The Navy SEAL experience has captured the imagination of Americans not only because of their gallantry but because of their shared values, teamwork, and leadership.
Brian "Iron Ed" Hiner shares his insights as a SEAL and SEAL trainer in "First, Fast, and Fearless."
He emphasizes the debilitating impact of toxic leadership, whether in the military or business community. Fear and stress related to poor leadership dampens imagination and problem solving.He shares its negative effect on productivity, resilience, retention, and morale. He notes that SEALs have the highest retention in the military, but poor perceived leadership doubled the departures.
He explains the SEAL leadership as 1) Brand, 2) Brotherhood, and 3) Battle Rhythm. For us in the basketball community, this translates to who I am, who we are, and how we play. Alternatively, we can view it as character, teamwork, and execution.
Those of us who teach young people basketball have a great responsibility to model effective leadership. Books like "First, Fast, and Fearless" help us to help them. Sometimes we can learn as much as we share.