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Conquering Crisis summary

Admiral William H. McRaven

Ten Lessons to Learn Before You Need Them

4.5 (28 ratings)
20 mins

Brief summary

Conquering Crisis by Admiral William H. McRaven offers strategies from the admiral’s experience in handling challenges, focusing on resilience, leadership, and decision-making. It guides us in overcoming adversity with courage and discipline.

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    Conquering Crisis
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    Step one: Assess

    Leadership in everyday life demands confidence, hard work, ethics, and good communication. But crisis leadership is something different altogether. It adds weight to every decision. It exposes every crack in your character. It stretches your team to the breaking point and dares you to act before you’re ready. 

    The author Admiral William McRaven has lived through nearly every kind of crisis, from personal failure to public scandal and battlefield disaster. Out of those experiences, he’s forged a five-step model for navigating the storm. Step one is always Assessment: slow down, survey the damage, and figure out what’s actually going on. Everything that follows depends on getting this first step right.

    It’s easy to skip over assessment. There’s even an old saying that in war, the first casualty is truth. In December 1944, for example, American generals were confidently predicting an easy path to victory. Pamphlets described Belgian towns as “quiet places” for resting soldiers. Meanwhile, deep in the Ardennes Forest, the German army was amassing a major offensive that would become the devastating Battle of the Bulge. It took massive casualties and a near-collapse before leaders accepted the full scale of the crisis.

    First reports are often inaccurate for a simple reason: people believe what they want to believe, even in the face of warning signs. Intelligence officers dismissed the German buildup, and commanders wagered on the war ending by Christmas. Though the Allies ultimately won the Battle of the Bulge, it came at a terrible cost. 

    Today, leaders – military, political, and corporate – face a flood of information. Drones, satellites, sensors, news cycles, Twitter feeds – leaders are buried in data. But information is not knowledge. And action without understanding is just flailing. The pressure to act fast is immense, but leaders must resist. They must verify every report, interrogate every assumption, and push back against their own biases.

    That also means listening to dissenting voices. In Afghanistan, McRaven was confronted by an ambassador who warned him that night raids were turning locals against the US. Furious but determined to be thorough, McRaven assembled a “Council of Colonels” to assess the situation independently. Their verdict was tough: the ambassador was right. 

    Instead of doubling down, McRaven reformed operations. He gave Afghan leaders veto power, strengthened coordination with regional commanders, and ensured that every mission was vetted through Afghan channels. These changes built trust, enhanced legitimacy, and allowed the task force to resume operations with a clearer, stronger strategy. Listening to uncomfortable feedback – and acting on it – helped avert a slow defeat masked by short-term wins.

    Step one is never optional. Whether you’re in a firefight, a diplomatic crisis, or a boardroom meltdown, you must pause and assess before you act. A flawed report passed on too quickly becomes a flawed decision. And the cost, as history shows, can be enormous.

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    What is Conquering Crisis about?

    Conquering Crisis (2025) draws on Admiral William H. McRaven’s experience leading through global conflicts to offer a blueprint for navigating turbulent times with courage, clarity, and resilience. It distills lessons from history, military strategy, and personal leadership into a guide for individuals and institutions facing unprecedented challenges. Emphasizing adaptability and moral fortitude, it encourages readers to prepare, act decisively, and inspire others in moments of crisis. 

    Who should read Conquering Crisis?

    • Entrepreneurs looking for strategies to steer their companies through uncertainty
    • Emergency responders and crisis managers
    • Anyone looking for advice on how to cultivate discipline and resilience under stress

    About the Author

    Admiral William H. McRaven is a retired four-star US Navy SEAL who led US Special Operations Command and is best known for orchestrating the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Over his nearly 40-year military career, he commanded elite forces in major conflicts including the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and later served as chancellor of the University of Texas System. He’s written books that include The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, The Hero Code, and Make Your Bed, the latter of which became a #1 New York Times bestseller and inspired both adult and children’s editions focused on leadership and resilience. 

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