Team Secrets Of The Navy Seals

by Robert Needham

Team Secrets of the Navy SEALs is written especially for business professionals who want to make it in today's extremely aggressive business environment. No force or unit has ever had more success than the SEALs. Author Robert Needham uses the lessons he's learned as a Navy SEAL to guide the reader through the role of being or becoming a leader. "To some, leadership is exemplified by the blind obedience to orders. It is a misconception that to coerce another person to do your bidding makes you a 'leader.'"Navy SEALs are recognized around the world as being the best. From their start as Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDU) in WWII to the founding of the SEALs in 1962, only 8,000 men have been allowed to join this top-notch unit. Needham is still on active duty as a SEAL and knows how to achieve results. "The ruthless effectiveness and efficiency of the SEAL Teams stems from the fact that we always start from, perfect, and practice the basics. The Team is a dynamic that works toward success, not hindered by pride, preservation, and self-interest."Needham's principles define and illustrate the word "team," and they will motivate business people working toward that common goal.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Ebooks

131 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2003

Reviews

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I try to read leadership books at least once or twice a year. I know that some of the captains in my department had read this a year or so ago and discussed it among themselves. But for me, it was repetitive and very basic. I saw no new ideas - or even old concepts presented in a new format. It was written in a style that was heavy on verbiage and did not include a lot of real-world applicability. I read a little at a time and it still took a while to plow through - at the size of this book I should have been done in a week or two at most, not a month.

It might be useful for someone with little exposure to leadership writing and just starting out, but less so the experienced leader looking to hone their skills.

[Terrence Spurlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real and helpful insight. Not like other leadership books. The end of the chapter is all you need.

[Thomas Guettler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like this one. I am an admirer of history and military history, and particularly loved the leadership angle from that perspective. My only complaint with this book is that it is more of a broad overview, and really does not get into detail. I will recommend this book for others, however, it may be a good book for the first time leader, or younger people wanting to focus on learning basic leadership traits. As long as people go into this book realizing it will not be as much material as well regarded leadership classics, there is some basic lessons to be learned. From my experience in the professional world, and as a manager/leader, too many people are not in tuned with the basics.

The bottom line is that even for an experienced manager, they can still learn from this book.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an ok book on leadership, no stunning new insights or anything like that. Since I've read a number of books about Navy Seals, there weren't many new insights from that angle. From the leadership angle, there were some good ideas here and there. His tips tended to be a bit too black and white - emphasizing often that non performers just have to be dropped from the team because it's life or death. Of course, in business, it's rarely life or death and in my work place, you don't just fire people at will. I did like the emphasis that leaders should consider themselves as part of the TEAM, thus taking ownership of the failure or success of the team, rather than being removed from it.

[Ben Zipkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

No-nonsense teamwork strategies used by the Navy SEALs. The author attempts to apply SEAL team building techniques to modern business. I would recommend the book to anyone looking to refresh their leadership skills -- it's a quick read and there are some useful concepts to take away. I do question some of the practicality of the author's advice; everything is black or white and he offers no "gray areas" when it comes to leadership (which differs greatly from management). But maybe that's the point.

[Mike Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. As one might expect this "management" book is geared to those individuals and leaders who take action and responsiblity. < A "new concept" for many of our committee based management groups >
Many examples from the author's POV. Focus on team building, preparing for challenges, setting direction and common goals. Unfortunately some things like "get rid of those who drag down the team" are easily said but hard to accomplish in our non-military world.

[Craig a.k.a Meatstack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid book on how to lead/supervise a team. Books like this are always a good reminder on what you need to be doing to stay the course with your leadership plan, but rarely do they glimmer any new insight unless it's the first one you've read.

So, consider this one as preventative maintenance.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting things could probably be learned from this. Most things were not too surprising.

[Todd Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not what I expected. the book seems to be a companion text for some sort of leadership training course. The lessons are valid though.

[Daniel Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to have