourself out of your comfort zone you work toward change that helps you grow. The more you give into fear and worry about what could go wrong, the more powerful your fearful feelings become—leading to more apprehension. To avoid this, confront your fears immediately by taking action.)

Completing a terrifying challenge taught an executive who Divine took on a rappelling trip that he could confront and survive his worst fears. Midway down a 100-foot cliff in Mexico, Divine directed the executive—who had a fear of heights—to take things “one step at a time.” But as the executive descended he panicked, flipped upside down, and started screaming for help. Divine shouted at him to stop screaming and focus by closing his eyes and breathing deeply. The executive did as instructed, regained control, and safely reached the ground.

(Shortform note: Studies reveal that some people are naturally more willing to confront their fears and take risks that others find terrifying. These folks have a gene variant that makes their brains experience thrills as even more exciting when they’re unexpected. This preference for novelty (or the unexpected) and risk and reward appears to be hardwired and linked, but not fixed: Other studies suggest that risk-taking can be reduced by mimicking dopamine signals in the brain or exposing risk takers to poor outcomes associated with their risky behavior.)

To step out of your comfort zone and face your fears, Devine says you should welcome new challenges:

• Schedule challenges for yourself once a week, month, and year. This will force you out of your comfort zone regularly, making the process less painful and fear-laden.
• Meet challenges with positive self-talk and a smile. This allows you to assert control in the new situation and reminds you that pain you experience along the way is part of the process of achieving a bigger goal.
• Make discipline, drive, and determination a habit. Cultivate discipline to help build habits, drive (the reason why you do things), and determination (your commitment to the action you’re carrying out). This creates a positively reinforcing cycle that supports your ability to continually take on new challenges.

(Shortform note: Medical experts say there’s a good reason to take on new challenges: It changes your brain for the better. Research suggests that when you do things that push your brain in new ways, like learning a novel skill, you may create new connections between brain cells, which helps you learn. This can be even a small action, like trying to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand or eating with your eyes closed. Or, go bigger: Take a dance class or explore a new town or city. Any new change and challenge can keep your brain cells growing.)

Action 4: Bolster Your Mental Fortitude

Divine says strong leaders are mentally tougher than everyone else and refuse to give up during life’s most challenging moments. In other words, they have “grit.” This mental toughness comes from honing their ability to:

• Manage their physical and emotional response
• Turn negative self-talk that hampers performance into positives and tap the power of their subconscious
• Visualize their success

Together, these skills can help you tap your inner power and function at your best.

(Shortform note: There’s a long history of people training their minds to overcome adversity. In The Obstacle Is The Way, Ryan Holiday explains that the Stoics considered themselves mental athletes. They trained their mental muscles to build “Inner Citadels” impervious to hardship. Other historical figures took this a step further, using disadvantages they were born with to motivate them. For example, Theodore Roosevelt struggled with debilitating asthma as a child but worked out daily and eventually overcame it. He said this training prepared him to endure more difficult moments, like his wife’s death, election losses, and assassination attempts.)

Manage Your Physical and Emotional Response

To bolster your mental fortitude, you must first control your body’s primitive, physiological response to stress, which launches you into fight, flight or freeze mode. This process sends cortisol and adrenaline rushing through your body to protect you from danger. When it happens, you can’t process information clearly. To manage your physiological stress, bring your body back into alignment, and refocus: Engage in deep breathing exercises we discussed in Action 2 of this guide. (Shortform note: Psychologists say the amygdala is responsible for sending you into fight-or-flight mode. To exit that mode, you must tap the prefrontal cortex—your brain’s CEO—by slowing down, focusing on what you can control, and breathing, as Divine advises. The prefrontal cortex tells the amygdala to turn off fight-or-flight, takes over, and helps you respond calmly and deliberately.)

If regular deep breathing isn’t enough to address your stress, ground yourself with the yogic, box breathing technique that Navy SEALs use: Find a quiet space to sit where you won’t be disturbed. Taking four slow, deep breaths in and out. Then, start box breathing: Inhale through your nose for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts. Repeat the cycle. Do this for at least five minutes, and let random thoughts that arise as you breathe to come and go without judgment.

