Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams

by Mark Divine

A leadership book by former Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling author Mark Divine, Staring Down the Wolf focuses on harnessing the principles of purpose and discipline in life to achieve success.

What does it take to command a team of elite individuals?

It requires a commitment to seven key Courage, Trust, Respect, Growth, Excellence, Resiliency, and Alignment. All of these are present in an elite team which commits to them deeply in order to forge the character worthy of uncommon success.

Retired Navy SEAL Commander, entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Mark Divine (founder of SEALFIT, NavySeal.com, and Unbeatable Mind) reveals what makes the culture of an elite team, and how to get your own team to commit to serve at an elite level. Using principles he learned on the battlefield, training SEALs, and in his own entrepreneurial and growth company ventures, Mark knows what it is to lead elite teams, and how easily the team can fail by breaching these commitments.

Elite teams challenge themselves to step up everyday to do the uncommon. Developing the principles yourself and aligning your team around these commitments will allow you to thrive in VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) environments, no matter your background or leadership experience.

Drawing from his twenty years leading SEALs, and twenty five years of success and failure in entrepreneurship and ten years coaching corporate clients, Mark Divine shares a very unique perspective that will allow you to unlock the tremendous power of your team.

“Mark Divine has a gift for creating highly effective dynamic teams. Mark interleaves key aspects of leadership, mental toughness, resiliency and cultivating higher plains of existence into a foundational concept of being an authentic ‘Leader of leaders.’ This book is indispensable for anyone looking to lead, build and foster an elite culture.” –Mike Magaraci, retired Force Master Chief of Naval Special Warfare

“From his time as a Commander in the SEAL Teams to building several successful multimillion dollar businesses, Mark Divine is an authority on building elite teams and leaders capable of tapping their fullest potential.” –David Goggins, Retired Navy SEAL, author of New York Times Bestseller Can’t Hurt Me

"To grow to your fullest capacity in your life and as a leader, we need to challenge ourselves. There’s no one I know who’s challenged himself more than Mark Divine. He’s the perfect visionary to help get you out of your comfort zone and shattering the status quo.” –Joe De Sena, Founder and CEO of Spartan

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Military Fiction, Management, Personal Development

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2020

About the author

MARK DIVINE is a former Navy SEAL and has trained thousands of aspiring Navy SEALs. He owns and runs the SEALFIT Training Center in San Diego, California where he trains thousands of professional athletes, military professionals, SWAT, First Responders, SOF candidates and everyday people looking to build strength and character.

Reviews

[Lorilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staring Down the Wolf is written by Mark Divine, a retired Navy SEAL Commander turned corporate leadership coach. I really love books like this, and I’ve read a bunch, but I have to say that this book has impacted me in ways I’m still having trouble articulating.

The book talks about seven principles that, when done correctly, make effective leaders (and good humans). They are courage, trust, respect, growth, excellence, resiliency, and alignment. There’s also an eighth chapter that encourages people to be willing to commit to a big mission, something worthy of your time and energy, your life. (On a side note, the interview with former Navy Seal Damien Mander in the final pages of the book brought honest-to-God tears to my eyes. Mander lives in Zimbabwe and trains locals to be part of anti-animal-poaching units. His description of the all-women units who have succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations and completely transformed the way Mander views conflict resolution, gave me goose bumps. Let’s just say that women are the steadfast providers and protectors who know how to bring stability to chaos, and there’s a good chance that the Power of Vagina is going to be the very thing that will save this world from itself. But I digress…)

I could give you a play-by-play of each chapter in here, but my review would read like its own novel. I pulled so many quotes out of the book, I could go on and on. What I will tell you is that author Divine has given me so much peace—peace because I feel like it’s okay to believe that it’s possible to be kind and also incredibly badass at the same time. The last few years I have felt rudderless, in a way. I’ve seen so many assholes in positions of power, getting away with such reprehensible conduct—from the ruthless Real Housewives on my block to our dip shit president—that I’ve lost hope. I’ve allowed myself to stop believing in the importance of a higher standard, one that’s just for me, no matter the external circumstances, just because it’s good and moral and right. I’ve allowed myself to be lesser than, certainly less than I could be. This book reminds me of what it once felt like to be young and to trust and to believe, with my whole heart, in the goodness of a message that I know in my bones to be true. I’m going to sound dramatic now, but, honestly, this book felt like a homecoming for me.

