Mar 23, 2020
Not everyone has experience to draw upon during chaotic times. Few people have lead others through times that are truly difficult both emotionally and physically. Yet, we all now find ourselves faced with choices and chaos.
I would like to share with you the 3 critical choices you will have to make during these chaotic times with the COVID19 hysteria, travel restrictions, and the simple not knowing what will come next. My personal experiences in chaos and leading during chaos are drawn for a life in the SEAL teams in war and the life as a SEAL trying to be a father and a husband during those difficult times.
Throughout the history of mankind, war has been the most chaotic experiences. Life threatening experiences tend to be chaotic. Yet, in all the darkness of war and chaos, the existential threat is actually a great teacher of what to do and what to not do. War is the greatest teacher and always will be.
The first thing existential threats teach and therefore your first choice you have to make is BE PPREPARED physically. So the first choice you have to make is either run from the threat, ie put your head in the ground and hope and pray nothing happens. Or prepare for the worst possible event. In the SEAL teams, by the way I know most people don’t understand the SEAL Training methodology, we decided to prepare every day for bad shit happening.
How do you prepare for bad things. First off you have to right now today begin to get your body in shape. It is not too late you are not too old. Start right now. Keep it simple too. For an hour work out either in your house or outside or wherever you find yourself.
Why, during a crisis is physical health the first choice. Because if you are not constantly fit you have very little chance of enduring what will come.
The reason SEALs survive in the most chaotic life threatening dirty unhealthy environments is the constant level of physical fitness we chose to have everyday. The body is a beautiful thing and is capable of dealing with dangers and viruses and chaos only when it is moving and fit and in action. So get to it now. Don’t wait.
The second choice during chaotic times of any sort it protect your family or team or company. That is a hard choice to make for a great many people because chaos throws people into isolation. I got mine mentality will always destroy the person who had chosen to abandon family and team and company and only protect one’s self.
Get your family together and talk very openly about what WE will do together today to protect our home, our assets, our supplies. Same goes for your team or company. Get all assets under control and shore up all immediate issues that are being affected. Do it right now.
The SEAL team mentality is lethal during chaos. There is a relevant mantra that works well here too. Team first, gear second, and I am third. That mindset will get you and your family and business through this chaos, but the leader has got to make it and demand others make it.
The Third choice a leader must take during chaos is to keep all emotions in check. Most people don’t have the ability any longer to control emotions because the society has moved completely 180 degrees away from emotional strength. Yet emotional stability in a crisis has to be a choice you make every day and practice it every day.
Fear is a choice. Fear if you choose it will cripple you. That is what fear is designed to do. Fear prevents action of any kind. Panic is the first base hit of fear.
How do you deal with emotions and fear during chaos? Keep actions simple and keep in action. If you want to learn the details of fear than reach out and my team will help you deal with making this choice.
If you are a leader, I recommend you getting of the phone or skype or any method to talk with each of your team or employees and find a way to help them be fit, protect their families and not overreact emotionally. Keep communicating and leading this way until the crisis is over. If that means calling them every day that is what you must do. If you isolate now as a leader the team or company or even your family will be much harder to lead with each day of isolation.