The Importance of Dedication, Courage, and Mastery of the Basics: Why Delta Force Operators Succeed

If you had the opportunity to collaborate with a whole staff of highly competent, effective people who took the initiative to efficiently produce the best and highest-quality work, would you? I would jump at the opportunity, as I suspect most would. And while this might sound overly idealistic, I believe that it is possible to cultivate an environment of people that embody these things. But the first step to moving in a positive direction is having a target or a model to emulate. It is to that end that we turn to the Delta Force.

For those with even a passing interest in American military, the Delta Force is one of the most legendary special missions units of all time. They have become so renowned for their skill and expertise that they are sometimes known simply as “The Unit.” The Unit specializes in counterterrorism, hostage rescues, and other high-stakes operations and is dispatched to do the most demanding jobs that can only be entrusted to the best of the best. Because of the sensitive nature of their work, it is rare for a Delta Force exploit to be publicized. The following are just three of the qualities that characterize the Unit—qualities that we can learn from and put into practice. 

Dedication

To become a Delta Force Operator is a challenging process which even some of the most skilled soldiers fail. To even be considered for application to the Unit, aspiring operators must be of a certain rank and possess a high degree of proficiency by the age of just twenty-one. From there, soldiers are put through a grueling selection process which culminates in “The Long Walk”, an infamous 40-mile ruck with a secret time limit. Aside from the feats of physical endurance necessary to pass the selection process, soldiers are put through a mental assessment where they are bombarded with questions from a review board comprised of psychologists, instructors, and the Delta Force commander. With all of these obstacles to surmount, approximately 90% of applicants fail. 

The kind of strength that it takes to persevere through such strenuous circumstances and in spite of immense physical and psychological suffering is incalculable. This kind of endurance requires a strong sense of intrinsic motivation, the kind of motivation which is self-driven and allows a person to work proactively on a task without always needing instructions on how to proceed. Former Delta Force Operator Bob Keller said in one interview, “When I finally had the chance to deploy my first time…well, that first gunfight…I realized that was my life; that is what I was meant to do.” He felt that drive surging through him, leading him to dedicate himself wholly to the task at hand. This may be the first real step to success. If you surround yourself with people who can only be motivated by extrinsic reward—by wealth and status—then you will find your work falling short time and time again. But if you can cultivate an environment of people who take ownership of their work, viewing it as a way to contribute and to make life more fulfilling, then you will find success and, perhaps more importantly, joy in all of your endeavors. The challenge to following that internal drive is that it often means taking some risks—this requires great courage. 

Courage

Winston Churchill famously wrote that “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because…it is the quality which guarantees all others.” For someone to be virtuous at all, they must first have the courage to make the right decisions. This fearlessness gives people the ability to remain constant and firmly fixed to their ideals and mission. Former Unit member Jeff Tiegs, when asked what trait all Delta Force operators are required to have, said, “The thing that keeps popping into my head is fearlessness…they have to have zero fear…How do you get to a place where you don’t have fear? It’s because you’ve done it and you’ve trained…and you’ve perfected it.” You want people in your foxhole who will be willing to face the most grueling challenges without becoming paralyzed and inactive. These are the people who will help you to excel and accomplish more than you might have thought possible. But to get there, as Tiegs mentions, demands a commitment to constantly rehearsing the fundamentals.

Mastery of the Basics 

A common refrain voiced by more than one former Delta Force operator is the Unit’s emphasis on mastering the basics. The Delta Force training regiment, much like NFL coach Vince Lombardi’s famous approach, is focused on gaining unbelievable competence with the fundamentals. Former Operator Todd Opalski voiced this in one interview when he said of his fellow Unit members, “I’ve never seen such exactness in the application of basic skills in my life.” It is this mastery of the basics that enables Delta Force members to maintain courage in the face of dangerous odds and to fuel the determination that keeps them driven to pursue excellence. Become a master of the basics of your craft and ignore the lazy and arrogant voice that says those things are beneath you now. Encourage those around you to practice, study, and improve, and watch as that firm foundation of the fundamentals serves as solid ground for something breathtaking. The idea of a group of the most skilled soldiers in the military taking out the bad guys and saving innocent lives all without anyone knowing is, to say the least, inspiring. And if we let it, this inspiration can fuel our own drive to both become like these operators and to surround ourselves with people who will set us up for success.

Conclusion

Of course, most, if not all, of us will never be in such an esteemed group of the American military; however, that does not mean we can’t learn from these soldiers. Dedication, courage, and mastery of the basics are vital components to success in personal finance, business, and leadership. These attributes will manifest differently in unique people and circumstances, but a commitment to dedication and courage as well as a mastery of the basics should be a nonnegotiable for everyone.