Sep 14, 2016
Co-hosts Jan Rutherford and Jim Vaselopulos interview
Jason McCarthy, Founder and CEO of GORUCK, a company that makes
rucksacks (also known as backpacks), and runs rucking events
similar to the Special Forces selection process. Jason reveals why
and how he started GORUCK, the obstacles he faced along the way,
his mission for GORUCK, and his success in building leaders by
overcoming adversity as a team. Jason also talks about building
better Americans who serve their country and community, explaining
the basis of community. He reminds us what freedom means, and how
others can fulfill a duty in a variety of ways.
Listen in to learn how you can turn adversity into
team building within your organization.
Key Takeaways
[7:38] How the Special Forces Qualification Course
(SFQC) or the Q Course forces you to lead.
[8:32] There are always opportunities to lead, you
have to seize them. There’s always room for another great leader to
step up.
[13:24] It wasn’t about the weight people were
carrying, it was about the people carrying the weight.
[13:41] What’s really rewarding, is the impact you
can make on people if you serve them.
[14:34] GORUCK became this bridge for Jason, that he
was building for people that showed up within the class, and yet he
needed to be on that same bridge, as well.
[18:29] Successful teams have got to be fun and it’s
got to be about building communities.
[21:57] Americans represent one united community.
Bake your neighbor a pie sometime, talk to the person next to you
on the plane. We need someone to push us toward more service to
each other - to build a better America.
[25:41] To create a culture of leaders you have to
trust the people around you, give them things they can do, and let
them figure it out.
[33:33] Go find a friend, go for a walk, put a
backpack on, and talk to the person next to you. Connect with the
people that are around you.
Quotable Quotes
“To lead is to do. You have to actually do it. You
can’t learn about it in a book.”
"To lead is to serve."
“People need to like you to spend time with you.”
"Communication is always the glue."
“Taking a walk with a ruck is officially called
rucking.”
Books Mentioned or Referenced on the
Show
The
LITTLEST Green Beret: On Self-Reliant Leadership, book by Jan
Rutherford
Bio
Jason McCarthy Graduated from Emory University in
Atlanta, Georgia in May 2001, without a set professional goal. Then
came 9/11, which became a call-to-arms to him. Jason enlisted in
Special Forces and served in Iraq as a Communication Sergeant in
the Green Berets. He calls his experience there a leadership
laboratory. Jason founded GORUCK in 2008 after his military
service, seeing the need for a great civilian bag, and a way to
help veterans bridge military and civilian life.
This led to the GORUCK Challenge, where a Special Forces guy builds
a team out of the participants who show up.