Few leaders routinely experience the level of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity faced by US Navy SEALs. Yet, the tensions that SEALs concurrently deal with as leaders and followers are remarkably familiar to frontline and middle managers across civilian industries and organizations. This tension is an inherent byproduct of the dual roles they must fulfill concurrently as leader and follower and amplified by the increasingly turbulent environment.
As such, frontline and middle managers, hereafter collectively referred to as “mid-level managers,” must regularly employ a unique set of behaviors, known as “tolerance of tension,” to achieve sustained success.
To illustrate and explore these tensions more deeply, this article will leverage real-life examples from the career and working relationships of Rob and Matt (pseudonyms), Navy SEALs. The article will (1) begin by taking a deep dive into a vignette tracing historical events impacting Rob and Matt’s roles as leaders and followers, (2) review the challenges that emerge as a result of the dual leader/follower roles of mid-level managers, (3) examine the intrinsic tensions of those positions, and finally (4) discuss the critical meta-behavior known as “tolerance of tension” that is needed for success in fast-moving, complex environments.
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