Behaviors on the Battlefield

“Behaviors on the Battlefield"

…and selected lessons for Business Leaders:

Observations of a career Navy SEAL

Tulsa 

Downtown DoubleTree

616 W 7th St

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Networking Time: 10:45-11:15

Parking is free in the connected parking garage.

OK ETHICS will host a half-hour networking event in the foyer of the International Ballroom beginning at 10:45 a.m. The buffet will open at 11:15 a.m., and the meeting will start at 11:30 a.m. 

Premium Members: Free for the number of pre-paid registrants included in membership

Members: $60

Non-Members: $70

CPE Details:

1. Instruction Delivery Method:  Group Live Instruction

2. Prerequisites:  None

3. Category: TBD

4. Attendance requirement: 50-minute presentation

5. Refund or cancellation policy: refunds not available after event 

6. Complaint resolution policy: email mary@okethics.com with concerns

7. Advanced preparation: none

Program Description: 

Vice Admiral Pybus will discuss the ethical behavior of our military men and women when subjected to the stresses and incentives of a military at war.  Pybus strongly believes in the ethical fitness of our all-volunteer military, and one has to understand that acceptable rules of behavior for a warrior class are necessarily different than the rule set for a civilian population.  Be that as it may, under the pressures of conflict and combat, individuals and groups of military members can depart from a path of acceptable ethical behavior.  In his long career as a Special Operations soldier, Pybus will share several episodes of misbehavior from his experience, and discuss lessons learned which may have value for civilian and business leaders in the audience.  In addition, the Admiral will talk about several guardrails which can be used to maintain a proper ethical path of behavior.

Key Takeaways: 

1. Your military is well grounded in proper ethical behavior, with training and education in place to maintain this disposition.  Selected news editorials about Pentagon policies or recent military activities should be viewed with a critical eye.  Although not a perfectly well-behaved organization, the US Armed Forces are something to be proud of.
2. A behavioral rule set for military men and women must by definition differ from rules for a civilian population.  For example, military members must be prepared to take an adversary’s life under certain circumstances, i.e., when at war.   Context and circumstance matter greatly when “at war”.
3. Consider how you might behave when under threat of life.  This is an ultimate test of a person’s ethos.  Importantly, in a military structure, the role of leadership for young military members under combat conditions cannot be over-valued.  The absence or ineffectiveness of leadership greatly increases the probability of mis-behavior.
4. US Special Operations Forces are specially selected and trained for a high rate of mission success, often on difficult missions.  Lapses in judgement or behavior among these forces can have catastrophic consequences. 
5. Although there are significant differences in the nature of military and civilian (business) service, there are similar ways to screen, select, train and educate people with regard to ethical behavior.  I intend to call attention to several ways in which to encourage proper behaviors in pursuit of employment objectives.

About the Speaker:

Vice Admiral, US Navy (Retired) Sean Pybus leads The Pybus Group, providing National Security and Defense advice to Industry and Academia. Cubic Corporation, EdenRoc Sciences, Digital Global Systems, and Stellar Solutions are among his corporate associates. Idaho National Laboratory and Joint Special Operations University are academic-oriented clients. Pybus maintains professional and social ties to U.S. Special Operations Command and the Special Operations Forces enterprise, committed to advancing their capabilities and understanding in today’s dynamic security environment. Whether in business or military affairs, Pybus works to develop and apply small, missionfocused teams in order to achieve strategic effects. His long tenure and leadership in military special operations around the world arm him with invaluable perspective and experience.

Sean is Chairman of the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF), one of the highest rated benevolents in America. He is the Chairman of the Special Operations Memorial Foundation (SOMF). He is also Senior Advisor to Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based, veteran-led, donor-funded 501c3 committed to recovering American citizens and Allies trapped in conflict zones around the world.

Sean has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Rochester (NY), 1979, and a Master’s in National Security Studies with Honors from the US Naval War College (RI), 1998. He has extensive overseas experience living and working in South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific. His final military assignment before retirement was Deputy Commander, US Special Operations Command, in Tampa, as a Vice Admiral, SEAL, US Navy. In recognition of his 34 years of military service, VADM(Ret) Pybus was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2021. His wife Patty and Sean have three grown children, all serving in Active or Reserve roles in the US Military.