Post written by Marlon Ribunal.
Follow me on twitter.
Ten years of intelligence gathering. Two major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thousands of lives have been sacrificed. Millions of dollars have been spent on logistics and fighting the wars offshore.
Osama bin Laden is dead.
Forty minutes of military operation with surgical precision. High efficiency of operation. And Justice has been done. Forty minutes of getting things done.
Osama bin Laden is dead. No casualty to the good guys. Thanks to high-efficiency and productivity.
This is not a political blog. So I refrain from giving a political statement. I do believe, though, that Justice has truly been done.
Osama bin Laden is dead. No casualty to the good guys. Thanks to high-efficiency and productivity.
[ Get Insider's Great Insights Into The Training and Operations of the Navy SEAL Team Six from the book, "SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper" ]
There are six things the Navy SEAL Team Six can teach us about getting things done:
1. Right Mindset
Once the mission has been defined, the Navy SEAL Team Six has set one goal – Get It Done. There would be no other acceptable result but the accomplishment of the mission – no matter what it takes!
- Productivity Application In the Real World: If you are like most knowledge workers – whether an employee or freelancer – you kinda know the tasks at hand. If not, then you must look into getting a good Task Management tool you’re comfortable with. You must have a clear understanding of your tasks in order to get things done. You very well know the mission – Get Things Done! Results must be delivered and expectations must be met.
2. Deep Knowledge Of The Mission
The Navy SEAL Team Six knew the consequences of their mission. They knew the implication of a failure – and the extent to which that failure can damage. A failed mission can hurt not only the operation but also the whole nation and its national identity. Successful operation was the only option. They knew what was at stake – the Honor and Pride of the Nation.
- Productivity Application In the Real World: Knowing what tasks are involved in advance is winning half the battle, so to speak. You must have the correct knowledge of how to handle the tasks. Identify your strength and weaknesses. It’s important to ask for help if and when it’s needed. You have an ultimate objective – and that is Get Things Done!
3. Mental and Physical Rehearsal
The Navy SEAL Team Six understood that the very first task of the mission was not to execute orders but how to get to the target. Through their surveillance and intelligence, they determined the layout of the ground and even the custom-built abode of the target. They planned around those gathered information and trained according to the blueprint they drew.
- Productivity Application In the Real World: You can visualize tasks and anticipate problems and solutions through careful planning. Plan ahead. Have a blueprint of the actions you’re going to execute to complete your tasks before you go to bed at night. List down the actionable tasks that you need to accomplish the next day in your ToDo! Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. And, don’t forget to prepare – mentally and physically. Prepare!
4. Sharp Focus Through Systematic Repetition
In their training, the Navy SEAL Team Six determined what worked and what did not according to their plan in accordance to the demand of the geographic arrangement of the target abode and the expected opposition they would be facing. They needed a precise focus and ferocious audacity to carry out their order. Once they finished one cycle of the simulated training, they identified the things they did correctly and improved on or eliminated the ones that they did not.
- Productivity Application In the Real World: There will be distractions that veer you off your intended actions. They key here is Focus. Eliminate the source of your distractions and determine what works best according to your needs. Reinforce correct actions and do away with the ones that do not work. Rinse. Repeat. Success!
5. Get The Right Equipment And Tools
The higher-ups decided on the type of the operation with which they carried out their mission – helicopter attack. News sources claimed that the helicopters and other equipments used in the attack are the latest and greatest in the military today. The stealth helicopters sneaked into Pakistan under the nose of the Pakistani authorities. They got the right tools for the specific mission. And, they delivered with much precision!
- Productivity Application In the Real World: It’s one thing to have the right system to operate in, it’s another thing to have the right tools to work with. These are two sides of the same coin. If you are like most knowledge workers who believe that choosing the right tool for particular tasks play a great role in getting things done, then you acknowledge that having the tools that you need can definitely boost your productivity and efficiency.
6. Debrief and Get Ready For The Next Mission
Right after they carried out their orders, the Navy SEAL Team Six gathered with their superiors for debriefing. This was part of their routine in every missions that they undertake. This is an opportunity for them to answer inquiries – the how’s and what’s – pertaining to the mission.
- Productivity Application In the Real World: Review is an essential part of getting things done. This is the opportunity to look back and study what has transpired, which gives you an bird’s-eye view of all the things that you must care about. From a high level, you can see your milestones and even open loops, if any. The best part of this is you get to improve on simply everything you need to improve.
[ Get Insider's Great Insights Into The Training and Operations of the Navy SEAL Team Six from the book, "SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper" ]
We’ve ID’ed Geronimo. Mission accomplished!
Long Live Productivity!
The Navy SEAL Team Six is the most elite team within the Navy SEAL group – Elite of Elites.