(Shortform note: Another way to respond to your physiological stress is to bypass your amygdala and go straight to your prefrontal cortex. To do this, regularly practice mindfulness so you don’t allow automatic, worrying thoughts to consume you. First, imagine you’re an impartial observer charged with paying attention to, and not judging, your unhelpful thoughts and emotions. Then if a fear arises, say to yourself: “I notice that fear is here, making my heart pound. I notice that this makes me want to curl up into a ball. Would that be helpful to do right now?” Research shows that when people practice mindfulness, their prefrontal cortex and amygdala communicate more strongly during times of stress.)

Turn Negatives Into Positives

Once you’ve realigned your body and mind, address self-critical talk to enhance your mental fortitude. When you repeatedly respond positively to negative self-talk, you create a virtuous cycle that helps you bounce back more quickly from setbacks so you can achieve your goals. This practice promotes your sense of self-worth and confidence in your abilities, which builds your resilience and mental fortitude.

(Shortform note: In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor explains in greater detail how training your brain to be positive works as a virtuous cycle: When you repeatedly think positively, you create a pattern that increases your a) happiness, which leads to performance improvements; b) gratitude, which elevates your energy and emotional intelligence and decreases anxiety and depression; and c) optimism, which makes you set more ambitious goals, persevere in the face of obstacles, and manage stress and challenges more effectively.)

Divine learned firsthand that when you don’t keep your emotions in check they can get the better of you. While training in hand-to-hand combat, a fellow SEAL accidentally knocked out his front tooth. Enraged, Divine lashed out then spent hours in a foul mood. He later realized that his anger had decreased his focus, led his muscles to tighten up, and worsened his performance. Once aware of this, he replaced his negative feelings with determination, which made him more confident and effective in future training.

(Shortform note: Divine’s advice to harness your thoughts fits in with Miyamoto Musashi’s argument in The Book of Five Rings. He says that before you can control your enemy, you have to control and master your limiting personal defects and bad habits. Self-control makes you an effective individual and leader and helps you to uphold broader military and social order and inspire your troops. To do this, keep your mind and body balanced so they work in sync: Maintain good posture to prepare your body for combat, stay calm under pressure so you don’t show your enemy fear, and train your perception so you’re aware of your surroundings.)

To avoid perpetuating a cycle of negativity, recognize that your feelings and thoughts aren’t you but, rather, things you experience that come and go. This creates a space between you and your emotions so you can see them as a part of you that sometimes comes to visit then leaves—and not all-defining characteristics that are you or control you.

(Shortform note: In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle recommends a different way to manage your emotions: Practice disconnecting from them. To do this, regularly pay attention to physical signs in your body that you’re having negative thoughts, identify the feeling at the root of them, then address them. For example, if you’re aware that your fists and jaw are clenched it may be because you’re enraged or stressed. Once you realize this, observe the thoughts at the root of your anger—for example, that you’re furious that the person in the car behind you is on your tail. Once aware of this thought, consider your options to respond, like pulling over to let them pass.)

To transform negative self-talk and emotions into positives, pay attention and respond to negative self-commentary with positive, action-oriented language. For example, if you think: “I failed that test, I’m so stupid!” counter this with: “I’m smart. I’ll keep learning and working hard and ace the next test!” (Shortform note: To beat negativity, psychologists recommend a science-based strategy: warming your brain up to positive ideas. Your brain prefers familiarity, so when you introduce positive concepts more regularly it happily welcomes them. To do this, focus on one positive word each day, or say affirming words to yourself throughout the day.)

Tap the Power of Your Subconscious

Another way to bolster your mental toughness is to heighten your awareness of your surroundings. When you take in information that’s not readily apparent at a surface level, you can sense and avoid danger and navigate unpredictable, chaotic situations. Divine says you have two levels of awareness:

1. Casual awareness: You visually take in the big picture of a situation and quietly observe and let information flow into you. This lets information pass in and out of your subconscious mind, communicating it to you when you need it most.

2. Heightened awareness: You visually focus intensely on a situation or thing and process information from a fully engaged state. This allows you to shut out distractions and focus on achieving your goals.