I loved the chapters on courage, trust, and respect, with the emphasis on mastering fear through training, being transparent and honest, willing to admit your fuckups quickly and bravely so you can repair relationships and move on. I also really appreciate the theme that comes up again and again, to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, to have that focus and vision that you reinforce to yourself daily so that you act in a way that aligns with your true values.

I’m gushing, guys, I know. But wow, this book has stopped me in my tracks. Given everything that is going on in the world, it is exactly what I needed to read at exactly the right time. I’ve got a lot to think about and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Huge thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and Mark Divine for the ARC!

See more of my reviews at www.bugbugbooks.com.

[Darya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting approach to leadership and building teams. You will find a lot of life situations where you found yourself in earlier. If not, just learn from examples. Alsi, the book is nicely structured and easy to read. The goal is to teach in how to build a great team.

[Jung]

Fear, anxiety, and negative thinking can hold many leaders back in difficult situations. To overcome these unproductive patterns, develop routines grounded in courage, integrity, and resilience. Push yourself to practice these positive behaviors before entering any stressful situation, and you’ll have them at your disposal when the pressure’s on.

Actionable advice:

Journal every morning.

Journaling is a great and easy way to approach problem-solving – so try making it a part of your morning ritual! To deal with a problem, write down five ideas that attack it from multiple perspectives. Don’t worry if they’re not related or don’t seem to make sense. The important thing is to rev up your brain; the solution will eventually follow. That’s what innovation is all about.

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Keep teams aligned through open and focused communication.

Before retiring, Mike “Mags” Magaraci was the most senior enlisted SEAL in the counter-terrorism unit. He was a leader of leaders, and many senior officers reported to him. Far from being easy, the job was like herding lions. The very qualities that make SEALs elite – like independence and a willingness to challenge the status quo – also make them challenging to rein in.

Mags had one major issue: How could he get all these leaders on the same page? His solution ended up being simple but elegant. He scheduled a weekly video conference called the “engaged leadership reflection session” to share visions, missions, and big-picture updates. It also gave leaders an opportunity to answer questions that promoted alignment on focus, innovation, successes, failures, and morale. It wasn’t rocket science, but the payoff from everyone being on the same page was massive.

Alignment comes from communication, but what you communicate carries a lot of weight. Meaningless meetings don’t help align teams – if anything, they add confusion and frustration. So, it’s more accurate to say that alignment comes from focused communication that honors transparency and collective learning.

This is particularly important in the military given that it needs to coordinate dozens of teams spanning a range of agencies, organizations, and countries. Getting everyone on the same page is an enormous challenge that is quite literally the difference between victory and defeat.

To keep meetings focused, Mags and other military leaders used to kick off with the Navy’s overarching mission and vision. This was followed by the goals, or agenda, for the call. After that, they’d cede the floor and let different teams speak. This openness was critical for sharing information – things like challenges, risks, learning, and opportunities. Good communication involves everyone speaking up.

Though many of the SEAL leaders hated the video conference idea when Mags first proposed it, they quickly found that these reflection sessions became an essential protocol for everyone’s success. By regularly coming together, they were able to learn from each other and spot troubling trends before they became major issues. The result? More confidence, new knowledge, aligned teams, and better missions.

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To become more resilient, focus on being adaptable and maintain a positive attitude.

No matter what, you’re going to fail. It’s inevitable. Everyone fails from time to time, regardless of expertise, attention to detail, or follow-through. And SEALs are no exception. Yes, they often succeed in the face of insurmountable odds, but they also fail plenty of times.

What sets the SEALs apart from others is what happens after they fail. They don’t just accept defeat and let their fear wolf in – they bounce back. This resilience makes all the difference. By learning from their mistakes, being adaptable, and refusing to quit, SEALs make the best out of bad situations and learn how to prevent them from happening again in the future.

Ambitious missions can lead to big failures. In 2005, Marcus Luttrell was in Afghanistan as part of a four-man recon mission. When their location was inadvertently exposed to enemy combatants, they had to scramble to extract themselves. Sadly, Luttrell was the lone survivor.