By studying and emulating their ways on how they operate and carry out their missions, you, too, can reach the level of efficiency and productivity that brought Osama bin Laden to his demise.
Excellent tips that we can all put into practice.
The debriefing step must’ve been interesting: “Okay, tell us your ideas for shortening that 10 year ‘research’ period. How could we have avoided these costly wars and saved taxpayers billions of dollars?” Forty minute operation? That’s a little like saying childbirth happens in that 15 minutes of pushing – forget the nine months of prep work, or the lifetime of dealing with the “aftermath.” (Which, in the case of childbirth, is generally a fun sort of “aftermath.” But in this case… well, real success might have been figuring out early on, while the CIA was still training him, that Bin Laden was a loose cannon.)
Marlon,
Sorry it took me so long to get here and comment but I am glad I was able to read this. This was a very thoughtful post tied to something a lot of people have an interest in at this moment. The SEAL team is an elite group who pride themeselves on getting the mission accomplished. It is a great idea to use their techniques and apply them to the missions of our lives. You made it entertaining and practical. Thanks for this great post!
Frank,
Thanks for dropping by.
Yes, the SEALs are practicing strict discipline. They won’t tell us all the things that they do but we can learn lessons from their actions.
If you checked all the tips that I mentioned above and put them together as a whole instruction, you can see that you can apply the same principles into anything about life.
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…How Not To Overload Your To-Do List
Hi Marlon,
Concise, straightforward, perfect! Just fantastic way to convey the process! Thank you, I will be sharing.
Marlon,
I love this post. Great lessons.
I would even add one. Adaptability. Be prepared for things to go wrong. “Desert One” and “Blackhawk down” were both examples where a major “black eye” developed because of helicopter malfunctions.
They learned from previous mistakes and when there was -again- helicopter issues, the team had backup plans ready to go and still got out without a hitch.
Plan properly, adapt to changing situations and it will seem like you mean for everything to happen, even when the circumstances are sub-optimal
Steve@Increase Productivity recently posted…How a Single File Manages an Entire Internet Business
Man, this was an awesome post. I remember thinking about a similar topic and I think you especially nailed the first point. Most people will tell you to do your best at whatever you’re attempting. But, your goal is never “to do your best”. Your goal is to get it done! If you were to do your best at anything, it would take ages and it would NOT get done. So, what’s more important, doing your best at finding bin Laden or actually finding him? You tell me :D
Andrei,
Thanks for the awesome comment. “Doing one’s best” should never be a factor in getting things done. It’s always about goal setting and planning to actualize those goals.
This reminds me of the song “Just Once” thats says “I did my best but I guess my best wasn’t good enough…”
You see, getting things done is never about doing one’s best :-)
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…How Richard Branson Lives Life By Making Lists
Hi Marlon,
Stumbled onto your blog and just wanted to say hi.
Love this post about about lessons we can learn from navy seals. I don’t really believe anything happens because of luck or chance. Opportunities are all around us, and it’s just a matter of being prepared and aware enough to capitalize on the right opportunities with they occur.
Paul,
I’m glad that you love it!
Interesting point.
This is exactly what we teach when running a business, or your life, you need to set a goal, make a plan, gather the tools/knowledge you need and focus single-mindedly on its completion. Once done you need to go over what you have done, learn from your mistakes and what you did well.
Thank you Marlon for a great post.
Daniel M. Wood recently posted…Motivational Tip 4 – Learning Time Management
Daniel,
Spot on! If we look closer we can see that this is really a “real world toolkit”. You can apply the same principles to anything – career, relationship, etc.
:-)
This is awesome. This should be like… a part of our lives and if we do we would definitely see the difference and acquire the discipline like the Navy Seals have.
Marco Lee recently posted…Claim Your New Life!
Marco,
We can see life-lessons from these events; yes, I agree to that!
Marlon,
Navy Seals are the “Real Deal Holyfield” in my book. Nothing but respect and admiration for those guys.
Jesse Ventura is always mentioning how he was a Navy Seal back in the day. I believe that it was called something else then. The training is intense and not for the faint of heart. Perfect for Jesse.
Justin,
This bin Laden story is the best yet I’ve ever heard about the Navy SEALs!
I’ve seen tons of movies about them but this real-world story beat them all.
Based on their description online, they are extraordinary people – heroes in real life. They are physically and mentally superior than the best athletes. And, how they get things done! Amazing!
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…How Richard Branson Lives Life By Making Lists
Hi Marlon,
Thanks for the information about how to do productive work and get success and you have given a perfect example to explain the point behind the operation.
Knowing your work and using your resources in right direction at right time will definitely gives you a good results.
Again many thanks for sharing your knowledge.
James,
I’m glad you liked it.
“Using your resources in right direction”, yes, that will do it most of the time :-)
Marlon Ribunal recently posted…How a Virtual Assistant Can Help Boost Productivity