Divine says you should shift fluidly between these two levels to focus, take decisive action, block out distractions, and absorb information you need to effectively navigate tough situations.

Alternate Types of Awareness

Divine says awareness of external factors can attune you to information that helps you to navigate unpredictable situations. But what role can self-awareness play in strengthening your mental capacities and functioning at your peak? Researchers say that leaders need two types of self-awareness:

• Internal self-awareness—how you see your values, passions, thoughts, feelings, behavior, strengths and weaknesses—is linked to higher job and relationship satisfaction, feelings of control, and happiness.

• External self-awareness—how others view you in terms of the same factors as above—allows you to better hear alternate perspectives and demonstrate empathy. When your self-perception matches how your employees see you, you have more satisfying work relationships.

Researchers say that to lead effectively, you must balance seeing yourself clearly and listening to others’ opinions of you.

Visualize Your Success

To bolster your mental strength is to mentally walk through best- and worst-case scenarios you could encounter as you strive to achieve your goals. When you visualize yourself achieving your goals and prepare for obstacles, you have greater confidence in your ability to confront the worst and succeed. (Shortform note: Experts say that visualizing physical movement alters the organization of your brain’s networks. It builds more connections between different regions and triggers the area that primes your brain for action so you can move more effectively. And you don’t have to visualize yourself in action for the process to happen—picturing others moving warms up your “action brain,” prompting you to consider ways to coordinate your actions with those around you.)

Divine discovered the value of this tactic in his early twenties, when he quit his job to enter Officer Candidate School (OCS), then discovered he’d have to wait nine months to find out if he’d been accepted. Discouraged, he started regularly visualizing himself as the man he hoped to become once he’d completed the program: running, shooting, rappelling, having conversations with other SEALs, and succeeding at the highest levels. The experience felt more real and integrated each time he practiced—to the point that he deeply believed that being a SEAL was his destiny. Nine months later, he was one of two OCS candidates with a SEAL contract admitted that year.

(Shortform note: Some neuroscientists argue that visualization is a $10 billion magical thinking scam that preys on the vulnerable then leaves them high and dry. They say that the people who find success with visualization have plenty of motivation to start with. For everyone else, the practice is an obstacle to achieving your goals that leaves you discouraged and blaming yourself when you fail to achieve them. Further, imagining your success as real tricks your brain into thinking you’ve already achieved it, disincentivizing you from pursuing it.)

Divine recommends several visualization strategies to build confidence in your ability to get in a positive state of mind, execute in the moment, and enhance your mental strength. Two are guided meditation and mentally rehearsing actions you’ll take to achieve your goals.

1. In guided meditation you walk through a series of images to allow your mind to relax, heal, or tap into your subconscious. This helps you think clearly, eliminate distractions, and focus on your goals. (Shortform note: In contrast to unguided meditation, in guided meditation, an instructor walks you through the practice. Typically, before the process, the instructor explains how your mind operates during meditation, and after meditating, they suggest ways to make the technique a regular part of your life.)

2. In mental rehearsal you mentally walk through every step you’ll take to achieve your goal, including how you’ll respond to obstacles you could face. This prepares you for worst-case scenarios and to manage fears, so when you go through the motions in real life you’re not caught off guard and can adapt. (Shortform note: Psychotherapists use mental rehearsals in a different way: as a desensitization tool to help people overcome anxiety. Repeatedly mentally exposing yourself to things you fear as a therapist helps you build your sense of security and mastery can reprogram your emotional responses.)

Part 3: Lead Effectively in an Unpredictable Work World

In the last section we talked about how to tap and harness your inner power to stay grounded and focused, confront your fears, and bolster your mental fortitude to operate at your peak. In this last section we’ll discuss actions that will help you successfully lead your business and respond to factors beyond your control.

Action 1: Set a Strong, Clear Mission

Divine says that when you start a new business in today’s unpredictable, ever-changing work world, you can mitigate the risk of failure and increase your organization’s resiliency by having a strong, achievable company mission that keeps you and your team focused on your objective. A clear mission makes it easier to determine where to target your resources so you don’t squander them, which helps you lead your business to success. (Shortform note: Divine describes a company’s “mission” as a goal, rather than a company mission statement, which states a business’s purpose, values, and overarching goals. Divine’s use of “mission” is presumably rooted in the “missions,” or military operations, that SEALs perform.)

