What does leadership look like when the stakes are at their highest? And what happens when those same lessons are applied to the everyday challenges of leading a team?
In this episode of Facility Rockstars, host Jay Culbert sits down with retired Navy SEAL Master Chief Rick Kaiser, Executive Director of the National Navy SEAL Museum, Silver Star recipient, author of Frogman Stories, and veteran of 34 years of military service. Rick shares lessons from his time with SEAL Team Two and SEAL Team Six, including his experience during the Battle of Mogadishu, and explains why some of the most important lessons in leadership come down to staying calm, holding people accountable, and being willing to do the same jobs you ask of your team.
Rick also takes Jay inside the leadership challenges of running the Navy SEAL Museum, where facilities, volunteers, operations, and unexpected problems all come with the territory. From cleaning toilets in Bosnia to handling logistics at SEAL Team Six, Rick’s stories reinforce a simple idea: titles don’t excuse leaders from getting their hands dirty. Great leaders step up, set the example, listen to their people, and make the call when it matters.
Takeaways:
Being a good follower and listener helps you become a better leader. Leadership isn’t always about taking charge. Rick emphasizes recognizing when it’s time to lead, when it’s time to follow, and when it’s time to get out of the way.
Leaders have to be willing to do the jobs they ask of others. Whether taking the least desirable seat during a mission or cleaning toilets for his team in Bosnia, Rick believes leaders have to set the example through their own actions.
Accountability keeps teams operating effectively. Rules and expectations only work when they’re reinforced. Rick explains why someone has to “hold the line” and why a lack of consequences can quickly lead to chaos.
Mental toughness can outweigh raw physical ability. Rick says succeeding in BUD/S requires physical capability, but the defining characteristic is the mental toughness to continue when quitting becomes the easier option.
When a challenge feels overwhelming, focus on getting through the next hour. Rick describes approaching some of the hardest moments of SEAL training hour by hour rather than allowing the entire challenge to become overwhelming.
Staying calm allows leaders to make better decisions under pressure. Instead of getting swept up in workplace chaos, Rick believes leaders should put the situation into perspective, gather input from the people around them, and make a decision.
Great facilities teams make everything else possible. Now running the Navy SEAL Museum, Rick sees firsthand how much an organization depends on its facility professionals. When the building and its systems work, everyone else can focus on accomplishing the mission.
Quote of the Show:
“A bad call is better than no call at all.”
Links:
Email: RKaiser@navysealmuseum.com
Website: https://www.navysealmuseum.org/
Book: “Frogman Stories: Life and Leadership Lessons from the SEAL Teams”
Shoutouts:
Elaine Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laineryan/
Swim with a Misson (SWAM): https://www.swam.org/
Navy Seal Museum San Diego: https://navysealmuseumsd.org/
Admiral McRaven
Jack Carr
Sal DeFranco
Matt Anthony