So here’s a fun story about the time I, a grown adult Navy SEAL, walked into a middle school locker room and made an entire team of 10-year-olds cry. Yeah. That happened.
About a year and a half after my injuries, I’m at my son’s basketball game watching his team get absolutely destroyed, down 30 points, kids completely checked out, shuffling to the bench like they’d already lost the will to live. And something in me, still banged up, still recovering, still not fully okay mentally or emotionally, snapped. I marched into that locker room like I was auditioning for a Rambo sequel and gave these fourth graders a full combat-zone pep talk. Bullets flying, bombs going off, people bleeding, arms getting blown off, “and that’s what I expect you to do.” Guys. They were 10. By the time I finished my three-minute tirade, the kids were crying. The coaches were crying. I’m pretty sure a parent in the back was crying. And I stood there like, “Wow, leadership has levels of awareness, and I completely missed the mark.” This one’s on me. Total leadership fail.
But here’s the lesson: reading the room matters more than the message itself. Some people want drill-sergeant energy. Some need encouragement. Knowing the difference is the whole job. I’ve made plenty of mistakes like this one over the years, as a leader, a husband, a father.
If you want to learn more about leadership, the real stuff, including my failures and how they shaped who I am today, grab one of my books. Not every story is a win. But what you do with the losses is what actually makes you a leader.
This is Monday Muster. Don’t burn 10-year-old bridges.
YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/INDyTALUJUI