Committed Teams

Chapter 4Pay Attention: The Seven Common Mistakes You Are Probably Making

An elite member of the U.S. Army's Special Forces, the soldier approaches the Vietcong camp alone. His mission is limited: locate a group of POWs. But after learning the enemy soldiers are being supported and trained by the Soviet army, he decides to single-handedly free the American captives. Not even a platoon of fighters is enough to stop the highly trained commando. After hijacking a helicopter, he lands in the middle of the POW base and destroys the enemy force before flying the prisoners to safety.

If this scene sounds vaguely familiar, it may be because you have seen it in the movie Rambo: First Blood Part II. Even if you have not watched this Sylvester Stallone classic, it probably sounds similar to the plot of numerous other action movies featuring the lone hero soldier. This figure is always a courageous warrior who has risen through the ranks of the most elite military and security units in the world, such as the Secret Service, Army Rangers, or Navy SEALs. He has been prepared by a hellish training regimen to march into enemy territory and subdue large forces with his first-rate combat skills and killer instincts.

Wowed by an endless procession of Hollywood blockbusters (we admit to being fans ourselves), many people have come to think of elite military teams as being collections of well-trained individuals, able to accomplish dangerous feats through sheer force and grit. But take a moment ...