High-Performance Leadership: Lessons from the Battlefield and the Boardroom

Leadership is not a title; it’s a practice. It’s forged in fire, tested in adversity, and measured by results. The best leaders aren’t born—they are built through relentless discipline, unwavering commitment, and an unbreakable mindset. I’ve led Navy SEAL teams in hostile territories, built and sold multiple startups, and executed high-risk covert operations for the CIA. Across all these experiences, one truth has remained constant: high-performance leadership is a function of discipline, clarity, and the ability to inspire others to achieve the impossible.

Here’s what it takes to lead at the highest levels.

1. Extreme Ownership: The Buck Stops with You

In the SEAL Teams, we have a saying: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders. If a mission fails, it’s on the leader. If a business collapses, it’s on the leader. If a team underperforms, it’s on the leader. Excuses are the refuge of the weak.

Jocko Willink, another former SEAL, popularized the concept of Extreme Ownership, but it’s been the law of combat for centuries. The moment you deflect blame or make excuses, you strip yourself of the ability to lead effectively. Own everything in your world—your mistakes, your team’s performance, and every outcome. High-performance leaders don’t pass the buck; they take responsibility and adjust fire.

2. Master the Mind: Stoicism and Resilience

Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, said, “It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” The battlefield doesn’t care about your plans. Neither does the business world. The best leaders embrace uncertainty, chaos, and hardship—not as setbacks, but as fuel.

In combat, resilience means pressing forward when your team is exhausted, outnumbered, and deep in enemy territory. In business, it means making tough decisions, pivoting when necessary, and enduring hardship without losing sight of the mission. To lead at the highest level, you must master your own mind before you can ever hope to lead others.

3. Clarity of Purpose: Define the Mission and Keep It Simple

A leader’s primary job is to define the mission with absolute clarity. Ambiguity breeds hesitation. Hesitation leads to failure. The best leaders articulate a clear vision, break it down into actionable steps, and communicate it in a way that ensures every team member understands their role.

In SEAL operations, we used the principle of Commander’s Intent—a clear, simple directive that ensures the mission continues even when circumstances change. In business, it’s the same. Your people should always know what success looks like and why it matters. Keep it simple, direct, and actionable.

4. The Willingness to Do What Others Won’t

Most people talk about leadership. Few live it. High-performance leaders are defined by their willingness to do what others won’t. They get up earlier, train harder, and prepare more rigorously. They embrace discomfort, seek out challenges, and willingly put themselves in the fire so that they emerge sharper.

When I built my first startup, I worked 20-hour days while others clocked out at 5 p.m. In the CIA, I led teams into environments where failure meant death. Leadership isn’t about comfort—it’s about commitment to a higher standard. If you want to lead at an elite level, be willing to endure what others can’t or won’t.

5. Build a Team That Can Operate Without You

Weak leaders make themselves indispensable. Strong leaders build teams that can function at the highest level without them. A truly high-performance leader trains, mentors, and empowers others to execute flawlessly.

In the SEAL Teams, a mission’s success depends on every operator understanding not just their role, but the entire plan. The best business leaders build organizations that run on systems, discipline, and shared ownership. Your job as a leader is to elevate those around you so that the mission succeeds whether you’re there or not. Another SEAL I served with put it this way: “Bottom line: Teams that are effective at empowering personnel at the appropriate levels who have the greatest situational awareness fair much better than those banking on a centralized command model.”

6. Relentless Adaptability: Change or Die

Nothing ever goes according to plan. The best leaders anticipate change, embrace uncertainty, and adjust in real-time. “You become what you give your attention to,” Epictetus reminds us. If you focus on the problem, you’ll be paralyzed. If you focus on solutions, you’ll move forward.

When I ran covert operations, plans changed by the second. In business, the market shifts, competitors adapt, and unforeseen challenges arise. High-performance leaders don’t resist change—they leverage it as a competitive advantage.

7. Lead from the Front: Set the Standard

Your team will mirror your actions, not your words. If you want discipline, be the most disciplined. If you want excellence, demand it from yourself first. The best leaders don’t sit in an office dictating orders—they set the example through action.

During my time in the SEAL Teams, my platoon knew I would never ask them to do anything I wasn’t willing to do myself. That built trust, loyalty, and a shared commitment to the mission. The same holds true in business—lead from the front, and your team will follow.

8. Decisiveness Under Pressure

Hesitation kills. In combat, the difference between life and death is often a fraction of a second. In leadership, the difference between success and failure is the ability to make tough calls under pressure.

This doesn’t mean reckless action—it means making informed decisions quickly and decisively. The best leaders gather intelligence, assess risk, and then act. Indecision is a virus that infects teams and destroys momentum. Make the call and own the outcome.

9. Develop an Unshakable Code

What do you stand for? If you can’t answer that immediately, you aren’t ready to lead. High-performance leaders operate from an unshakable code—values that don’t bend under pressure.

For me, that code is simple:

• Discipline over convenience

• Integrity over compromise

• Mission over ego

• Excellence over mediocrity

Define your code. Live it relentlessly. People follow leaders who stand for something greater than themselves.

10. Never Stop Learning

The moment you think you’ve arrived, you’ve already fallen behind. High-performance leaders are lifelong students. They read, train, seek mentorship, and continuously refine their craft.

Epictetus once said, “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” Growth requires humility. Every experience—whether success or failure—is an opportunity to learn. Approach leadership as a never-ending journey, and you’ll always stay ahead.

Final Thoughts: The Standard Is the Standard

The best leaders don’t rise to the occasion—they fall back on their training. They create standards so high that anything less than excellence is unacceptable. They forge discipline so deep that even in chaos, they execute with precision.

Whether you’re leading a SEAL team, a business, or a family, the principles are the same. Own everything. Master your mind. Set the standard. Inspire through action. And never, ever accept mediocrity.

The world needs more high-performance leaders. Will you be one of them?