Why You Need Warrior Toughness

You would be right to think that being a warfighter is about the precision of battle, and everything that goes with it—weapons training, tactics procedure, and planning, but what civilians fail to appreciate, and what the U.S. Navy’s Warrior Toughness Program (WTP) addresses, is the whole person. And much of that work is about mental preparation and performance—deciding who you are and what matters, building resilience and commitment, and having the mental fortitude to persevere through it all.

In developing the Warrior Toughness program, my colleagues and I decided that tough sailors and officers could do three things:

1. Take a hit and keep going.

Navy SEALs are taught early that they are never out of the fight and there is always something they can do to improve their fighting position. In a combat situation on a ship, Navy fleet sailors may themselves become wounded. They may be shocked at what they see. They may witness their friends die or become wounded, but they?must?get back in the fight. The fate of an entire ship may lie in the hands of a few sailors and their ability to do their job.

Military folks also face the same challenges as any other professional or person in general may face. They may suffer loss of loved ones, or loss of a relationship. They may get passed over for that expected promotion they felt was justly deserved.

Taking hits in life and moving on requires resilience, but taking a hit in a fight or in the face of adversity and staying in that fight and winning requires more than a typical approach to resilience. It requires certain attributes and skills that anyone can learn or further develop.

2. Perform under pressure.

There is no greater pressure than the life-and-death situation of combat or a combat-like situation such as firefighting on a ship. If fear is gripping us too tightly, then we cannot be in the driver’s seat and stay focused and engaged. We cannot think critically and make good decisions. We cannot be effective.

Though it may not be life-or-death, there are plenty of other times in a sailor’s life when emotions and conditions conspire to derail them from being present, focused, and able to give their best. The effect of military life on the family is a significant source of pressure. A sailor that can lead their family through high levels of stress based on deployments or short-notice relocations is a healthier and more effective sailor at work.

No matter what the pressure is in a sailor’s professional or personal life, they must be able to respond with the right action, choice, or behavior. They must respond and not react blindly or give in to negative emotional impacts.

3. Deal with the “day in, day out?” grind.

A typical six-month deployment can be a significant grind to the individual sailor and the unit as a whole. Operational tempo may be very high, which causes extreme physical and mental fatigue, with these becoming more intense toward the end of deployment.

Conversely, there are deployments that are very boring by comparison. In situations like this it is easy for a sailor to lose focus, get distracted, and ultimately become complacent.

A SEAL may find themselves weary and maybe becoming a little careless during the tail end of a high-tempo deployment. There are many jobs in the Navy that can be quite monotonous most of the time. A sailor may watch a radar screen for hours where 99 percent of the time nothing happens, but when it does, many people will be hurt or killed if that sailor becomes disengaged from their job.

Part of being tough is having the discipline and practice to maintain focus in the face of extreme fatigue or monotony.

How tough are you???Can you consistently bring your best self to these three critical areas or do you need some work???

1.????Take that hit and keep going.

Responding to hits and setbacks takes resilience. We are more resilient when we are adept at tapping into our sources of strength. We lean into supportive relationships-we draw strength there. We have purpose in who we are and what we do and this is lived through principled actions and behaviors.

We have premeditated adversity and aren’t blindside by it when we face that adversity.

2.????Want to perform under pressure? You must commit to the work.

If we want to consistently perform under pressure in stressful situations then we need to train to that. That requires mastery of the associated skill or craft. It means practice and rehearsal. If we really want the edge when the stakes are high then it is worth investing in mental skills just as a pro athlete would.

3. Deal with the “day in, day out” grind.

Dealing with prolonged periods of stress requires proactive self-care. Maintaining engagement during monotony requires stamina and focus. Being tough truly requires a mind, body, soul approach. Stress can serve us when we need to elevate our focus or performance.??For stress to be healthy, it must be regulated and must peak before descending down to a healthy baseline.?

Invest in your physical and mental health to deal with the grind and maintain healthy focus. Ensure you are getting true restorative sleep. Consider mindfulness training. Make time for exercise and apply discipline to your diet to ensure optimal performance.

Being tough means being mentally and physically resilient, capable, and focused.

Stephen Drum is a retired Navy SEAL Master Chief and principle architect of the U.S. Navy's Warrior Toughness Program. Today, he is the owner of Breaching Leadership, a performance and leadership consulting business.

https://stephendrum.com