What does it take to command a team of elite individuals?

It requires a commitment to seven key principles: Courage, Trust, Respect, Growth, Excellence, Resiliency, and Alignment. All of these are present in an elite team which commits to them deeply in order to forge the character worthy of uncommon success.

In his new book, Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams, Retired Navy SEAL Commander, entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Mark Divine (founder of SEALFIT, NavySeal.com, and Unbeatable Mind) who first joined me on the episode "Secrets Of The Navy Seals: How To Train, Eat & Think Like The World’s Toughest Fighters") reveals what makes the culture of an elite team, and how to get your own team to commit to serve at an elite level. Using principles he learned on the battlefield, training SEALs, and in his own entrepreneurial and growth company ventures, Mark knows what it is to lead elite teams, and how easily the team can fail by breaching these commitments.

Mark believes that elite teams challenge themselves to step up everyday to do the uncommon. Developing the principles yourself and aligning your team around these commitments will allow you to thrive in VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) environments, no matter your background or leadership experience.

Drawing from his twenty years leading SEALs, and twenty five years of success and failure in entrepreneurship and ten years coaching corporate clients, Mark has a very unique perspective that will allow you to unlock the tremendous power of your team.

During our discussion, you'll discover: -What is a Kokoro event?...6:15

-The philosophy behind Kokoro events...19:50

-How box breathing is different from other forms of breath work...28:00

-Why zen and mindfulness is not more widely practiced in the extreme fitness community...46:30

-How social media has skewed the efficacy of the SEAL training programs and mentality...54:40

-Why slow is smooth, and smooth is fast...59:30

-Two phrases from Mark's book that stuck out to Ben...1:11:20

-Mark's fascination with wolves...1:17:20 -And much more...

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Episode 57: Who Are You After Change? with Kelly Cervantes