He was injured, but he didn’t quit. He managed to escape, and a local Pashtun villager sheltered him until he was rescued a few days later. But that’s not the end of Luttrell’s story – after he recovered from his injuries, he redeployed with a different SEAL unit. It was only after he was injured again that he was medically retired.

So, what allowed Luttrell to push through failure and bounce back even when the odds were stacked against him? In a word: adaptability. Adaptability is the key to resilience. It’s being able to quickly get over failure and shift gears when things don’t go as planned.

Luttrell’s mission obviously didn’t go as he had hoped, but he didn’t dwell on the past or curl up in a fetal position. Instead, he forged ahead, drawing on his training to come up with new solutions every step of the way. With this approach, he was able to not just survive, but to return to combat and contribute further to the larger mission.

This also speaks to a core element of resilience: a positive attitude. Optimism is easy when things are going well; the true test of a positive attitude is being able to ignore negative thinking in the midst of bad situations. Don’t let yourself dwell on the negative – take a deep breath, focus, and start asking how you’re going to get over this next obstacle.

[Erin Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing a free ARC copy!


I really enjoyed this book and Mark Divine’s approach to leadership and forming elite teams based off what he learned from leading SEALs. He has an interesting perspective and this book is similar to Jocko Willink’s Extreme Ownership, but it’s still unique in its own way. I also like the exercises presented in the book that you can do if you want to. Staring Down the Wolf is intriguing and very well put together and not just for people who are CEOs and what not. It’s very motivating and inspirational on multiple levels for anyone wanting to learn how to be a better leader. Overall I highly recommend this if you are interested in books on leadership!

[Brian Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed with great stories and wisdom on leadership success and forging elite teams.

“If my journey sounds tortuous and winding, it’s because it was. But my hope is that after you employ the tools in this book, you won’t have to become a SEAL and do twenty-five years of meditation and twenty years of therapy before finding your own authenticity. You will get there much faster, building elite teams and leading from the fifth plateau with freedom. You will also become a heart-centered, world-centric leader by getting serious about the seven commitments with your team. You will train and develop your culture of excellence together and unlock more potential than you can now imagine.

That is how you will conquer the VUCA background.

The simple secret is to evolve your character and be worthy of leading other leaders.

Staring down the wolf is your new mantra—getting out of your head and into your heart. Only then can you move beyond your limitations and build a team capable of twenty times more.

This work is easier said than done. But you can trust me on this: it is 100 percent worth it.

Your team is waiting for you to show up.”

~ Mark Divine from Staring Down the Wolf

I can still remember reading Unbeatable Mind years ago, shortly after blowing up the prior version of my business (hah and d’oh!). It provided a much-needed dose of mental toughness wisdom. Since reading that book and The Way of the SEAL (which was also fantastic), Mark and I have become friends and he’s even an investor in my company. (Hooyah, CDR!)

Mark is a retired Navy SEAL Commander. He also has twenty-five years of experience as an entrepreneur. In this book, he draws on his decades of leadership experience to teach us the “7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams.”

I knew Mark was voted the honor man of his SEAL class and that he is an extraordinarily powerful human being (which is why I’ve suggested more than once that he needs his own action figure). But, I didn’t know just how long he’s been an elite leader.

Quick context to a quick story: At 25, Mark left his career on Wall Street (where he got his MBA and CPA) to join the SEALs. He started BUD/S class 170 with 185 other “absolute studs.” Only 19 (!) of the 185 who started made it to graduation day. Being one of those 19 who finished is, of course, impressive.

But that feat is nowhere near as impressive as THIS fact…

More context: During training, every aspiring SEAL is assigned to a “boat crew.” Each boat crew has seven people on it. Mark was the leader of his boat crew. Typically, as people quit, the boat crews get shuffled again and again.

But, get this… Although only 19 (!) of the 185 guys who started the program finished it, ALL SEVEN (!!!) of the guys on Mark’s boat crew made it to graduation. <- That’s amazing. (Seriously, think about that for a moment longer…)

The book is packed with great stories and wisdom from Mark’s authentic sharing of his “tortuous” path from early leadership success to many failures en route to a deeper sense of clarity on what it takes to “stare down the wolf” of fear and forge elite teams. If that sounds like fun, I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. (Get a copy of the book here.)

Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:

1. The Two Wolves - Which one are YOU feeding?
2. The 7 Commitments - Courage + Trust + Respect + Growth + Excellence + Resiliency + Alignment.
3. Fall Down Seven Times - Rise eight.
4. Semper Gumby - Always flexible.
5. What Fear... - Will you stare down first?

I’ve summarized those Big Ideas in a video review that you can watch here.

I’ve also added Staring Down the Wolf by Mark Divine to my collection of Philosopher’s Notes--distilling the Big Ideas into 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at heroic.us.

[Hari Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Mark Divine’s both earlier publications - the Way of the Seal, and the Unbeatable Mind - which dealt with a way to personal greatness, and this new book deals with the building of great elite teams - with the lessons drawn from the Navy Seal teams. The title - Staring down the wolf - is a metaphor for challenging head-to-head one’s deepest fears and defeatist mindset. Divine set out seven leadership commitments - which once integrated to our way of life, seamlessly, with daily practice and effort - will help us become a greater whole - as an individual, as a part of a team, and in the way of the society. Divine explains all these by drawing lessons and learnings from real-life exemplary individuals with whom he had interacted - Olson, McRaven, O’Connell, Marcinko, Marcus, McChrystal, and Margaraci. Divine also covers a huge range of topics that trouble the real-life teams (especially in the corporate world) - egos, meetings, setting and maintaining standards of excellence, innovation, continuous learning in a fast-changing environment (though much simpler than Seals facing enemy fire at Afghanistan, etc.). In sum, as Divine put it, fear holds us back, so first we have to take it down, which leads to courage (to take a stand), which begets trust (of team members, society), which needs humility and respect for self and others, and a growth mindset, which also requires excellence (in what we set out to do - even, by prioritising), finally, by being resilient (by continually aligning, and realising self and teams towards the desired goals, vision, and missions). Apart from overarching themes - there are some tools to help us take a step forward, like box-breathing, visualisation, review and tradition of the superfluous — overall a great book.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Motivating and Inspiration Guide to Leadership

Mark Divine, an ex-Navy Seal Commander, shares his approach to leadership and building elite teams. I enjoyed his descriptions of his failures in team-building as well as his successes. It underlines the point that team-building requires learning both about yourself and the skills to inspire others.

In the introduction and first chapter, Divine discusses the personality characteristic required to be an effective leader and includes an exercise at the end of chapter one for you to assess yourself. I thought this was exactly the right place to start. Staring down the wolf is a phrase that says that you have to first conquer your fears before you can inspire others. It’s an apt title for this book.

In the remaining book, Divine devotes a chapter complete with exercises to each of the concepts he feels are most important for leadership and team-building: courage, trust, respect, growth, excellence, resiliency, and alignment. The chapters are interesting and easy to read partly because the author includes examples of his personal experience.

I’ve read many leadership books. I can’t say this one brings any earth-shattering new concepts to the field, however, it does discuss the concepts in an interesting an informative way. I particularly liked his action steps and exercises. They give you a way to plan for team-building and evaluate yourself.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed with the content of this book. It is the first of Divine's work that I have sampled, but I found it full of dusty new-aged tactics that were, at best... dated. Divine writes, "The time of gurus has passed" but I'm not sure he got the memo as much of this work is pseudo-psycho wu-wu leadership tripe that really seems impractical in real world (non-Zen monastery, non-Wim Hof) settings. It is however perfectly constructed to disregard anyone who disagrees with him labeling them as being stuck in one of the earlier plateaus, which he admits isn't really even his concept. I'm fairly certain if, at our next briefing, I sat with my officers and had them doing breathing exercises while physically connecting to their heart chakras, not only would this be counter productive, I'd likely be talking to HR in the morning. Speaking of plateaus, I also found it a tad hypocritical to be presenting the end-game plateau, as well one of the last sections of the book, as being "one with the world" and "environmental issues" yet at the same time, be lathering up Shell Oil Company as a forward thinking organization. Fossil fuel is the largest reason we have an environmental issue. But, eh... they're a client I suppose. My final thoughts, read Jocko's books if you want to learn about leadership. Read Goggins' book if you want to hear about BUD/S, read O'Neil's book if you want to hear about DEVGRU and the death of Osama Bin Laden... but that's just my opinion.

