"To those before us, to those amongst us, to those we'll see on the other side, Lord let me not prove unworthy of my brothers." - Jack Carr

Brotherhood. Not the brotherhood of birth, but the brotherhood of blood and bond. The brotherhood of warriors, of war. It’s been written about by Homer, by Mallory, and Shakespeare. It’s been sung about, and shown in movies and TV shows. Much like war itself however, It can’t really be understood though unless you’ve lived through it. 

My teammates from my former life are my brothers. Even those I liked the least are family. When you spend months on end living in a combat zone and depending on each other for survival, it forms bonds stronger than normal friendships. I can literally not see a teammate for a decade, and slip right back into our camaraderie when we reconnect as if no time has passed. 

These friendships, the trust and acceptance of high achieving professionals in a dangerous trade, means more to me than medals, or tabs, or berets. I’ve served and fought alongside heroes and rogues, larger than life every one.  The pipeline for SF was an entry ticket into a fraternity the likes of which most will never know. And belonging to that fraternity shaped who I am more than any other single affiliation or event.

The oft quoted truism is accurate. You may join for “god & country,” but you fight for the man to your left and right. Your loyalty lies with those you fight alongside far more than it does with generals or politicians. And rightfully so. The generals and politicians care far less for your wellbeing than the teammates who rely on you for their lives.

Like so many other things, there can be good and bad aspects to the brotherhood however. At it’s best it’s a catalyst for superhuman achievement. At its worst it becomes an echo chamber leading to corruption and abuse. How then do we negotiate this successfully and create a unit culture that is cohesive and effective without going “off the reservation?” 

The war on terror created such a pressure cooker for special operations personnel, fueled by high optempo and stoked by short rotation cycles. Some teams excelled in this environment, and were forged into almost superhuman levels of competence. Other teams cracked ethically under the pressure, like a blade forged too hot for too long and quenched insufficiently. 

In much the same way, police officers on teams with special assignments in high crime areas face similar challenges due to optempo and operational environment. And, in much the same way as their special operations counterparts, some teams excel while others lose their way.

What are the differences between the teams that create a  brotherhood that fosters high performance ethically, and the ones that lose their way? While there are many factors, including a strong individual ethical code, the most important element is leadership. Good front-line leadership creates an unbreakable team culture. Teams have personalities separate and distinct from the personalities of the individuals they are comprised of. Leaders create that personality and form the team’s culture. Leaders drive the brotherhood of their team. And that’s the difference between thriving and losing the way…