Jumpmaster Profile

Yes, my framework is centered around creating 1, 3 and 5 year goals. The three and five year goals are directionally based; the one year goals are broken down into quarterly goals that are further divided into monthly and weekly goals. I leave flexibility in my process to pivot as I learn new information about stretch goals. The most important part of the process is taking action daily. Plans are nothing more than a destination in a point of time – the real work is defining your goals, dividing them and then doing it daily – I call this process “Planning in 3D”: Define it, Divide it and Do it daily.

17-21 –The first actionable career goal started when I was at the Naval Academy trying to earn a “billet” or an invitation to SEAL training. I knew there would be limited slots, so I crafted an action plan to earn one of those spots – though it didn’t go as planned, what worked for me was doing something daily toward my objective – I did earn that invitation, the last invitation!

COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE: I’ve used process / practices to accomplish anything of significance in my life. My team uses the framework to help achieve more than we originally thought possible.

Discipline, Purpose and Grit – to me the single most important thing in starting down the path to accomplishment is understanding my why – understanding why you are doing something – why it matters to you is the catalyst to finding your way to the objective. I call it“Understand your why to find your way.” After you understand your purpose (your why) you will use discipline and grit to figure out your way. The key is to keep trying – to learn from what doesn’t work and apply it to what can work.

I use pieces of all three. I find that not all people respond to the same approach, so bringing flexibility to the training approach is critical in getting the best out of people. If I have to pick one, I would pick C and then apply A and B as I get to understand the drivers of my teammates.

From making it through SEAL training to starting Perfect Fitness to writing books, purpose has always been my main driver. As the SEAL instructors tell you when you first enter training, “Everyone wants to be a SEAL on a sunny day but what happens when the day doesn’t go your way, when things get cold ,wet and scary?” That’s when your purpose comes into front sight focus and strengthens your resolve. Same thing when I was starting a company, and investors told me it was over or customers told me they didn’t like my product – what keeps you going then? The answer is your purpose – the reason behind your resolve. Purpose driven plans are the first step toward finding success.

A, C then B. My most valuable insights come from one on one candid conversations. And those don’t happen in my office – you must go to the individual, on their turf, on their level. Three very important things happen when you do this: 1. You learn new things, 2. You’ve shown to your teammates that you value their opinions, and 3. You build trust between them and you, which is critical in creating unstoppable teams.

CandA –Business is dynamic – it’s an ever changing world – change is constant. In that vein I’m always assessing and changing business processes to adapt to the business world. On the flip side, the one thing that doesn’t change is human interaction – this is where the answer of “Not at all” comes in. At the end of the day, people buy from people, people build trust with other people and the single most important driver here is CARE – proving to your customers and your teammates how much you care about them is and will always be the single most important thing you do in building teams and companies.

Absolutely! If you’re not failing you’re not trying was a motto we had in our SEAL platoon. We’d rather fail in training than on the battlefield. Not only do I cite failures, I cite MY failures – I put myself front and center to let everyone know I’m human too and it’s okay to make mistakes so long as you learn from them, and that’s what I want my teammates to do – to stand up, and say “hey team, I learned something new today and I want to share it with you.”

A, A and A! I’m very open about my failures – I want my teams to embrace them, I want the blinders off and their eyes wide open – I want them pushing the envelope of what’s possible.

A – Lack of Clarity/Self Awareness: my biggest failures came from not recognizing the facts – to clinging to some emotional driver and not analyzing the true results – from removing emotion from the decision process of changing course.

I do.

The answer is yes and no – while I was in The Young Presidents Organization (YPO), I had a very interactive forum that helped me look critically yet constructively at my flaws to strengthen them. I didn’t always have that feedback loop – having it is VERY helpful.

My biggest successes have always come from linking my passion with a purpose – for what I really care about has always carried me across the finish line of success. I can’t stress the importance of care enough. Every time I went after something thinking I could just go through the motions, not have to give it my all – thinking I could coast to the finish line – I failed. The great successes of my life, which are few compared to the greater number of failures I’ve had, always share the same common attitude, I care so much that I’m all in – all the time.