A strong mission is:

• Simple and achievable
• Important to you and your company
• A strong fit for your time, resources, and the talents of your team
• A good return on investment (in other words, the outcome will make the time and money you put in worthwhile)
• Timed well (new and needed in the market now)
• Easy to communicate to your team

Complement Your Business Mission With a Personal Mission Statement

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey says you’ll be more successful in achieving your goals if they align with your personal mission statement. Your mission statement serves as the standard by which you measure and determine every action. It should focus on three things:

• Character, or who you want to be

• Contribution, or what you want to do

• Core values, which govern your character and contributions

To develop your personal mission statement:

• Reflect on and assess your strengths and values honestly.

• Respect that the process is as important as the final result, and allow yourself the weeks or months it may take to develop a thoughtful statement.

• Identify your many roles (mother, sister, aunt, child) and create goals for each role that help you create the life you want.

Communicate Your Goals Effectively

To lead your business successfully, you have to communicate your mission clearly to every person helping execute it. When you help your team understand your mission and their role in making it happen, you eliminate confusion about who needs to do what. This enables everyone to focus on their job and work together to achieve the big-picture goal. (Shortform note: If your company operates remotely, it may be hard to communicate with your team. To do it well, experts recommend that you reduce “affinity distance”—in other words, interact with your team in ways that increase trust and interdependency. For example, hold video calls rather than relying on email, which offers fewer visual and verbal cues about tone and how people feel. Also, create opportunities to celebrate your team to strengthen bonds.)

Divine says the most effective way to communicate your mission is to frame it as a compelling story that’s relatable and easy to understand. For example, to tell the story of a business you’re launching, talk about your big picture idea, the product or service you want to sell, and the path you and your team will take to make it happen. Brief your team on their roles, including specific steps each person will take to execute the mission and what to do if things don’t go according to plan. Then mentally rehearse your story to anticipate challenges as we discussed in Part 1.

(Shortform note: Experts recommend some other tips to tell a story that resonates. First, keep your story tight with a headline-style first sentence—it should grab the attention of the people you’re talking to, convey the stakes at hand, and close with a clear ending that doesn’t meander. Second, practice telling your story before you share it so it becomes ingrained in you. Third, remember that telling a story is not about you, but connecting with the people you’re talking to.)

Action 2: Embrace and Adapt to Change

Divine says that to successfully lead in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), business leaders must stay one step ahead of their competitors. To do this, proactively seek out and adapt quickly to change, be confident, and let go of things that don’t work. (Shortform note: In addition to the VUCA element defining the work world, experts say that the landscape that business leaders currently confront is undergoing three-dimensional change. In other words, it’s occurring: 1) all the time, 2) in multiple areas of life, and 3) exponentially. So, change that used to occur over years and decades now happens in weeks or days.)

Act Quickly and Proactively to Change

Divine says that to thrive as a leader in an ever-evolving landscape, you have to be proactive, not reactive, to be aware of developments on the horizon that could compromise or enhance your work. To do this:

1. Act quickly and decisively. When you act fast in the face of change, you don’t get hung up on things that aren’t working. This also allows you and your team to identify and take advantage of cutting-edge opportunities.

To act quickly and decisively, foster trust with your team and set up standard operating procedures. Building trust encourages healthy risk-taking, problem-solving, and innovation. Standardizing routine parts of work life—like office communication protocols and regular planning meetings―streamlines operations so your team can act fast and confidently tackle new challenges as they arise.

(Shortform note: Ironically, some say that the way to speed up and improve your actions is to slow down. In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell argues that you can hasten and strengthen your instinctive decision-making by slowing down and training your unconscious mind deliberately—because even snap judgments take time. To do this, practice reading people’s micro facial expressions, which occur in a fraction of a second and show what a person really thinks and feels. This allows you to gather intel then make more precise snap judgments about their personality and how they’re likely to act. The more you attune yourself to split-second expressions, the better and faster you can read people and make accurate decisions.)

