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Organizational Fitness

The one certainty of chaos is that it is, by its very nature, uncertain. While finding success in a chaotic situation may seem to be at best an improbability and at worst an impossibility, I learned through my time in the SEAL Teams that there is method to this madness. As SEALs-in-training and on combat missions, we were thrown into every challenging situation imaginable; never knowing what to expect, and under pressure from ongoing change, we learned quickly to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice. To bear the brunt of such an undefined workload requires the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual faculties that either help or hinder success. More than anything, it requires balance among them all.

Without the emotional tolerance for stress and the mental capacity to solve problems under duress, it’s more likely that your next large-scale negotiation or board presentation will be subpar. This is exactly why navigating uncertainty requires balance, because the more intangibles at your disposal, the wider your knowledge base to create certainty—or something that creates value for you.

fitness |ˈfit•nis|

noun

 The quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task

 The aptitude of somebody or something to fill a particular purpose

 To maintain or increase its numbers in succeeding generations

I used to think that being fit simply meant to be an active runner, swimmer, or bodybuilder, but it doesn’t. There’s a broader definition of fitness that applies to the organization here. While any sort of exercise is certainly healthy, being truly fit means something else. If you ask a runner if she is fit, she will likely answer, “Yes, I run!” But if you ask a swimmer the same question he’ll respond, “Yes, I swim!” Individual fitness means different things to different people, just like winning means different things to different people. What’s more, a group of people has divergent definitions and interpretations of how to win both as individuals and as a team.

However, when you really look at the concept of fitness, the values and processes that garner winning are the same no matter what sport you play, because you never play alone. Whether you’re a writer, painter, business executive, or a Navy SEAL, the performance of one activity is typically influenced by the collection of many. Nobody achieves elite status alone.

Organizational fitness is a function of multiple factors: a company’s collective performance and how well they respond to an employee’s need for meaningful work, how much opportunity exists for personal and professional growth, how well different corporate functions fuse together to share the same purpose, and the difference you make as a leader.

Fitness and health are not the same. You can have low cholesterol, no physical ailments, and be considered healthy, but still not be able to climb stairs because your fitness level isn’t up to par. Conversely, if you are indeed fit and can perform a wide array of exercises, then a healthy body and mind are the byproducts. Fitness connotes the ability to deliver, to perform, and to execute. One may be healthy while living a relatively sedentary lifestyle, but not fit.

Companies are no different. The healthy ones have a great culture where people enjoy working, but at the end of the day, the company lacks execution. It lags behind in the marketplace or does not satiate employees’ needs for growth. As a result, companies that are merely “healthy” lose market share and/or talent.

It’s no secret that to wield optimal performance from an employee, he or she needs a balance of formal education and practical job-related experience, but also personal fulfillment, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to contribute and grow. (See “Sports Snapshot” below.)

However, with the rapidly changing environment that pulls business toward greater uncertainty every day, companies, in their need to stay relevant, fight the current by instituting longer workdays, investing in more analysis, and demanding more from their employees overall.