The Navy SEALS are the greatest warriors on the planet. Nearly 80% of soldiers who enter the SEALS training program drop out. It is truly the best of the best. Experts will tell you the secret to becoming a SEAL is in a soldier’s mindset. A great example is the SEAL concept of ‘full benefit.’ ‘Full benefit’ is the SEAL perspective that every ounce of value must be thoroughly mined from every experience—even the bad experiences. If we had SEALS as colleagues, we would hear them say, ‘full benefit’ after any bit of bad news. Those that think this way are great to work with.
‘Impact players have a benefit mindset. They seek to get the most out of their work and benefit as many people as possible. They are easy to work with because in this way they make work light,’ said Liv Wiseman in her book Impact Player.
How do we have the type of impact that makes people enjoy working alongside us? Can we be the type of workers that draw others into the work with us? Here are three suggestions that should characterize our efforts and our attitudes. These suggestions come from notes I took standing in the back of a lecture hall at the University of St. Thomas in downtown Houston. I was listening to one of my former student-athletes present to a room full of basketball players and their parents. He’s now a director for the nationally recognized Point Guard College. It was amazing. As he was sharing, I knew it lined up perfectly with the full-benefit mindset of an impact player.
Enhance everything you come in contact with
The word ‘enhance’ is defined as improving the quality or value of something. Does that describe the way you go about your work? Are you an enhancer? An impact player is.
Use the ‘extra-ounce’ principle.
I had a weird habit in my doctoral work that served me well. If I had a 12-page writing assignment, I wrote 13. It was a tangible way to do just a little bit more. Paradoxically, when made consistently, the return on extra-ounce efforts is significantly larger than the small ounce of extra effort given. Use this principle to develop a full-benefit mindset.
Live on Excellence Island
The pursuit of excellence is a bizarre thing. It has a way of polarizing those around you as it is happening. People will either be attracted to or pushed away. Excellence doesn't leave a lot of options. You have to make a choice. As Nick Saban once quipped, 'When you want to be good, you don't have a lot of options. It takes what it takes.' Living on Excellence Island may be a lonely experience for a time. It will cost you something but will also pay off in significant ways. Don't be afraid to live on Excellence Island.
Keep on, keepin' on, friends!
Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on relentlessly leading yourself and others well. You can listen to the Bite Down and Don't Let Go podcast here!
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart, and they have children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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