2. Be on the lookout for threats and opportunities. When you’re perpetually attuned to what’s going on around you, you’re less likely to get caught off guard, more aware of opportunities you can take advantage of, and better prepared to predict your competition’s next move—which will help you stay ahead of them and lead successfully. (Shortform note: In The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone argues that to stay ahead of and beat your rivals you should focus on dominating, not just competing against them. When you’re in a merely competitive mindset, you can waste time observing your rivals and trying to compete at their level. But when you focus on identifying things your rivals can’t or won’t do and outworking them, you can dominate them and win.)

To practice attuning yourself to your surroundings, consistently pay attention to what’s going on around you when you’re in public spaces. For example, when you’re at the grocery store, scan the room and take note of things that seem out of the ordinary. Are most people moving quickly or slowly? Does anyone stand out for rushing?

Divine recommends that you regularly practice this skill in every space until this heightened state of awareness becomes part of you, then apply it to your business. For example, look at the market around you: Are your competitors doing things differently from normal? Can their actions negatively impact your work or open opportunities for a new path forward?

(Shortform note: Being attuned to your surroundings is a good strategy to help you adapt quickly. But be mindful of ways that internal biases can lead you to identify things that “stand out” that shouldn’t. America’s post-9/11, “See something, say something” call to action contributed to hyper-surveillance of Black and brown communities based on suspicions and fears—with no meaningful reduction in crime. As a result, the Black Lives Matter movement transformed the phrase to call on communities to look out for one another instead of trying to help police by reporting their neighbors based on ill-formed suspicions.)

Be Confident by Changing Your Language

Divine says that building your confidence will help you more effectively navigate a rapidly changing work world and be a stronger, more successful leader. To do this, regularly pay attention to your language and choose positive, active words instead of words that conjure up images and feelings of weakness and uncertainty—which undermines your confidence and others’ confidence in you.

For example, don’t say you’ll “try” to do something, which conveys doubt. Instead, say that you’ll “definitely achieve results.” This instills confidence that you’ll succeed. Practice this regularly to build sustained feelings of confidence and inspire others’ confidence in you. (Shortform note: In The Confidence Code, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman argue that confidence results from biological and environmental factors, and that 50% of it may result from choice and will, like Divine’s advice to choose empowering words. To build confidence, Kay and Shipman advise focusing on how your actions will benefit others instead of focusing on yourself; also, take credit for your accomplishments instead of downplaying them.)

Let Go of What Doesn’t Work

Divine says that in a VUCA work world, leaders can’t waste time on outdated ideas, plans, or products and services. The moment you realize a plan isn’t working, take a calculated risk and shift to a different plan—even if it’s not fully formulated. If your plan fails, view that failure as a chance to learn. Then, wipe the slate clean early and often to build confidence in your ability to meet new challenges, move forward and innovate more quickly, and outwit competitors who fail to do the same.

(Shortform note: In Factfulness, Hans Rosling counters that you should get all the facts before you act, because your sense of urgency is often alarmist and can lead you to make panicked decisions that do more harm than good. We often lean into impulsive decisions because salespeople and activists actively exploit our urgency instinct. As a result, we fear we’ll miss out on opportunities if we don’t act fast. In most cases, however, you have to carefully analyze all the information in front of you to ensure a good outcome.)

To get comfortable shifting gears without a perfect plan:

• Try something different from what you’d normally do.
• If you fail, think about how to apply what you’ve learned from that experience to your next attempt.
• Try again, implementing changes from lessons you’ve learned.
• Repeat this process until you succeed.

(Shortform note: In The Art of the Deal, Donald J. Trump counters that you should always have a backup plan B, C, and D—and that you shouldn’t get overly attached to any of them. Most deals don’t pan out, so when things fall apart you have to pivot quickly and not waste time putting together a new plan on the spot. To develop strong backup plans, aim high so you don’t limit yourself, focus on what your target audience wants and how they think, and prepare for the worst so that even if things fall through, you’re ready to go again.)