[Patricia Bello · Rating 4 out of 5]

”You must stare down the wolf of fear.” Staring Down The Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams by Mark Divine

4 stars! I got this book because my hubby is such a fan of @realmarkdivine (my hubby LOVES The Way Of The SEAL) and I’ve been meaning to read sometime The Way of The SEAL. So when I saw this available, I had to get it. Took me awhile to finish this in between the fiction though.

This is my first book by the author and there are just so many great points in the book to mention or to quote here. He tackles each commitment in detail and it’s great that there are some exercises to hone that trait.

The author shares his experiences and what he learned as SEAL leader and team member and sometimes his experiences afterwards as a civilian . They serve as great examples to the 7 leadership commitments.

As a team member, I sure would appreciate my leader displaying such commitments to us. As a leader in training, these are the traits that I need to have to be a great leader.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the advance copy of this book! I enjoyed learning from it! Thanks also @netgalley for making this accessible.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very well put together and reads really easy. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy books about leadership, Navy, SEALS, and organizational development. It’s not for your everyday manager of XYZ company. They would lose interest and not enjoy it.
There are ALOT of acronyms and if you miss it the first time the author uses it, you will have no clear understanding. This happened to me with VUCA.

A quote I highly enjoyed:
When the structure of an organization can shape the courage, trust, respect, growth, excellence, resiliency, and alignment of its individuals and teams, then it is much more likely to rout out issues arising from the negative conditioning of any individual leader. The organization becomes resilient and responsive to volatility, rather than reactionary.

One note: the last chapter lost me. It was an interview and I skipped over most of it as it wasn’t interesting nor followed the restOf the sequence of the book.

[Ryan Rodriquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Divine shares 7 leadership commitments in his book, "Staring Down the Wolf". All can help you build a great team. However, what's at the heart of this book is his desire to help you get over any fear you may have.

By gaining clarity and focus on what it is that you really want along with a pathway on how to get there, you can eliminate the uncertainty that causes said fear. Mark lays out a path through these 7 leadership commitments; courage, trust, respect, growth, excellence, resiliency, and alignment.

Mark provides insight and perspective on each commitment that only he can. Meanwhile, you can't help but think about the parts of your life where these commitments need to be enacted. Read this book, make the commitments, and become the fearless warrior who stares down the wolf.

[Randy Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Devine are retired Navy Seal is a renown coach working with the Military, Seals, Swats teams and Police departments, as well business leaders from various companies across the globe.
Though it talks of building elite teams, ultimately it is about building and finding yourself.
I first learned of Mark through Sealfit and then through his book The Way of the Seal: Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed, far from being secure and successful, Mark describes his failures and how his fears, his past lead him to poor choices or caused him to fail to project himself.
After the book Mark challenges us to take a quiz and then look at the results to help us Stare Down our Wolf. I would highly recommend Mark Devine.

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I remembered whose recommendation I had followed when reaching for this book, I'd probably ... asked for the satisfaction :)

To keep the long story short - as this is a book about leadership written by a former SEAL commander, it's not possible to escape the comparison to Willink/Babin duo's creations. IMHO Divine's book is far less inspiring, hardly engaging and pretty much ... generic. Freshly after I'm done with it, it's hard to recall any memorable moments/lessons. In theory, the book is very clearly structured (each chapter dedicated to one principle of leadership), but in fact if I were played a random moment out of any chapter, I wouldn't be able to identify which one was it.

Disappointing, I wouldn't reach for it again.

[Scott James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Navy S.E.A.L. Commander Mark Divine's latest book on Leadership is outstanding! In Staring Down the Wolf, Mark guides us on how to build teams and culture by leading with 7 Key Principles: Courage, Trust, Respect, Growth, Excellence, Resiliency and Alignment.

I am big fan of Mark's and have read his prior books on leadership and found Staring Down the Wolf to be an excellent primer on leadership and I highly recommend it to both new and seasoned leaders.

After leading teams for over 25 years in Fortune 25 Companies, I found Mark's book on leadership to be invaluable and a great reminder on why and how we should lead. A must read!

(Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC!)

