The Navy SEAL and the 'Slide for Life'

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The “slide for life” was a 200-foot-long rope connecting a pair of gigantic towers.

For decades, Navy SEAL BUD/S had climbed underneath it and pulled themselves hand over hand from one side to the other.  

But on this day, a young man decided he was going to do things differently.

He mounted above the rope and looked down — parallel to the ground below — a perilous move fraught with potentially fatal consequences.

Ultimately, instead of taking several minutes, though, he made it across in half the time, shattering the previous course record that many had thought untouchable.

Had he not been willing to risk it, he wouldn’t have made history.

U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven shared that anecdote in his famed University of Texas commencement address several years ago, and whether we’re coaches, executives or are in some other leadership capacity, it’s relevant.

We’re at the halfway point of 2024, and while some of us are likely exactly where we want to be, many of us are not.

We may have made a miscalculation, some unexpected turbulence may have arisen, or there could be another factor altogether that’s inhibited us from making more progress toward our larger goal.

Regardless, we’d be wise to consider the “slide for life” story as we move forward and ask ourselves two key questions:

1. Am I doing things the way they’ve always been done and simply hoping for a different result?  
2. Have I considered taking a critical risk to differentiate myself from the pack?

Going headfirst to the other side isn’t for everybody, and it’s far from guaranteed to produce the desired outcome.

But when we’re simply following decades-long strategies because that’s the way thing have always been done, or we’re sticking with the pack for fear of looking foolish, it’s hard to gain any competitive advantage.

An unorthodox approach may make us look bad. It can have key risks of its own.

But it may also ultimately be the only pathway to success.

“If you want to change the world,” McRaven said, “sometimes, you have to slide down the obstacles head first.”  

Looking to re-shape your company’s or team’s culture? Learn how championship teams establish higher standards, more accountability, and a winning mindset from former 3x Super-Bowl winning NFL Executive, Michael Lombardi. 

Don’t miss your chance to attend Michael Lombardi’s live seminar, “Learning to Lead: How Championship Teams Build Culture,” on July 10th at 4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST. 

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