Get Over Being a Sugar Cookie

The Books of Admiral William H. McRaven

By Donovan Maguigan

When we wake up in the morning, it is fair to say that most of us do not live a life as stressful and physically demanding as a Navy SEAL, unless you are Pat Husby running four miles, every four hours, for four days to raise money for the Foundation. We do, however, awaken in darkness, lead and assemble our teams early in the morning for a task that is physically demanding compared to others, and strategically plan our daily routines to provide a specific outcome. While we are not saving the world, we can draw upon the advice and leadership strategies of those who are, as they are deeply engaged in a serious business where lives are at stake

In perusing social media short videos on TikTok or Instagram, there is a chance that you have seen a video of a Naval officer in his dress whites speaking before a large group about making his bed, sugar cookies, sharks, and not being afraid of the circus. Following the viral success of his 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas, Admiral William McRaven has shared his leadership wisdom and lessons learned from a career as a Naval SEAL with millions. Through a lifetime of military service that included the notorious SEAL training, becoming a Frogman, serving the US Navy around the world including Iraq and Afghanistan, surviving a near-death parachute jump accident, defeating cancer, and helping lead the team that killed Osama Bin Laden before retiring, McRaven has collected annals of insight into the mindset of successful leaders His speech at the University of Texas quickly led to the publication of his first book, Make Your Bed and subsequent publications of multiple other books including The Wisdom of the Bullfrog and The Hero Code. McRaven understands that while his message is rooted in his SEAL training, the lessons can be wide ranging as he stated that they, “may help you on your way to a better world, and while these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform ”

As a primer, I encourage you to watch the commencement speech which clocks in at about twenty minutes

It’s hard not to copy his words verbatim as his brief but direct writing style gets his point across quickly, but below are a handful of highlights from each book and how they can relate to our profession The three books that I highlight below are short reads and are worth multiple deep dives to find inspiration at different times, even if only for a short read The content of these books is easily digestible and can provide brief lessons that you can share with your staff.

The first book published by Admiral McRaven was Make Your Bed, which built upon the bullet points that he conveyed to that graduating class from the University of Texas. Each chapter utilizes the same opening line, “If you want to change the world...”

Make Your Bed

Upon reading the title, Make Your Bed, my first thought was that making my bed is challenging each morning as my wife is still in bed when I leave Making a bed is difficult when a person is still laying in it, especially to the caliber that Adm William McRaven suggests However, making your bed is rooted in the concept that if you start your day by completing a task, it leads to a productive day, since you have already completed one task

Through the completion of this task, you can build on moving forward through your day and towards goals that are important to you. If you can’t make your bed, find a daily task that you can accomplish that will jump start your day like taking out the trash at your shop, organizing something, or spending time with a specific associate to start the day.

Don’t Fear the Circus

SEAL training simply put, is no joke. Spaced out over twenty-four weeks, the physical training is designed to weed out the underperforming or unfit sailors who wish to serve as one of the nation’s strongest fighting units who are required to swim, run, and dive through varied environments that exact an enormous physical toll By the end of the training, approximately 10% of those who enter SEAL training complete it. As McRaven explains, “Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics something designed to test your mettle.”

As if the training was not hard enough, sailors who failed to meet the physical standards were invited to a daily event called, “The Circus.” ”No one wanted a circus,” McRaven recalled, “a circus was two hours of additional calisthenics designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit No one wanted a circus A circus meant that for that day you didn’t measure up A circus meant more fatigue and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult and more circuses were likely.”

With the fear of not meeting a specific standard and finding yourself on the list, sailors are driven to push harder and perform better during their daily drills Despite many sailors who were on the list, a change began to happen to those who were a part of the circus “Over time those students who did two hours of extra calisthenics got stronger and stronger. The pain of the circuses built inner strength, built physical resiliency.”

In life, we face struggles every day and when we are at our weakest, it’s not uncommon for us to be tested further. In the end, we are made stronger and better by being pushed beyond our limits.

Get Over Being a Sugar Cookie and Move Forward

My first exposure to the author and his words came in the form of an Instagram video that explained the “Sugar Cookie” for Navy SEALs Each morning the SEALs were required to present themselves in uniform with all points of inspection detailed and precise focusing on all aspects of the uniform from the creases, polished buckles, and making sure it is spotless. Despite the best efforts by the SEALS, the instructors always found something wrong with the uniform every day. Even if the uniform was completely perfect in every detail, the instructors would still fault something in the execution. As McRaven explains it the next step was a unique penalty, “For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surf zone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand The effect was known as a “sugar cookie ” You stayed in that uniform the rest of the day cold, wet and sandy ” Doing anything while soaking wet, cold, and now covered in sand is rough enough but after this the SEAL candidate would proceed with their training.

The process of becoming a “sugar cookie” would be an additional physical challenge to the candidates, but ultimately its utilization as a training tool provided the candidates with a daily lesson that you were never going to be perfect and sometimes you will fail despite your best efforts. The candidates who were demoralized by this didn’t become Navy SEALs.

There are days when as superintendents and assistants we do our best to complete a task on the course, make extensive preparations, and execute our work to the best of our ability only to have a thunderstorm wash out our bunkers, a hydraulic line damage a green, or an irrigation pipe blow up in the middle of the night How do we instinctively respond to that? We repair turf, we glue pipe, and push our bunkers back up to get back to work Without even thinking or needing sand dumped down our uniforms, we as superintendents get over being a sugar cookie and move forward.

