BY MARTY STRONG
A retired SEAL says elite teams thrive when challenged, and so do exceptional people.
Navy SEALs, and most special operations teams in general, commit a significant amount of time and resources working to shape a disparate group of people, of strangers really, into a team of respected friends and close colleagues. In business, as in the SEALs, everyone must know their role, their part in the overall plan, and everyone should be cross-trained to build organizational resilience and establish the foundation for success. Of the many things one might learn from studying these elite warriors, knowing how to build a winning team has to be at the top of the list. Here are five leadership lessons that will help you build your high-performance team:
CREATE A MISSION-FOCUSED CULTURE
Navy SEALs and other elite military units have one thing in common: an intense awareness of, and focus on, the mission. This mission focus permeates an entire military organization, from the most senior leader down to the most junior technical expert. Without a specific purpose for being and doing, a business is left to wonder, and worse, to wander.
Businesses can take a page from elite units and start communicating the mission, strategic, operational, and technical, from the minute they interview a candidate through to employee retirement. This should become a habit, a philosophy, a continuous exercise in positive influence that binds an organization together and prepares it for both success and adversity. Continue reading







