From the Training:
Certified E-SAT Practitioner

One time in combat, a shell landed so close to me that I thought for sure I was going to die.

It was late at night. I was sleeping beside my vehicle, flat on my back in the sand.
I remember hearing it coming toward me. 

There was no time to get to a hole or find cover, so instinctively I tried to press myself deeper into the ground, almost hoping I could disappear into the sand. 

From the sound of it, I knew it was going to land close. 

All I could do was close my eyes and wait. 

 It’s kind of like running to your car in the rain. You know you’re going to get wet, you just don’t know how bad it’s going to be. 

Luckily, the round didn’t land on me, but a few feet away. 

I think it was a rocket. 

Afterward, there was much relief. Gratitude too. But there was something else I didn’t expect. 

Fear. 

Not just during the moment, but after it. 

Once everything slowed down, I realized how close it really had been. Just a few feet to the left and my life could have ended right there in the dark. 

Sometimes victory comes with fear attached to it.
Especially when it was close. 

The closer the call, the more you realize how fragile outcomes really are and that realization can shake you because you suddenly understand how easily it could have ended differently. 

Sometimes threats are identified and reported. Interventions happen. Systems work and the danger is stopped before tragedy occurs. 

And everybody celebrates—as they should. 

But later, when things quiet down, many will start replaying everything in their minds. They’ll start to ask themselves hard questions. 

What if we had missed it?
What if things had gone wrong instead of right?
What would it have been like if the worst had happened? 

Human beings are not machines.
When we narrowly avoid catastrophe, the mind naturally drifts toward the catastrophe that almost happened. 

It can shake people. Make them afraid. 

The important thing is do not let fear steal the victory. 

So after a close victory, there are three things I encourage leaders to do. 

Above all, you won. 

Take the win but also use the experience to become better.

Learn from what happened, take care of your people, make yourself better, and then move forward.

Never stop moving forward.  

Fear may come after victory.
Just don't ever let it have the last word.