William H. McRaven Quotes

Death Before Dishonor (Be a person of integrity)
You Can't Surge Trust (Be trustworthy)
When In Command, Command (Be confident in yourself)
We All Have Our Frog Floats (Have a little humility)
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday (Demonstrate that you have stamina)
Run To The Sound Of The Guns (Be aggressive in solving problems)
Sua Sponte (Encourage your employees to take the initiative)
Who Dares Wins (Be prepared to take risks!)
Hope Is Not A Strategy (Do the detailed planning necessary for success)
No Plan Survives First Contact With The Enemy (Have a Plan B)
It Pays To Be A Winner (Establish standards of conduct and performance
A Shepherd Should Smell Like His Sheep (Spend time on the "factory floor")
Troop The Line (Listen to your employees)
Expect What You Inspect (The quality of your work will depend on the quality of your oversight)
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate (Communicate your actions)
When In Doubt, Overload (Work hard to covercome your shortfalls)
Can You Stand Before The Long Green Table? (Be accountable for your actions)
Always Have A Swim Buddy (Have a partner in your leadership journey)

Being a leader is an awesome responsibility. There are days when it can be frightening to know that the fate of the organization rests on your shoulders. But you must also realize that you were chosen to be the leader because you have proven yourself along the way. You have demonstrated that you know the business. You have shown that you can handle the pressures and be decisive. You have exhibited all the qualities necessary to lead. And even if none of the above holds true, now that you are the leader, you are in command. So, take the damn helm and command!

If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken.

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed... If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed, will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you'll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made, that you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

The big men in the other boat crews would always make good-natured fun of the tiny little flippers the munchkins put on their tiny little feet prior to every swim. But somehow these little guys, from every corner of the nation and the world, always had the last laugh, swimming faster than everyone and reaching the shore long before the rest of us. SEAL training was a great equalizer. Nothing mattered but your will to succeed; not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education, and not your social status. If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

1. Foster a culture of action, allowing the rank and file to take the initiative and fix problems that need addressing.
2. Accept the fact that this will lead to zealousness and the occasional screwup. This overenthusiasm is better than a culture of inaction.
3. Praise those who attempt to solve problems on their own, even if the results are not as expected.

Paris in the fall is beautiful. The trees along the Champs-Élysées are just turning. The morning is crisp and the aroma of strong coffee and warm French pastries drifts through the air. At night they light up the Eiffel Tower, and the crowds of young and old alike snuggle under its large steel beams for both warmth and companionship. There is just something magical about Paris, particularly when you're thinking about it from Afghanistan.

1. Be fair and honorable in your business dealings. It's the only way that you and your employees can leave a legacy to be proud of.
2. Never lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. The culture of your organization starts with you.
Own your lapses in judgment. It happens to everyone. Correct the problem and return to being a person of good character.

If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

If you want to change the world, don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

If you want to change the world measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

On May 17, 2014, I was honored to give the commencement speech for the graduating class from the University of Texas at Austin. Even though the university was my alma mater, I was concerned that a military officer, whose career had been defined by war, might not find a welcoming audience among college students. But to my great surprise, the graduating class embraced the speech. The ten lessons I learned from Navy SEAL training, which were the basis for my remarks, seemed to have a universal appeal. They were simple lessons that deal with overcoming the trials of SEAL training, but the ten lessons were equally important in dealing with the challenges of life- no matter who you are.

The day you longer believe you have something to prove, the day you no longer believe you must give it your all, the day you think you are entitled to special treatment, the day you think all your hard days are behind you, is the day you are no longer the right leader for the job. Leadership requires energy. It requires stamina. It requires resilience. It requires everything you have and then some. The men and women that work for you will feed off your energy. If you look unprepared to deal with the challenges of the day, they will see this. If you look beaten down because today was harder than yesterday, they will feel this. If you are not prepared to give it your all, they will know this. And if you think this is just about leaders in combat, you're mistaken. This is about every great leader who was given a difficult task and asked to inspire, motivate, and manage the people under their charge.

The Rangers have a Latin saying, Sua Sponte. It means, Of Your Own Accord. In other words, doing what needs to be done, without being told to do so. There is often the misguided belief that soldiers only follow orders, but the strength of the American military is that the great soldiers, the truly great leaders, do what is right without being told. They do what is right to protect their men and women. They do what is right to uphold the reputation of their unit. They do what is right to bring honor to their country. They do what needs to be done, whether ordered to do so or not. This sense of initiative separates the great leaders from the mediocre ones. No one ordered Ralph Puckett to run with reckless abandon into the open field, but someone had to do it.

I often hear that it's hard to know the right thing to do. No, it's not! You always now what's right, but sometimes it's just very hard to do it. It's hard because you may have to admit failure. It's hard because the right decision may affect your friends and colleagues. It's hard because you may not personally benefit from doing what's right. Yeah, it's hard. That's called leadership.