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| You can be aware that 'something' about such a person is idiosyncratic, and categorize him accordingly as such a 'Character'....unaware of the 'golden hidden attributes' that supersedes the idiosyncrasies...of the 'natural' / inclined "Special Operator"...! (HJ'17) |
The reality is that such 'peculiar people' spend most of their time .....learning, planning, innovating, and training
I have realized that they spend a large amount of their time either : Learning, or Solving Problems in ambiguous non-combat situations with.... little or no direction, no funds, and no prior experience as transitioning operators....& get nevertheless the 'job' done!
.....And they succeed.
.....Spectacularly.
.....Overwhelmingly.
* Failure is not an option. Ever. Ever…...
Stories about how they succeeded where the rest of us would have failed.
There are a multitude of stories about this....
In civilian life, -it is solving business problems.
* Ability to create solutions with no guidance or budget
I have heard multiple stories from many of these special forces operators where they simply said “OK, we will do it,” under any circumstances - and they just did it.
When failure isn't an option, you make it work....!
* Ability to handle ambiguity and deal with the unknown
A common theme that runs through these guys is that they are not afraid of the unknown.....
From training through their career they were placed into ambiguous situations almost every day.
Every one of them has the attitude that the 'unknown': is very simply 'the not-yet known'....!
* The insatiable desire (and uncanny ability) to learn
One of the biggest misconceptions, is that these guys are mostly just “meatheads.”
In truth, they are all extraordinarily intelligent.....
Very, very, very smart. I am not kidding. Very smart....
e.g. One of them taught himself about algorithm development because he wanted to show a startup technology company’s CTO a better way to do things!
Another operator learned dozens of technologies – from the manuals, mind you – to improve on some of the communications devices they were given using items found in an undeveloped country....
Then there was the guy who learned a foreign language well enough in a few months to get away with passing as a native....
(By the way, how many languages do you speak? Some of these guys speak 5….)
One of them told me flat out, “I want to know everything about everything.
I don’t understand why other people don’t find everything as interesting as I do!”
One is a recognized concert pianist.
They have the capacity to learn an amazing amount – quickly and thoroughly.
I am humbled whenever I make contact & speak with most of them......
* Ability to analyze
Special Operators have an uncanny ability to quickly analyze situations and come up with an optimized solution.
This can range from knowing what someone is going to do before they do it, to where someone will be and what they are thinking...
It also includes deep knowledge about people’s motivations and behaviors.
This ability is not limited to behavior, however, it also includes the ability to quickly determine the best solution to technical, logistical, business, and interpersonal dilemmas, defining an optimized solution, and quickly implementing it.
They are very good at gathering and presenting metrics, at convincing stakeholders about the right course of action.
It is what they have been doing - with tremendous outcomes at stake.
* Patience and stability
These Operators uncannily focus on “the win,” and stay focused on it - even when it requires nearly super-human patience....
Some of the things they have achieved required them to be patient beyond reasonableness, yet stay absolutely focused the entire time and seize opportunities right when they arose.
This also requires them to be extremely stable – they exude a calm confidence that inspires a belief that everything is going to work out just fine.....
Only when someone meets and interviews most of these operators in depth, -do their characteristics for success shine through.
You don’t hire resumes, you hire people.
Meet them....
Talk to them....
Get to know them...-the real person, behind the facade they may project, the real man behind the 'face'
Most of them are among some of the most screened and highly trained people in the world.
They have had to take and pass psychological, physical, emotional, intelligence, aptitude, drug, criminal, and ethical screens and tests constantly -- for their entire career.
They are the only ones who remained standing after undergoing all of these rigorous tests in a competitive environment.
They are the best of the best, and the powers that may be wouldn't have invested millions in each of them, to train them, if they weren’t the best.
Some time ago, I have made contact with some of these special forces operators....
If I had open positions, I honestly would have hired any of them.
I would bet my career on the success of all of them – if they are given a chance....
If you want to hire a drone who can only perform when they are told exactly how and what to do, and who only know how to commit war, don’t hire an operator.
If you want to hire a success-focused, creative, persistent, adaptable, intuitive, winner, who will succeed no matter what, with or without budget, with or without direction, under any circumstance - hire an operator.
If you need a lieutenant to whom you can offload a large quantity of tasks: e.g. a Chief of Staff, an effective Sales or Business Development Manager, Designer, Innovator, Problem solver, Learner, or Doer, ....hire an operator.
Once again, these people can only get hired if people are willing to interview them – if people can look past the operators’ main mission tasks to the underlying qualities, personalities, and characteristics that make them so successful....
Most of the preconceived notions we have about who these people truly are can be summed up in one word: Incorrect.
If you can hire someone, however, talk to a special operator.
Look past the resume to the personal qualities – to the capabilities and success characteristics.
Take a chance..... and arrange to speak to one of these professionals.
If you give it a try.... they will win you over – just like they have been winning, out in the field, for years and years....
I guarantee it.
I Salute you......
Shalom ... & Maranatha
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