A disclaimer right up front – I have never been a Navy SEAL or participated in any of their rigorous training. Having said that, I have tremendous respect for these warriors. Not only for their physical prowess, but perhaps from a leadership perspective, more importantly for their mental toughness. I have been reading a great deal about their training. http://mindbodygreen.com/, https://www.amazon.com/Front-Sight-Focus-phrases-mission-ebook/dp/B01MTXL04X, https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-audiobook/dp/B015TM0RM4/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqdP9BRDVARIsAGSZ8Am0t7LPndt7YgcBY1xsN7fAVJiRX1axnzOkwFcdwsni9TP71d8fUrUaAnK8EALw_wcB&hvadid=323388965680&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003749&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=4653000825600312566&hvtargid=kwd-654846399518&hydadcr=21904_10171077&keywords=book+-+extreme+ownership&qid=1605728898&sr=8-2&tag=googhydr-20. In reviewing this material, there is at least one aspect that I think could be very helpful for most priests.
Navy SEALs learn to be prepared in all situations because in almost 100% of the situations they face, things do not go as planned and they need to be prepared to react. Does this sound familiar to many of you? No matter how much forethought and planning goes into a project, event or ministry, things rarely go as planned. In spite of this, they are taught to accept responsibility, not to blame others, not to complain and never to give up. Doing so could often have life-threatening consequences for themselves or the other members of their team.
SEALS use many different acronyms and phrases to help them recall their training. In this type situation where there is an unexpected obstacle, they immediately think the following: Acknowledge, Accept, Adapt and Act. A great example of this is given on this blog http://daringtolivefully.com/mental-toughness. I’ve summarized it below.
The mission is to board a ship and extract someone safely. They will be provided a great deal of information about the situation including the layout of the boat, where the person is likely to be, where the enemy is stationed, etc. Now, in spite of all this planning, once they board the ship, they run into a wall that was not supposed to be there.
As mentioned, it is useless and dangerous for them to complain or quit. They must acknowledge that this is the situation and accept that this situation necessitates a new plan. They must then adapt and form a new plan to continue their mission with the greatest probability for success. Once the plan has been formulated and agreed upon, they must act and keep going.
Let’s come back to your world as I don’t think you’ll be boarding ships to rescue others. You will, however, quite often be faced with unexpected obstacles as you lead your team and parishioners. In a similar manner, you must acknowledge that an obstacle or a different outcome exists. Accept that it cannot be undone. Determine what can be done to redirect the effort back in the proper direction. Once there, act and keep going.
Another important aspect of this is to remain positive and confident. Negativity on your part will rapidly spread to your team and have a detrimental impact on cohesiveness and morale. If your team perceives your positivity, they will feel hopeful and seek to support you. Obviously, this is not easy, but just like the SEALs, after repeated efforts it will become second nature. Your ability to bounce back and elevate will always be a critical aspect of successful leadership.