Navigating the Challenges of Product Management and Leadership Through Tactics Used by David Goggins Part 1/2
Over the last few months, I've been feverishly consuming the two books (linked below) written by David Goggins. At first, I was quite skeptical, thinking it was just going to be another story of an extreme overachiever trying to defy the odds, hustle hard, and overcome mediocrity. This was a small part of the story, it was about a man who overcame extreme adversity by using mental tactics to conquer the obstacles and barriers his mind constructed to hinder his progress. He also inadvertently discovered some neurological breakthroughs that even neuroscientists don't fully comprehend. These tools are particularly suited for people with anxiety and those in extreme situations that cause mental breakdowns. I'll outline a few of them and discuss how they helped me break through some of my personal mental barriers.
I highly recommend listening to the audio book version because he does interviews in between each chapter and gives more background on the events that took place. This includes a heart wrenching interview with his mother who came from an abusive relationship.
“You Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins
“Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within” by David Goggins
Book 1: You can’t hurt me
1. The 40% Rule: Embracing Our Untapped Potential
Goggins' Journey: Despite being in excruciating pain during a 100-mile race, Goggins realized he had more to give. This gave birth to his 40% rule, which states that when our minds signal exhaustion, we've barely touched 40% of our actual capacity.
Product Management Insight: In our field, when product launches seem rough, or feedback feels crushing, remember Goggins pushing past his pain. There's always room to pivot, improve, and grow.
My Personal Experience: When I approach a difficult situation, I think to myself, "This is not dangerous. This is my mind trying to protect me, and I am safe. I am just approaching a border in my mind that I have not crossed in a long time." This encapsulates the 40% rule because the rule is activated when you reach the edge of your comfort zone, not your physical ability zone. There is a chart in the book "The Anxiety Workbook" by Anna Barnes, provides a clearer visual explanation. You have 3 zones, your comfort zone, your stretch zone and your panic zone, the book recommends you stay within your stretch zone.
2. Callousing the Mind: Growing through Challenges
Goggins' Journey: David faced relentless bullying in his youth. Instead of succumbing, he used these experiences to toughen his spirit, much like developing callouses on hands after hard labor.
Leadership Coaching Insight: Encourage your teams to view challenges as growth opportunities. Recall Goggins: every difficulty can be a stepping stone to a stronger self.
My Personal Experience: Every time I encounter an obstacle or a force pushing towards me I think to myself, “This is an opportunity to grow and get stronger.” This mantra helps me keep a positive mindset when things get tough. I also say to myself something that was written in the book “You only have to get through one second at a time.” This also helps you take bite sized chunks out of each task and prevents future thinking and doom spiraling.
3. The Accountability Mirror: Owning Up and Moving Forward
Goggins' Journey: David would write his goals and flaws on post-it notes and stick them to his mirror. It was a daily confrontation with reality, and a reminder to improve.
Product Management Insight: When you are launching a new product or developing a current one it’s important to write down your goals and look at them every day. This will help you and your team maintain focus and help them and yourself be accountable for your actions.
My Personal Experience: I write down my goals each week, they can be easy but they are always clear and measurable, I have a tracker that keeps me on track and have calendar events for every single thing I want to do. This keeps me accountable for everything I want to achieve in life. This does not just mean you put all your grind in there this means you also include personal relationship and personal rest in there. This is a constant balance I’ve been tuning and every week will be different but the structure will help you tune it to your lifestyle.
4. The Cookie Jar: Drawing Strength from Past Achievements
Goggins' Journey: During challenging times, like when attempting to break the pull-up world record, David would mentally revisit past achievements, drawing strength from those moments.
Leadership Coaching Insight: Always have a mental “cookie jar” for your team. Remind them of past successes to instill confidence during challenging times.
My Personal Experience: This is by far my favorite one because I have so many fond memories of me taking on huge challenges that I can pull from. I’ve also ran an ultra marathon, I’ve hiked up a mountain via a mountaineering route and done multiple marathons all of which have been mentally and physically very challenging situations. These memories fuel me when things are getting hard. I also pull from recent memories when I start to get triggered and use those memories of me overcomming my anxiety to fuel me through the new event. This is the main reason why you have to get out there and build your memory bank of good experiences so you can constantly pull from that to fuel you through the tough times.
5. Taking Souls: Channeling Positive Energy in Leadership
Goggins' Journey: During Navy SEAL training, Goggins turned the doubt and negativity of others into fuel for his motivation, pushing harder and emerging stronger.
Leadership Coaching Insight: Lead with positivity. Transform doubts into challenges and let your passion inspire your team.
My Personal Experience: Sometimes, when negative thoughts pop up in my mind, I think to myself, “Ok, I’ll prove you wrong. Watch me.” This not only prevents the negative thought from triggering a downward spiral into anxiety but also transforms the entire thought into positive motivation. It challenges me to prove that I can accomplish more than my mind believes I can. I’m a very competitive person. Thus, having a worthy adversary often pushes me to do things I might otherwise avoid. And what better opponent than my own thoughts?
