A retired US Navy admiral explains what he learned from being fired early in his career

pulse

May 4, 2017 2:59 PM

Admiral William McRaven was a Navy SEAL for 37 years, but early in his career he was fired. He explains how he bounced back.

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Very early on in my career I was fired from one of my jobs.

I was a — team leader at a very elite SEAL team and the commanding officer and I didn't get along well and I probably did some things wrong, and I was fired.

So when something like that happens, certainly in the military, you have two choices. Do you stay and hope that your career gets back on track or do you say, "Well, this obviously isn't going to work out for me." And — I decided to stay and show that I was a better officer than I had performed at that command.

Pride is the first thing to fall. The reason I was selected for that job is because I viewed myself as one of the best officers in the SEAL community. And I got there, and I didn't perform tot he level that was expected of me. And so — you get knocked down a notch or two, and you have to reevaluate, "What did I need to do better?" "How do I show that I am a good officer?"

So frankly, the way to get out of it is to work twice as hard. And to accept a little humility that you're never as good as your press clippings. You're never as good as you think you are. Work hard. Be humble — and I think that will serve you well in life.

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