On our latest episode of Making Waves, we bring you a dynamic session from the WWETT Show 2023—our keynote address from Chad Williams, bestselling author and Navy SEAL. 

Williams draws from his experience to provide a Navy SEAL’s perspective on issues related to effective leadership, resilience, teamwork, overcoming adversity, and motivation. He shared with the audience the power of SEAL Team thinking in tackling any challenge. 

Here’s a sneak peek:
Williams set the stage by sharing the saying that, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it.” With that in mind, the first principle he shared “has everything to do with goal setting: aim small, miss small. That doesn’t mean small thinking. The idea is that the more particular you can be with what’s in your crosshairs, the better shot you actually have.” This can apply to SEAL members looking to attack an enemy, but it can also apply to the business world. 

He went on to ask, “Where are you going to place your purpose, your passion? You should be setting up goals. What type of leader do you want to be? DNA doesn’t determine destiny; it’s heart, mindset.” 

Later on, Williams spoke about the importance of servant leadership and how it breeds loyalty. He shared stories about his mentor, who epitomized servant leadership and who died in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. This death served as motivation for Williams and taught him about dealing with adversity. He said that, “We all will face more [adversity]. You never know what the man or woman next to you is going through. And while you can’t control the fact that you will face adversity, you determine whether or not you will allow that adversity to be a wing or a weight.  Are you going to allow it to be a weight that sinks you and knocks you down? Or will you find a wing in the moment somehow—a way to rise to the occasion? Where you find that wing is on a case-by-case basis, but that is what I am always looking for.”

He went on to share another lessons from the SEAL creed: “You have an ability to control your emotions and actions regardless of the circumstances.” Also, “calmness is contagious.” 

In wrapping up his talk, Williams shared how, when going through training, SEALs often write something on the inside of their hats—something only they can see, to motivate them when things feel tough. For most SEALs, he noted that what they write has to do with faith, family, and friends. He asked the audience, “What would you write on the inside of your hat?

Listen to the full episode here. 

#MakingWavesWithWWETT