MENTAL AGILITY
- Coach C
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Mental agility or flexibility is absolutely critical to effectively adjust to the demands of the situation and increase your ability to adaptive and overcome adversity in dynamic environments.
Expect and anticipate change
It doesn't matter what profession you are in, what event you have to prepare for, or what project you have committed to, in the real world, things rarely fall into place 100% according to plan. It is to your benefit to expect things to not go as planned. Managing our expectations helps us mitigate some of the stresses associated with the abrupt change of plans.
This especially applies to combat. During the execution phase of an operation, things rarely go according to the original plan. Circumstances and unforeseen variables happen no matter how well-thought-out or detail-oriented the operational scheme of maneuver may be. The enemy gets a vote and the terrain on the ground always looks different from the overhead imagery.
We simply cannot account for every single variable that will affect what happens when we are "boots on the ground" or "insert complete" during the operation. The enemy and unfamiliar environments always add to the complexity of a situation.
This is the truth even outside of combat operations and in every arena in life!
This concept holds for first responders, those in school, business, or any other occupation or profession to varying degrees. This is why being mentally flexible is vital to success.
It all starts with how you manage your expectations going into an event or endeavor.
Are you holding on too tight to how to think things will unfold or pan out?
Are you willing to adjust to your original expectations, go with the flow, and get comfortable course correcting in real time?
Anxiety is often associated with the unknown. Being okay with the unknown takes mental work on our end so that we can adjust our perspective accordingly and effectively dial in expectations.
Have a plan
Before we can capitalize on the skill of mental flexibility, we must first have a solid plan of attack. In special operations, we plan around the enemy’s resources (what they bring to the fight) and how we think they will respond to how we execute our plan. We leverage everything we have available to us to bring to the fight and then decide how, and in what fashion, we will integrate these resources based on the enemy’s known strengths and weaknesses.
We also need to account for how and when we plan to get to the fight and how to immediately gain the tactical advantage through the element of surprise.
All of these factors come into play when we meticulously plan every phase of the operation down to the finest detail. These details are all based on the information we currently have available.
Build contingencies
Aside from having a plan and expecting things to go “off script”, other planning considerations include contingencies most likely to take place.
For every phase of a combat operation, we would plan for and then rehearse three likely contingencies to take place.
For example, prior to a helicopter insertion we may lose one to mechanical issues or a malfunction.
What is our bump plan? What is our minimum force (those who are absolutely critical to the success of the operation and the minimum number of personnel needed to get the job done without increasing the risk to force, etc.).
What if a helo (helicopter) crashes or is shot down prior to insert complete and we suffer a mass casualty situation?
If you think through every phase of the mission, there are plausible mishaps and points of friction that will negatively impact our plan and we must effectively address these.
Solid contingency planning frees up our mental bandwidth on target and allows us the ability to make decisions under stress faster. This is our 80% solution to whatever problem we will face during the operation. The other 20% is the flexibility needed to make decisions on the fly. Preparation and experience provide the tools needed to be successful.
The strategy of forward thinking and the principles of developing courses of action to anticipate specific outcomes can be applied throughout everyday life, business, sport, and just about any situation or circumstance.
The key is possessing an aggressive or forward-thinking mindset.
Identifying and addressing various contingencies ensures that you are in the right headspace and ready to respond when things don’t go according to the original plan. We want to exercise a proactive mindset and constantly improve our current fighting position. This requires the ability to remain present and flexible.
Adhere to the following FIVE key concepts to increase mental flexibility and improve your ability to adjust to unfolding circumstances in the present moment:
OBSERVE
the developing situation by taking in as much of your environment as possible. Allow a brief moment of mentally taking a step back in order to practice present moment awareness, gain situational awareness (SA), and identify what is happening around you.
ORIENT
your attention to the problem or current point of friction.
DECIDE
what course of action needs to be taken moving forward to stay ahead of the curve. Identify what actions must be taken in the present moment to be successful in solving the problem at hand.
ACT
by executing with precision and focusing on the tasks within your control that need to be done to ensure your success. Once you have regained control of the moment, maintain this momentum by staying one step ahead of the developing situation.
In order for the principles of Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) to work effectively, you must be competent in whatever it is that you do and possess the ability to plan methodically with attention to detail.
Going into a situation with a solid plan and then making the necessary course corrections as the situation develops, or as the plan changes is a valuable skill that takes time to master. Be patient in the process and learn from your mistakes.
Anticipate
Think about your next move and have the appropriate plan in place for whatever is most LIKELY to happen next. We have a saying in the SEAL teams for when there is a lull in the gunfight, "Improve your fighting position". This means that we can never rest on our laurels but be forward-thinking on how to better our current situation so that we stack the deck in our favor and are set up for success moving forward.
This requires an advanced level of awareness, experience, and competence. You can obtain this through self-awareness and dedicated practice.
Be a professional
Be good at your job and work to become a subject matter expert in your respective craft. This makes you valuable and more of an asset to those around you.
With the right mindset and experience, you can develop an impressive level of mental agility needed to gain and maintain momentum during any situation that life throws your way.
Get Ready! Stay Ready!
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