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119: Rich Diviney — Navy SEAL Secrets to Master Stress with Retired Navy SEAL Commander

February 23, 2025 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Courageous Leadership, Leadership, Servant Leadership

The views expressed on this podcast and page are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or endorsement of the US Army, DoD, or the US Government.

In this conversation, retired Navy SEAL Commander Rich Diviney shares insights on leadership, stress management, and the importance of attributes in high-performance environments. He discusses the significance of humility, the distinction between being a leader and being in charge, and the challenges faced during BUD/S training.

Rich emphasizes the critical role of compartmentalization and attributes in determining success, particularly in high-stress situations like those encountered in military training and operations. In this conversation, the speaker delves into the importance of understanding personal attributes and skills, emphasizing the role of self-awareness in effective leadership.

They discuss how stress and fear can be harnessed for positive action, the significance of focusing on controllable factors, and the science behind motivation through dopamine. The conversation also explores the impact of identity on behavior, particularly in uncertain situations, and how recognizing and prioritizing identities can shape our responses and actions.

Rich Diviney developed his expertise in human performance during his over twenty-year career in the US Military, during which he completed more than thirteen deployments overseas and held multiple leadership positions.

While serving as the officer in charge of selection, assessment, and training for a specialized Navy SEAL command, Diviney was intimately involved in an extremely elite SEAL selection process, which required pairing down a group of exceptional candidates to a small cadre of the most elite optimal performers.

He also spearheaded the creation of a mental performance directorate that focused a strong emphasis on physical, mental, and emotional discipline to optimize individual and team performance, allowing operators to perform faster, longer, and more effectively in all environments—especially high-stress ones.

Listeners of this show can get 15% off the Attributes Assessment by using the coupon code INTENTIONALLEADER15 at checkout.

The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance
By Diviney, Rich
Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy SEAL Way to Turn Stress into Success for You and Your Team
By Rich Diviney

If you’re interested in discovering your core values and becoming a more self-aware and emotionally intelligent leader, I’ve built the perfect course to help you get there. Check out my Discover Your Core Values Mini Course, where I coach you through 3 exercises of guided reflection and help you uncover your core values in a way that you can apply them right away.

February 23, 2025 /Cal Walters
stress, uncertainty, Navy SEAL, identity
Intentional Living, Courageous Leadership, Leadership, Servant Leadership
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86: Chris Fussell — Leading Out of a Crisis, Navy SEAL Training, and Advice for New Leaders

April 15, 2022 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Chris Fussell is the President of McChrystal Group, a leadership consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia and London, England. He became President in 2018 after joining the firm as Partner in 2012. He left the US Navy in 2012 after serving 15-years as a Navy SEAL Officer.

Chris is the author of 2017 WSJ Best Seller "One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams", and co-author of 2015 NYT Best Seller "Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World". He is a Senior Fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, a Senior Fellow at New America, a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the board of trustees with the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation.

Chris co-hosts the weekly podcast "No Turning Back" with Stan McChrystal where they interview the world's most consequential leaders.

I mentioned this episode of the Craig Groeschel Leadership podcast about Leading Out of a Crisis. 

Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
By McChrystal, Gen. Stanley, Collins, Tantum, Silverman, David, Fussell, Chris
One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams
By Fussell, Chris, Goodyear, C. W.

If you’re interested in growing in your leadership practice and being inspired to think differently and unlock greater personal potential, we want to give you a gift. Just click the link below and tell us where to send you 12 Ideas That Will Make You A Better Leader In 2022.


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April 15, 2022 /Cal Walters
Navy SEAL, Training, perseverance
Intentional Living, Leadership
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