Rich Diviney

Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the UK, once said: “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.”  

Centuries earlier, John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, also said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are a leader.”

These two quotes show that leadership is all about leading by example. A great leader shows how to act and behave, inspiring others to follow them rather than telling people what to do. It’s often more powerful to lead by example rather than order others around. 

Today, we are lucky to have a great leader with us: Rich Diviney, a former Navy SEAL officer with over 20 years of experience at the highest level. I love diving deep into the mindset of a Navy SEAL and talking about the techniques, lessons, and wisdom that comes from being a leader and a driver of success. 

“Leadership has a mixture of skills and attributes. … Some people are born and predisposed with some of the [leadership] attributes, … while some are born [without it] but develop them as [they grow in life]. … And leadership skills [can be learned]. … [Also], leadership is something that people decide, not us. So, if we want to be leaders, we need to behave [as expected].” – Rich Diviney

Today on The School of Greatness with Rich Diviney, you will be learning how to attract success, destroy laziness, and achieve optimal performance — skills that can help you become a great leader by example.

Who Is Rich Diviney?

An ex-Navy SEAL officer with over two decades of experience, Rich Diviney has completed over thirteen overseas deployments (eleven of them to Iraq and Afghanistan), handling multiple leadership positions. Since Rich’s retirement in 2017, he has worked as a speaker, facilitator, and consultant with the Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute and Simon Sinek Inc.

Reflecting on his vast experience, Rich recently wrote a book, The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance. This book will help you discover how to fit inside a team, how to handle stress, challenges, and uncertainty, and how you can master the attributes for success. It was an honor to have Rich on the show, and I hope you are inspired and motivated by our conversation.

Peak Performance Vs. Optimal Performance

We begin this session by discussing the relevance of optimal performance over its more seductive counterpart: peak performance. Many people think that “optimal” and “peak” are the same thing — but they aren’t. 

“Peak performance is, in a word, ‘awesome.’ … It’s when you are at your best, and you are doing things that you never thought you could do. … It’s a great goal, … [but maybe for someone like an athlete or a musician, who has to be at their peak at that moment]. … [But for most of us, including Navy SEALs, it is the optimal performance that is ideal]. … Optimal [performance] is about [performing your best] with the ebb and flow of life, [even if you are not at your peak].” – Rich Diviney

There’s a small but important distinction between peak and optimal performance. Peak performance is what many athletes strive for — an athlete competing in the Olympics comes to mind. This is when you are at the very height of your abilities, a once-in-a-lifetime state that can’t be replicated. 

Shooting for peak performance all the time is simply not sustainable, as any athlete knows. Instead, as Rich says, optimal performance should be the goal. It’s a subtle difference, but for any athlete, entrepreneur, and leader, optimal performance will give you greater longevity and success. 

Finding your optimal performance starts with understanding yourself and your capabilities. Then, it’s about tapping into your core motivation and training yourself to destroy laziness. 

Train Your Mind and Body to Be Motivated and Destroy Laziness 

How can you start to train for optimal performance? One of the attributes mentioned by Rich in his book is discipline. Like performance, the discipline has many facets: general discipline, self-discipline, and finding a balance between the two. 

“Self-discipline is internally focused … [and] about managing oneself, … it has very little to do with external requirements. … A self-disciplined person likes routine and certainty, … but sometimes they have trouble achieving long-term goals. Long-term goals [require] an ability to march into the unknown and uncertainty, [and to get] thrown off your routine. … Moving towards a goal takes … [the ability] to adapt out of the structure [and going into the stressful situations]. The most successful people are those who have both – self-discipline and [general] discipline.” – Rich Diviney

The way one stays motivated towards a goal is highly subjective. But when it comes to Rich, he divides his goals into smaller chunks because then he can tackle each piece separately. Training your mind to be calm in stressful situations and creating a reward system for achieving a goal can help you stay motivated.

The 80/20 Rule

As a Navy SEAL, Rich has a ton of experience training for extreme situations when things might go wrong. He relies on what’s known as the 80/20 rule. 

“This is where experience matters. … The 80/20 rule [tells us that every situation] comes with 80% of certainty, … [while the remaining] 20% is just … [beyond] control. This is when [training and] mindset come. [The confidence and faith] that if anything happens … [within] that 20% [then] we will figure the best possible way out.” – Rich Diviney

In any situation, 20% of what goes on is beyond your control. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s an incredibly freeing, powerful thing to realize — because it also means you can prepare for 80% of what life throws at you. Training your mind to deal with chaotic settings helps avoid freezing up or freaking out in a challenging situation. There are points at which you should start descending into an autonomic mode when your sub-consciousness takes over. And all this is possible only after extensive training and practice. 

“[As Navy SEALs], when bad things happened, we used to slow down and start thinking through it, versus [getting] all hyped-up. … It comes down to [knowing] how to think under stressful circumstances. … [Even as] civilians … [you should think about deliberately] putting yourself into [stressful moments] daily, where it doesn’t hurt you but prepares you.” – Rich Diviney

Controlled discomfort is one way to get yourself to build resilience so that when something comes up, you can remain calm. There are all kinds of ways to experience discomfort intentionally that can lead you toward personal growth. Do a hard, ten-minute workout, try public speaking; basically, do anything that challenges you and tests your will. Do it in a structured way that allows you to grow without putting yourself in any serious harm’s way. The thrill of overcoming a challenge or a fear is an excellent way to practice leading by example when the chips are down. 

The Five Main Behaviors of a Good Leader

In addition to being calm in the face of chaos, Rich has identified certain character traits that inspire others to admire or follow your lead. These qualities need to be developed by anyone who aspires to be a good leader one day. 

“[The five traits] I talk about in my book [are] – … empathy, … selflessness, … authenticity, … decisiveness, … and accountability.” – Rich Diviney

Why are these traits so important? Empathy shows that you care. Selflessness shows that your intentions are pure. By being real or authentic, you can build trust with others. Decisiveness is a sign of having a presence of mind. Accountability reflects ownership, which is all essential to becoming a great leader. Working on one’s humility and keeping narcissism in check is also something you must actively work on. Another value that sets leaders apart from the rest is the ability to switch tasks while keeping priority in mind.

Multitasking vs. Task-Switching

Rich finds multi-tasking to be a myth. The idea that we can do multiple things well at the same time is simply impossible. Our conscious mind can’t focus on more than one thing at once. Everything else you do alongside your primary task mostly happens subconsciously. For example, imagine that you’re driving a car and have to brake suddenly. Your entire focus shifts to the driving, right? At that moment, you aren’t listening to the podcast or song you had on in the background. Instead of multitasking, what we’re really doing is task-switching.

“Task-switching is hopping [from one task to another]. … [We switch context], and do it automatically. … [Some find] switching more difficult [than others], which is advantageous [at times when you need a deep focus]. … On the other side, [there could be someone] with ADHD [(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) who constantly switches]. When you constantly switch tasks or contexts, then it uses a tremendous amount of energy. [So what you need is a balance].” – Rich Diviney

The balance is when you can focus on something and be in a state of awareness for other things that are going on the side, such that when priorities switch, you can switch your focus quickly. Task switching allows you to take control of a situation effectively while leading your team. And having the confidence to switch tasks not only helps in you having faith in yourself but also gives faith to your team.