Hi there,
In our last newsletter, I wrote about activity versus progress, and the discipline required to focus on what matters most. This time, I want to share another leadership experience that has stayed with me for years.
At a Maxwell Exchange in San Diego, I had the opportunity to hear Admiral William McRaven speak and then spend a day training and sharing stories with Navy SEALs. I expected the experience to be memorable. What I didn’t expect was how much it would shape the way I think about pressure, trust, and what it really means to function as a team.
Leadership When It Matters Most
Leadership can look straightforward when business is strong, resources are available, and the path ahead feels predictable. The true test comes when uncertainty arrives, and the people around us need someone to step forward.
Hearing Admiral McRaven speak gave us a view of leadership formed under extraordinary pressure. He spoke about the operation against Osama bin Laden and the preparation, communication, trust, and execution required when the consequences of failure were real.
One idea that stayed with me was the responsibility to run toward the sound of the guns. Business is not combat, and I would never minimize what that phrase means in the military world. But the leadership principle translates. When difficult situations arise, people notice who moves toward the problem and who moves away from it. They watch who accepts responsibility, who remains calm, and who is willing to confront reality before every answer is available.
Running toward the challenge does not mean acting recklessly. It means being present when the team needs leadership most – gathering the right people, facing the facts, making the best decision possible, and accepting responsibility for what follows. Leadership is easy to discuss when everything is going well. Its character becomes visible when the pressure rises.
The next part of the experience brought those ideas to life. We spent a morning training on the beach with Navy SEALs. We arrived thinking we were ready for something difficult. It didn’t take long to discover that our definition of difficult and theirs were very different.
They kicked our asses.
At first, the morning felt entirely physical. As fatigue set in, however, it became clear that the exercises were testing far more than strength or endurance. They revealed how we responded when we were tired, uncomfortable, frustrated, and unable to rely only on ourselves.
Pressure strips away appearances. When people are comfortable, almost anyone can speak about teamwork. When people are exhausted and struggling, their instincts become easier to see. Some focus only on getting themselves through. Others begin looking around to see who needs encouragement, who needs help carrying the load, and who simply needs someone to stay beside them.
That morning taught me that a team is not simply a group of capable people working in the same place. A true team shares the burden. Its members communicate, adapt, support one another, and refuse to allow one person to become separated from the group.
After the training, we shared lunch with the SEALs and listened to their stories. That conversation may have taught me even more than the morning on the beach. We heard what functioning as a team means in their world, where trust is not a slogan displayed on a wall. It is an operational requirement.
Trust is earned through preparation, competence, consistency, and repeatedly fulfilling your responsibility. The person beside you must know how you will respond when conditions become difficult, not because of what you promised, but because of what you have consistently demonstrated.
Every individual must perform, but individual performance is never separated from the success of the team. The mission comes first. No matter how talented one person may be, a collection of strong individuals does not automatically create a strong team. Shared purpose, shared accountability, and earned trust, do.
That distinction matters in business. We often recognize our top performers, and we should. But strong teams are built when people understand both their individual responsibilities and the larger mission. They prepare so others can depend on them. They communicate before small issues become larger ones. They step forward when another person needs help, and they accept support when they are the one struggling.
Randy (middle) still in good spirits after surviving a morning training session with retired Navy SEALs in Coronado, CA.
Bringing the Lesson Into Stewardship
The experience with Admiral McRaven and the Navy SEALs changed how I think about leadership and teamwork in every environment.
At GRO, we know that meaningful outcomes rarely depend on one person. Technology and data matter, but neither replaces a team that communicates, trusts one another, understands the destination, and accepts shared ownership of the outcome. The strongest stewardship programs are not built around one individual or one piece of technology. They are built around people who know their roles and understand how those roles support a common purpose.
And in water management, there are a lot of people involved. Leadership, operations teams, specialists, contractors, field staff, property owners, and other stakeholders all bring a different perspective to the table.
The question is whether those people are working together, or simply working alongside one another. Everyone has a role to play, but everyone needs to understand how their role connects to the bigger picture.
Like the SEAL teams we learned from, trust must be established before pressure arrives. You can’t build trust in the middle of a crisis. Trust is built through preparation, consistent communication, clear accountability, and the willingness to address challenges early. When that foundation exists, teams can respond with confidence when conditions change.
Upcoming Events
In October, we’re continuing the Arizona Water Stewardship Leadership Forum series as GRO builds sector-specific conversations around confidence, stewardship, and responsible decision-making:
October 14, 2026
Water Stewardship Leadership Forum–HOA & Master Planned Communities – Scottsdale, Arizona
This session will focus on resident confidence and how communities can build stronger stewardship conversations around landscape expectations, accountability, and Arizona’s water future.
October 15, 2026
Arizona Water Stewardship Leadership Forum–Commercial Real Estate & Development – Scottsdale, Arizona
This session will explore water as a business risk and how owners, developers, and property leaders can strengthen investment confidence through better visibility, planning, and stewardship decisions.
Tickets to the forums are complimentary, include a catered lunch, is hosted by Grassroots Resource Optimization (GRO) LLC with support from GPEC, Arizona State University (ASU), and the SiteOne Green Tech Technology Center.
Learn more about the forums and register to attend
September 30–October 2
2026 WIGI Women in the Green Industry Conference – New Orleans, Louisiana
Michelle and Norah will attend the SiteOne Landscape Supply event and connect with leaders from across the industry.
Final Thoughts
As I look back on that experience, the lesson that stayed with me most is simple: leadership and teamwork cannot be separated.
Leadership requires the courage to move toward difficult situations. Teams require trust that is earned long before it is needed. Meaningful missions are accomplished when people place the success of the group ahead of individual recognition.
Strong leaders don’t build organizations that depend entirely on them. They build strong teams that can depend on one another.
Thanks,
Randy Valk
Founder/CEO
Grassroots Resource Optimization