Leadership in Focus 

Teaching Notes

Case: Leading with Courage

Leader: Britt Slabinski

Topic: Taking Charge 

Reference: Medal of Honor Leadership Series

NOTE OF WARNING: Content in this case may trigger extreme emotions or adverse reactions. Discussion content includes dynamics relating to war and combat.

Case Challenge

When SEAL team ground force commander, Britt Slabinski, leads a battle mission to capture an outpost on the top of a mountain in Afghanistan, he encounters many unforeseen challenges and must navigate through extreme adversity to overcome a series of setbacks.

Summary

Leading a battle mission to capture an outpost on the top of a mountain in Afghanistan, Slabinski encounters many unforeseen challenges and must lead through extreme uncertainty to overcome a series of setbacks.  By maintaining perspective,  leveraging resources, and never giving up, he survives to learn leadership lessons that are important for the remainder of his career as a Navy SEAL.  

Context

Slabinksi was the SEAL team ground force commander in the Battle of Robert’s Ridge, during the war in Afghanistan, managing  a series of challenges to include: limited battle support, unexpected losses, self doubt, and equipment failure. He navigated setbacks the best he could, while working to save the lives of his wounded team members. He survived to learn critical leadership lessons that were important throughout the remainder of his career as a Navy SEAL. Britt Slabinski retired as Navy SEAL Command Master Chief with 25 years of service. Britt Slabinski is a Medal of Honor recipient, having received this prestigious award for his acts of valor in Afghanistan.  The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.

Case Design

These leadership cases are designed to be discussed in a group so that divergent viewpoints can be debated. This enables participants to broaden their perspectives and gain insights into the values and instincts that drive decision- making. Each video pauses to allow for discussion at key points in the leader’s presentation. 

Keep in Mind

The cases do not always provide the correct or ideal solution. Rather, they present one person’s experiences and judgment based on the circumstances faced at the time. Some critical details may have been unintentionally omitted. 

Facilitation Tips 

To help create a trusting, open atmosphere:

• Establish ground rules for the discussion, such as setting up a safe space
• Feedback should not be personal but directed at behavior
• Encourage participants to state and defend his or her opinion
• Refocus participants by raising broad questions and themes
• Reassure your group that leadership is an art that can be learned through practice, feedback, and experience
• In closing, provide a theoretical context for the discussion and takeaway lessons

Teaching Insight - Leadership Background Content: Decision Making in a Crisis

Decision making is a critical leadership skill that may be influenced by culture and precedence but is always impacted by circumstances and context with levers such as support, danger, risk, and reward.  Decision making in a crisis involves emotions, lack of information, and a range of factors that may derail a leader. A crisis is often very defining for a leader since it puts to test the leadership skills to manage a variety of factors that are in the leader’s control.  This video case is about a combat leader who faces a series of tough decisions in a long battle. Natural reactions when confronted with a crisis include anxiety, fear, and self doubt. The question is not whether aspiring leaders will ever have to make decisions in a crisis or under pressure; they will. Rather, the question is how the individual will define him or herself as a competent leader others will want to follow.

In this case, Slabinski must be decisive in a time of crisis and chaos.  He must act on limited information and take action because by doing so he risks mission success and the survival of his team.  With limited information and in the heat of battle, he never knows if his decisions are right or wrong - but realizes how important it is to stay in the battle, make decisions, and act, since his team and the mission rely on him.  People follow a decisive leader when there is doubt.  In contrast, if a combat leader waits to make a decision when there is complete certainty or gives up after a series of setbacks, the mission, and lives may be jeopardized. This video case is about a leader who must optimize his resources and his team's potential to perform in a situation with considerable uncertainty and extenuating circumstances. 

In this case, Slabinksi shares insights he learns while leading courageously through the fog and friction of a wartime battle.

Video Segment 1 

Background and Challenge: SEAL team leader Slabinski is given a mission to occupy  an outpost on the top of a mountain in Afghanistan. Slabinski encounters many unforeseen challenges and must navigate through extreme adversity to overcome a series of setbacks.

Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to the group at large or to particular students.  Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.

