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Stanley McChrystal (@stanmcchrystal) retired from the U.S. Army as a four-star general after more than 34 years of service. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates described McChrystal as “perhaps the finest warrior and leader of men in combat I ever met.”

From 2003 to 2008, McChrystal served as Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), where he was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

His last assignment was as the commander of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. He is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the co-founder of McChrystal Group, a leadership consulting firm.

In this episode, we discuss everything imaginable, including:

– Why he only eats one meal per day, and what he eats

– His exact exercise regimen

– Tactical and psychological lessons of combat

– Self-talk used before and after difficult missions

– The development of mental toughness

– Favorite books, documentaries, etc.

– And much, much more

Chris Fussell (@FussellChris), who also joins the conversation, is a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, former Aide-de-Camp for General McChrystal, and a current senior executive at CrossLead.

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

#86: General Stan McChrystal on Eating One Meal Per Day, Special Ops, and Mental Toughness https://rss.art19.com/episodes/bb75d2ca-0524-4122-9536-d28269a49f96.mp3 Download

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Ep 48: Marc Goodman, FBI Futurist, on High-Tech Crime and How to Protect Yourself https://rss.art19.com/episodes/7f1ea57b-6b40-4740-be4c-d3f64b1ce466.mp3 Download

Also, don’t miss my interview with hacker Samy Kamkar. — Listen to our conversation on conquering online dating, opening locked cars, and his story of accidentally taking down MySpace with the fastest-growing “worm” of all time (stream below or right-click here to download):

#74: How a Computer Hacker Optimizes Online Dating, Opens Locked Cars, and Hijacks Drones https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e6c1ea37-f90c-4fcf-a145-9f465b4641c1.mp3 Download

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: In your opinion, what makes a good leader, and who exemplifies those qualities? Please share in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

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Show Notes

Why eat one meal per day? [5:36]

Understanding SOCOM and JSOC [9:21]

On the role of an aide-de-camp (ADC) [13:21]

How Chris Fussell reduced friction as Stanley McChrystal’s ADC [15:46]

Stanley McChrystal’s daily exercise habits and why they’re important [19:36]

Most gifted books for those entering combat situations [28:21]

On West Point: Slugs and Area Tours [31:01]

On mischief in school and success in the Army [34:11]

How peer reviews worked at West Point [35:11]

On vetting applicants for important positions [38:11]

Stanley McChrystal’s selection criteria for candidates [47:11]

Why Chris Fussell left the service early and defining “intelligence fusion cells” [53:21]

The most underrated military leaders? [57:36]

Fanatical audiobook listening habits and book selection [59:36]

Why Stanley McChrystal personally attended battlefield operations [1:06:21]

Hopeless dilemmas and managing self-talk in high-pressure environments [1:14:31]

Who comes to mind when Chris Fussell thinks of “successful”? [1:20:21]

Common organizational misperceptions between civilians and military personnel [1:24:21]

Meditation practices [1:29:11]

The “Red Team” concept in the military [1:31:11]

What are good ways for the average citizens to practice military strategy? Games? Activities? [1:36:06]

Stanley McChrystal on chess vs. backgammon and the complexities of modern day leadership [1:38:51]

What surprised Stanley McChrystal about Yale University [1:41:21]

The story behind Team of Teams and modern leadership challenges [1:44:01]

Stanley McChrystal’s advice to his thirty-year old self [1:55:06]

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