[Brett Tompkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a heard time getting through this one. Hard to put my finger on why exactly. It was a lot of new agey stuff, that I'm beginning to see the value in, but still difficult to get on board with. I don't see having a group breathing session with my men, or me putting my hand on one of my guys hearts, and having him do the same while we breath together. Don't get me wrong, I never back down from a bro-hug, but the hand on the heart thing is a little too intimate for me. I would even feel silly doing that with my wife. But perhaps, if I didn't think it was silly, I would have a stronger team. Food for thought.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third of Mark’s books that I have read. They are all outstanding. Having also read McChrystal and McRaven’s books (mentioned) as well as having studied several martial arts, the logic of this book flows easily. There is so much to like here as Mark reinforces many great ideas and habits that we should adopt. It is a treatise on helping us be all you can be, even if that is an Army slogan. One can do this fully and still not go quite as far as is suggested regarding a world centric view of life, which on moral grounds conflicts with my Christian American worldview. Perhaps this is semantics but it is my position. Still, I highly recommend this book.

[Chris Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corporate America needs this book. Ask most executives in corporate America to explain the difference between management and leadership and they’ll tell you there is none. They are wrong. Leadership is a set of behaviors built upon a well defined set of beliefs. Devine tells that these can be summarized by seven leadership commitments. This belief system is taken directly from the extensive leadership training that military officers and members of elite military team are indoctrinated into. Reading this book won’t turn you into a leader. But implementation of these seven commitments is a very good start. Find a mentor and get cracking.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The approach provided by the author in this book is based on his experiences in military as well as in business. It is unique in a way that the author put so much of himself in this book.

It is a humbling vicarious kind of experience every time he narrates his past mistakes and how he overcome those. It is inspiring.

The leadership lessons here will help many of us in finding holistic view in inspiring people.

[Drew Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books I've read on personal and leadership development. I'm a big fan of Ken Wilber and Integral Theory so I liked that he grounds his model in Wilber's AQAL framework. Divine does a nice job of integrating stories from his days as a Navy SEAL and as a business leader into the mix. I also appreciated his candor and transparency regarding times he fell short and how those were key learning experiences.

[Kayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book some of the information and stories where great and I got a lot out of them, probably more towards the end of the book and some in the middle.
If anyone wants to improve their life and be a good leader this is a must read. Even if you don't want to be a leader, this is still a good book to gain perspective.

It did take me longer to read then I expected I felt it was a big of a slog and hard to continue to turn the page. Apart from that it was a good read

[Edi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must be read in increments so as to digest the content that comes on fast and furious. Obviously the author has great enthusiasm for his subject matter and related it to his personal experiences. I would suggest leadership team read a chapter individually then form work groups to brainstorm the utilization of his techniques as related to their particular business.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review.The opinions expressed are my own.

[John Yovanovitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for not just personal, but cultural change within your organization, Mark Devine’s “Staring Down the Wolf” may be your blueprint. Using the Seven Commitments, Mark shares multiple techniques and exercises to stare down both your fears and successes with the ultimate goal of ascending the five plateaus of development and reframe yourself or your team as better leaders.

[Tracie R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful, interesting read. I broke this book into stages and could then apply to my current processes. I found a number of great ideas and believe it will help many in both their personal and professional lives.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent at helping you to look at your shadow wolves and decide what you want out of life and how to work towards that. My first read was on Audible. I learned so much I bought the hard bond book. I am on my third time through the bool.

[Kevin Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This was a fabulous book for future leaders. Most leadership books are a “how-to”. But Divine really focuses on YOU. He helps you discover and become a better you, first, then become a strong leader.

[Melinda M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams by Mark Divine keeps it simple. The seven key principles are easy to follow and understand. A must read for those who hope to lead and lead well.

[Doug Winder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good information. Like most books, I don't agree with every word or concept. But my copy now has a lot of items underlined, starred, and double underlined.
Of course, a book, an idea, a conversation is only as good as it is applied.

[Sally N. Inglis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for Leadership training

Good book. It would be better if I were looking to be a leader. Mark Divine has had an interesting work life. Coronado Brewing Company is just across the bay. Now I want to go.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how it discussed the OODA Loop! It brought memories from my military training.

[Nick Affolter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5