I recently saw some clips of the Jocko Podcast where he had on a former special operator who now, along with his colleague, does consulting for private sector companies looking to improve their hiring practices.

In the podcast, Jocko and the others spoke repeatedly about how often times the most unassuming and unlikely candidates made it through BUD/s whereas the studs, or "favorites" among the instructors, failed. Jocko basically said it's impossible to know who will succeed beforehand and that people tend to pick favorites based on all the wrong stats (height, build, athletic background, etc.) instead of the intangibles that supposedly are more important (character, courage, etc.)

So for those of you who serve(d), particularly in combat, what common characteristics did you see among the best soldiers you served beside? Did anyone surprise you, either positively or negatively?

Very interested to hear what your take is

Not much of a difference to be honest. I have met dirtbag Soldiers who were both in combat and who weren't. Just based off personality to be honest. Jocko explains it best. Combat veterans are usually more humble though.

well BUDs is the elite, everyone is well screened before they get there, everyone is already a PT stud so all the drop outs were all PT studs.

you could figure a number of reasons they failed. maybe everything came easy to them and this is the first time they had to really push themselves, and either didnt have the desire or couldnt do it, like a smart student who never developed studying skills. Or there are people who had fear of heights or couldnt swim good. Or people just get injuries so some is just bad luck.

for general traits, they need to be smart, while having common sense and people skills. military is full of extreme bureaucracy. You need someone with the intuition to know what rules to bend. Someone too extreme is a chitbad ignoring all the guidence from higher ups. Someone who overemphasizes every administrative rule is an annoying ******* and people will just stop telling him things and he will be left out of the loop and not knowing whats going on with people under him.

Yeah, Jocko's explanation was pretty good but I was wondering about the experiences of others. As for there being scumbags both in combat roles and in non-combat roles, I'm sure that happens. I was more curious about whether someone seemingly had negative traits and turned out to be a good soldier or vice versa.Interesting that you bring up knowing when to bend rules. They did say that some of the assessments that guys have to go through deliberately put them in a position where they have to bend/break the rules in order to achieve the objective, and that those kinds of training scenarios tell you a lot about the candidates.

In your experience, did anyone ever surprise you by either over- or under-performing relative to their observable traits?

Not sure if srs, it's just the classic expectations for SF/SOF

- relentless perseverance
- mental fortitude
- team and social skills

When it comes to SF dudes, they come off very nonchalant and care free. Way more relaxed and fun to talk to, compared to your average conventional Soldier.

Calm under pressure. Good at mind games. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Sorry if it wasn't clear but I wasn't only asking about special ops. Just about what current/former service members observed during their time.Lol, I wonder why they're more relaxed? I've heard they aren't subject to some of the rules the regular military is with regards to things like grooming... perhaps that's one of the reasons.I can see calmness under pressure being key. Do you think it's something that can really be screened for, or do you think that you can really only test people once they're in combat? In other words, have you seen people who were otherwise good under pressure 'crack' in real life scenarios?

Really the same things that makes a good employee in any field.

It isn’t so much job specific as it is characteristics and general behavior. Anyone that has all aspects of their life squared away will make progress in any field, including the military.

Stay physically, mentally, and emotionally fit, set and achieve goals for yourself (in and out of the work place), be an open and transparent assertive communicator, set your own boundaries and respect others, actually dedicate time to developing personal and professional relationships, never stop learning, don’t keep secrets or propagate rumors, read, understand time management, etc.

I think the best way to do well in your job is to make regular habits of doing well in all areas of your life. Your job will fall in line. Being trustworthy is a huge part of that.

Thanks for the reply, pretty informative. I guess we (civilians) forget that in many ways being in the service is a job like any other, and so a lot of the same traits carry over. I also tend to agree with the fact that keeping order in one aspect of life sort of bleeds into other areas, and helps you function better overall. I think that's why getting involved with extracurriculars/hobbies/serious pursuits outside of working life is important.

Agreed. I really feel like it can bring a lot of life satisfaction and even make “adulting” enjoyable.

usually a good k/d ratio as win/loss doesnt mean anything because you could have trash teammates