what you can learn from a navy seal and a pb&j

Earlier this month I sat down with Jacob Werksman, former Navy SEAL, and now Founder and CEO of leadership development firm Victory Strategies.

Jacob shared what his experience as a SEAL has taught him about peak performance, purpose and leadership. Here are the takeaways from our conversation:

On peak performance

• Your support network is often the most overlooked and under-nurtured part of your performance plan.

• Work-life integration, not work-life balance is the key. Rest, recovery and renewal come from focusing on work and life together.

On purpose

• Purpose is a daily practice, not a destination. Every day Jacob is re-evaluating am I living up to and embodying my values and intentions. 

• What looks like bold moves or the courage to take risks in his career and life from the outside is really the culmination of well-executed risk mitigation.

On leadership

• Me before we, if you aren’t the best version of yourself you can’t get the most out of your team. That  can be counterintuitive but it is essential to focusing on yourself first.. Perception is others’ reality. Listen to the full podcast episode to hear how choosing a PB&J over sleep made all the difference.

Want to go deeper? The full podcast can be found here.