TLP222: How To Find Your Recovery Mode

The Leadership Podcast

Rich Diviney lives to discover, inspire, and accelerate the potential of human beings. As a Retired Navy SEAL Commander, he completed more than 13 overseas deployments. He also spearheaded the creation of a directorate that fused physical, mental, and emotional disciplines. In January 2021, Rich will release his first book, The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance. Rich breaks down how your average teams can become high-performing teams, the mental strategies we can use to overcome stressful situations, and why we need to screen for attributes, not necessarily skill sets. Rich also works with Simon Sinek to help leaders and organizations create environments where people feel valued and free to explore their potential.

Key Takeaways

[4:25] When RIch was tasked with creating resilience among SEAL Teams, he created the “Mind Gym” concept.

[6:00] Rich believed that, through resiliency, you could label and reframe PTSD in a new way.

[10:15] One of the ways we can take care of ourselves mentally is to slow down and to let our brains rest. Sleep is the #1 way to recover.

[11:05] If you’re stressed out, turn off the news. It’s one of the primary sources of stress because they throw so many unknown variables at you.

[14:25] Rich is not always striving for peak performance. Instead, he searches for optimal performance, which he defines as, “How can you do the very best you can in the moment with what you’ve got.”

[17:25] Our attributes will tell us how we will perform when things go sideways. The good news is that we can develop our attributes.

[21:55] Why does someone want to be in special operations forces? Rich believes that the reason is actually rooted in narcissism. We all want to be the best. We all want to prove we are the best.

[24:15] Rich breaks drive down into five attributes:

1. Self-efficacy.
2. Discipline.
3. Open-mindedness.
4. Cunning.
5. Narcissism.

[27:15] The smaller the team or the smaller the organization, Rich doesn’t see the same “groupthink” traits as he does in larger organizations. He believes this is due to lack of structure and corporate refinement.

[32:10] You are not allowed to designate yourself as a leader. Leadership is a behavior that others are drawn to. People choose to follow a leader.

[37:55] It is completely possible to recharge our mental and physical wellbeing during a stressful situation. It can be through meditation, through a quick nap, or even a visualization of what makes you happy.

[44:00] In high-performing teams, Leadership roles and responsibilities will change to different people based on their expertise or who might be closer to a situation at the time. Rich has seen that leadership is fluid and people, including leaders, will shift power roles to the one who is most capable given the situation.

[44:35] Trust is the key element to any high-functioning and high-performing team. They lean on each other.

[45:35] Listener challenge: Break some of the preconceived constraints and boundaries that have been built on your current team.

Quotable Quotes

• “Resiliency doesn’t describe what high performers do. Resiliency by definition is the ability to get knocked off of baseline and get back to baseline.”
• “One of the ways we can all take care of ourselves mentally is to actively find ways to slow ourselves down and turn off the outside world.”
• “Things that bring you joy. Any time you engage in an activity that you feel more full after doing, you’re likely in recovery mode.”
• “What defines optimal performance — can you keep on moving and what are the attributes you bring to the table?”
• “If teams want to figure out how to manage in uncertainty, they need to look at attributes vs. just skill.”
• “We are biologically designed to want to stand out. Narcissism in small doses, the desire to be special, can be a very, very powerful driver in performance.”

Resources Mentioned

• Rich’s website & upcoming book: Theattributes.com
• Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth

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