To become a Navy SEAL you need to endure years of grueling training, and it is only a very small portion of those who start the process end up completing it. In this powerful “Best Of” episode, Dr. Sharon Spano revisits her conversation with Stephen Drum, a retired Navy SEAL Master Chief who served in combat zones around the world and now helps organizations build high-performance cultures.
Stephen shares battle-tested lessons on courage, accountability, and resilience—and how the same principles that guide elite military teams can transform leadership in business and life. He discusses why preparation, trust, and communication are non-negotiables for success, and how leaders can create environments where people are inspired to give their best under pressure.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why elite military principles apply directly to business leadership
- The importance of training for critical moments before they arrive
- How to build trust and accountability within your team
- Why clear communication under pressure saves lives—and improves results in business
- How leaders can foster resilience and adaptability in times of uncertainty
- The role of courage in both combat and the workplace
- Practical steps to prepare yourself and your team for high-stakes situations
- Why failure is part of growth and how to recover quickly when mistakes happen
- How Stephen transitioned from Navy SEAL leadership to coaching corporate teams
- Lessons every leader can use to stay calm, focused, and mission-driven
Additional Resources:
Website: https://stephendrum.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-drum-643695135/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.drum.967
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephen.drum/?hl=en
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Meeting-Challenge-Confidence-Readiness/dp/B0BTGXNWNY
Transcript: Here
Sharon Spano:
Website: sharonspano.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SharonSpanoPHD
Instagram: instagram.com/drsharonspano/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharonspano/
Book: thetimemoneybook.com
Contact: sharon@sharonspano.com
Substack: substack.com/@drsharon
The Other Side of Potential Podcast: sharonspano.com/podcast/
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com