1. When faced with a high-risk decision what decision criteria or values are most  important to you when making a decision with limited information?  (i.e. Slabinski struggled with the decision of whether or not to rescue his teammate) 
2. How does the trust of seniors influence a leader in a high-risk environment? (i.e. consider the moment Slabinski realized his battlefield support (pre-assault fires) were denied by his senior leaders in higher headquarters, leaving him without  support; Slabinski says how his trust of his seniors started to erode.)
3. When Slabinski says he is the person “at the point of friction” and knows the truth of what is happening, it is clear he knows the risk better than anybody else. At this point, what are the benefits and tradeoffs of continuing on or changing course, especially if you do not have full support? What are his options?
4. Share a situation when you realized the risk of a particular initiative was different than it seemed by your senior leaders or your board. Did you change course or continue leading forward? How did you communicate the issues or manage the information gap?

Video Segment 2 

Decision: Realizing he is committed to rescuing his teammate, Slabinski stays on course and commits to attempting a quick rescue in spite of limited support, resulting in a series of setbacks and self doubt.

Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to the group at large or to particular students.  Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.

1. When you face a series of setbacks it is natural to have self doubt and feel compounded physiologic and emotional stress. What options does a leader have to bounce back and recover quickly enough to be effective? (Note: An instructor might point out how techniques such as positive self-talk, reframing the situation, mindfulness techniques, or other re-centering strategies might help.) 
2. If you have ever been in a situation where you did not perform as well as you would have liked (maybe in a sport or presentation), what strategies have you found to be helpful so you could bounce back quickly to be immediately effective? 
3. Have you ever  learned something in practice that did not work in real life? If so, were you able to make adjustments in the moment? What emotions emerged? Did this cause doubt about other skills you developed in training? (consider Slabinski’s learning that using the grenade to cover his movements in practice causes other issues in real life)

Video Segment 3 

Results: Slabinski realized what was happening and forced the self doubt to leave, giving him the ability to refocus and problem solve. He addressed ongoing challenges such as two incoming helicopters to enemy controlled territory and then creatively found a way to communicate his position for a rescue.   evaluated his options then chose to counterattack down the flank, eliminating the threat.  He did the best he could with the information and experience he had at the time of this crisis.  

Results Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to the group  at large or to individual students.  Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.

1. As Slabinski processes the severity of his situation, how do his emotions and convictions change? (Note: his emotions initially are self-deprecating and self-critical, but as he realizes the severity of the situation and consequences of not taking charge as the leader, he gains more control and confidence.)
2. How might Slabinski's emotional reactions help or hinder him? (Note: An instructor might mention how when faced with a series of setbacks the initial reaction is often disappointment, shock, and/or a desire to give up.  Accordingly, it’s best to name the emotions, realize you still can change the outcome, and shift your mindset before taking action. Otherwise, the risk is to continue to spiral downwards, lose the trust of your team, or  doing something rash that would jeopardize the team.) 
3. What did he gain by relocating to a safe space to regroup on the mountain? (Note: once he made his decision to act, he moved quickly and confidently, saving his own life and the lives of his teammates, enabling him to continue to coordinate the battle.)
4. How did he compensate for limited communication and support that were critical for their rescue? (Note: he creatively leveraged his radios to establish contact with his unit, triaged his wounded teammates, and reset expectations for the team about the timing for a rescue.)

Lessons Learned:

• Realize the tradeoffs of continuing to lead in spite of limited resources and support, especially in a high risk situation.
• Consider the context shift of a training environment versus real life;  realize what you learn in training may not always apply or be relevant in a live situation.
• Realize things will go wrong; maintain perspective and give yourself grace as a leader in times of crisis. Your job as a leader does not end when things get “messy.” As a leader you are still in charge and must continue forward regardless of setbacks.
• Leadership is a “human business.” As a leader it is important to connect at a human level with individuals to get them to do something that will benefit your organization.

Lessons Learned Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with the lessons learned here? (Note: An instructor will need to mention the above lessons learned.)
2. What are some of the ways that you can manage your emotions when dealing with setbacks and uncertainty of a crisis?
3. How can you prepare for the realities of leadership challenges?
4. In the face of setbacks, how can you maintain perspective and give yourself grace to continue to be effective as a leader?
5. What leadership behaviors are important to develop in order to connect  at a “human” level with your team, your senior leaders, your colleagues?

Considerations

The lessons shared by this leader are based on his own experiences. These lessons are not necessarily substantiated by academic research but are shared to spark consideration and insight.