"That's Gen Z in a Nutshell" - SEAL Team 6 Operator on the Modern Day Navy SEAL

Brief Summary

This video features a discussion about the unique qualities and potential of Gen Z individuals within the Navy SEAL Teams. It highlights both their impressive attributes, such as fearlessness and teamwork, and areas where they struggle, like handling failure. The conversation also covers Gen Z's innovative mindset and the need for the military to adapt its technology acquisition processes to keep pace with their rapid innovation.

• Gen Z's fearlessness and respect towards authority.
• Their struggles with handling failure due to helicopter parenting.
• Gen Z's strong sense of teamwork and patriotism.
• The need for the military to adapt its technology acquisition processes to keep pace with Gen Z's rapid innovation.

Fear No Man: An Impressive Gen Z Candidate

The speaker recounts an experience during a selection process where a Gen Z candidate stood out. The candidate's letter was titled "Fear No Man," which piqued the speaker's interest. During questioning, the candidate remained composed and secure, even when confronted aggressively. When asked if he feared the speaker, who had the authority to end his career, the candidate responded with respect but without fear. The speaker was impressed by the candidate's fearlessness and genuine nature, noting that it's a quality that's hard to fake.

Handling Failure: A Negative Trait

The speaker discusses a negative trait observed in some Gen Z individuals: difficulty handling failure. They attribute this to helicopter parenting, which can lead to emotional distress when faced with setbacks. The speaker shares a story of a promising candidate who quit after failing his first Four Mile time run by two seconds. The candidate stated that he couldn't lead men if he couldn't hold the standard himself. The speaker explains that the candidate missed the point of the program, which is about leading through adversity and succeeding even when things don't go as planned.

Teamwork and Patriotism: Positive Attributes

The speaker shares anecdotes highlighting Gen Z's strong sense of teamwork and patriotism. In one story, the speaker, recovering from a broken foot, struggled during a Murph workout. A first phase OIC and the entire class rallied behind him, marching with him to provide support and encouragement. In another instance at S island, a class was observed lowering the American flag and singing the national anthem voluntarily, a tradition they started and passed on.

Innovation and Technology: Gen Z's Strengths

The speaker emphasizes Gen Z's innovative mindset and technological expertise. They suggest that the SEAL Teams need their own Science and Technology shop, run by Gen Z individuals, to leverage their skills in coding, man-machine pairing, and problem-solving. The speaker notes that the military's acquisition process is too slow to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation demonstrated by Gen Z. They share an example of an E6 and a contractor 3D printing drone parts and creating a mobile backpack with fpv glasses in their off time. The speaker suggests giving Gen Z more autonomy, funding, and equipment to experiment and innovate, and fostering competition among teams to identify the best solutions.