Nate’s Notes 92: Navy SEAL Rich Diviney | Leadership & Accountability

What a fantastic leadership class Rich just taught.

First, being in charge is a position. Being a leader is a behavior. And we don’t get to self-designate ourselves as leaders…that’s something others decide based on how we behave. So, if you want to be a leader, you have to behave like one.

Second, the behavior that Rich chose to focus on was accountability. A leader can delegate responsibility, but a leader never delegates accountability. When Rich was commanding officer of a Navy SEAL squadron, he delegated the responsibility of a jump to a new jump master, and the team missed the mark badly. When debriefing, they discussed two things. First, what they learned because of the mistake, and second, that Rich owned the results. He had delegated the responsibility, but he was still accountable for the team missing the mark.

Third, by taking accountability, we increase our control, compared to when we blame others and give up control. Rich routinely took accountability for the outcome of things that technically he may not have been responsible for. But by taking accountability, he could take control of a situation.

In summary, leaders aren’t born or made, according to Rich. They’re chosen, based on their behaviors. And one of the most important behaviors for leaders is accountability. It’s a simple idea. Please take it seriously.

Rich Diviney Bio:

Rich Diviney is a retired Navy SEAL Commander, who completed more than thirteen overseas deployments—eleven of which were to Iraq and Afghanistan. In his 20 years as an officer and SEAL, Rich was involved in the specialized SEAL selection process, which whittled a group of hundreds of extraordinary candidates down to a few of the most elite performers.

As the officer in charge of training for a specialized command, Rich also spearheaded the creation of the SEAL “Mind Gym” that helped SEALs perform faster, longer, and better, especially in high-stress environments.

Since his retirement, Rich has worked as a speaker, facilitator, and consultant, training more than five thousand business, athletic, and military leaders. Rich shares his work on his website, theattributes.com and in his excellent book, The Attributes.

I hope you enjoy learning from Rich Diviney today, because I certainly did.