Following the success of Make Your Bed, McRaven followed up with a second book, The Hero Code, drafts together an honor code that is “a moral code, an internal code of conduct that drives the human race to explore, to nurture, to comfort, to inspire, and to laugh so that societies can flourish.” While the description sounds lofty for superintendents and turf managers, the association has a code of ethics that can be found in the Member Directory:

As a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New Jersey, I pledge myself to:

1) Maintain the highest standard of personal conduct to reflect credit and add to the stature of the profession.

2) Abstain from the debasement of, or encroachment upon, the professional reputation, practice or employment of another Superintendent

3) Make certain that the position is open and/or incumbent is aware of same before making any application to any prospective employer.

4) Call on the Superintendent when visiting another golf course.

In McRaven’s book, Honor Code, writes on various topics that he feels would build a strong personal code that can make you a better team leader. Each topic wraps up with a simple credo stating simply the lesson in each Here are a few examples:

Humility

“I will work to be humble; to recognize the limits of my intellect, my understanding, and my power ”

To ask for help or understand that you are being challenged beyond your skill set is a strong leadership trait. A major strength across our association is the camaraderie and support for our fellow superintendents, assistants, and turf manager. During challenges or head scratching moments that we encounter on the course, the support of our fellow members is only made possible by having the humility to reach out and seek help for a particular problem

Additionally, we seek support from our committees, department managers, and affiliates to fill in the gaps in our work and solve problems

Compassion

“I will be kind and compassionate to at least one person every single day and expect nothing in return ”

With labor being a major topic of discussion, course managers and supers are looking for improved ways to connect with staff and build their teams Finding ways to connect with your staff will be a powerful way to retain associates and build a team. Acts of kindness that you can provide don’t have to be material and can be as simple as discussing a topic that you share an interest like sports teams, food, music, or media. Finding a way to connect on a personal level can also provide glimpses into understanding what a staff member is looking to develop in themselves or providing support for personal problems will help foster a strong team Flexible scheduling, education opportunities, playing privileges, and non-golf related gifts

Lastly, taking the time to treat your staff members as a person rather than a means to an end will encourage the staff to share their positive experiences at work with others, potentially building your team.

Humor

“I will use humor to comfort others, and never be afraid to laugh at myself.”

“We’re not preventing nuclear war, saving babies, or putting people on the moon. We are managing turf on a golf course,” is a saying that I use commonly with my staff when things start to get stressful. Keeping your work environment casual and light can help your team remain calm and collected while staying focused on the tasks at hand There is a fine line between having too much fun at work and keeping things light, so tread lightly and stay away from any topic that could be misconstrued

Navy SEALs are also referred to as Frogmen and the longest serving active Navy SEAL, is referred to as the

Bullfrog Towards the end of his SEAL career, McRaven was designated Bullfrog which inspired the title for his latest book, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, This book continues his application of military training and discipline examples to provide context for leadership lessons. Spread through eighteen chapters covering topics like communication, handling doubt, and why hope is not a strategy. With each chapter, he provides three quick bullet points to summarize each which act as an action plan moving forward.

The Only Easy Day was Yesterday

Challenges will face us every day without end until we reach our last day of work and they can be from severe stressful situations to easily manageable events One thing is for sure though, each day will bring new obstacles to overcome In following this mindset, McRaven emphasizes that regardless of challenges, ““You must bring energy and enthusiasm every single day Attack each day as though it were critical to the organization’s success,” and “You are not entitled to anything but more hard work. The rank and file are working hard and getting paid less.”

My first GM when I arrived at Springdale used to say to me “Only good as you were yesterday,” whenever I would find myself when feedback or constructive criticism would be negative. Our members and players don’t always remember where things were or how they have improved, their most recent memory will be the standard bearer

Regardless of the challenges that you face, you need to be prepared every day to face what you know is coming and to be prepared as best you can to work hard for what is unknown

A Shepherd Should Smell Like His Sheep

As with the Hero Code, Admiral McRaven stresses the importance of working closely with your team and understanding the work that they do on a daily basis As he states, “Share the hardships with your employees and you will gain their respect and learn about yourself as a leader.” Take the time to help push up a bunker, fill divots, clean debris, empty the trash, or another task that you have delegated to your staff. After a rough day or storm clean-up, spend time working with the staff and see what they see. When you are working with your staff, listen to their suggestions and encourage feedback Lastly, make sure that you are enjoying the work so that they can be encouraged to find solace and pride in the finished product

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Almost every leadership training or team building exercise, the number one topic that is hammered repeatedly is communication Communication between our staff, members, guests, players, or other departments can help provide a strong foundation for a successful organization. While communication to our player is a requirement of our jobs, making sure to communicate to your entire staff is equally as critical. As McRaven says, “Confirm that the values and the goals of the organization are understood down to the lowest-ranking member. Never take a significant action without having a plan for informing the rank and file ”

We may never save the world by maintaining turfgrass on a golf course, but providing a quality golf product and serving as the leader of a strong efficient team can provide you with a work environment that can encourage others to do better I encourage you to take the time to watch the commencement speech, read a chapter from one of these books, or listen to an audiobook of one of these books to overcome being a sugar cookie, not fearing the circus, and leading your team from the front.