Mission Driven - How To Make Better Decisions - From Former Commanding Officer US Navy SEAL Team Two

Guest:

Mike Hayes A Managing Director at Insight Partners

* Former Commanding Officer of US Navy SEAL Team TWO

* Managing Director, Insight Partners

* Author of National Bestseller Mission Driven (distilled nicely in this article)

All of Mike’s profits from his book sales go to a 501(c)(3) he founded, The 1162 Foundation, which pays off mortgages for Gold Star families – he’s paid off 12 widows’ mortgages to date.

AUM

Regulatory assets under management $90B and 600 portfolio managers.

Timeless Lessons

Leaders Don’t need to make the best decision.

They need to make sure the best decision gets made.

Team, Teammate, Self

Algin these 3 things – for purpose and elite performance:

What gives someone energy?

What are they good at?

What’s good for the business?

Best advice

Whenever you are having a hard day, find someone else who’s having a harder day and help them.

Social Profiles

* Instagram @thisis.mikehayes

* X @thisismikehayes

* LinkedIn

Bio

Mike Hayes is Managing Director at Insight Partners, a global software investment firm with $90B+ in regulatory assets under management and 800+ portfolio companies across every stage of growth.

Prior to Insight, Mike was Chief Operating Officer at VMware, where he led the company’s worldwide business operations, their SaaS transition, and the successful acquisition into Broadcom for $94B. Before that, Mike served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Operations for Cognizant Technologies, where he ran a $2B P&L for Cognizant’s global financial services clients.

Mike previously spent four years at Bridgewater Associates, an investment management firm, where he served in Chief of Staff to CEO and COO roles. Prior to Bridgewater, he spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEALs where his career began as one of 19 graduates from a class of 120. Mike served throughout South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, including the conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

His last job in the Navy was the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO, which included ten months as the Commander of a 2,000-person Special Operations Task Force in southeastern Afghanistan. Before that, Mike was selected as a White House Fellow ('08/'09) and served two years as Director of Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council.

In the Bush Administration, Mike was responsible for the START Treaty, where he produced a new proposed START Treaty and flew to Russia for negotiations. In the Obama administration, he led the White House response to President Obama’s first major foreign policy showdown — the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia. Prior to the White House Fellowship, Mike served as the Deputy Commander for all Special Operations in Anbar Province, Iraq.

Mike holds an M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and received his B.A. from Holy Cross College, where he was an active Big Brother. His military decorations include the Bronze Star for valor in combat in Iraq, a Bronze Star for Afghanistan, and the Defense Superior Service Medal from the White House.

Mike is the author of the best-seller Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning, and donates all profits to a 501(c)(3) he started that pays off mortgages for Gold Star widows and children.

He serves on the board of Immuta, a data governance company, and is the founding board member of the National Medal of Honor Museum. Mike is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is fluent in German and Spanish, frequently speaks about leadership and elite organizations, and enjoys mentoring others to success.

He is a life-long Sox/Pats fan, but most enjoys laughing with his wife, Anita, and their 24-year-old daughter, Maeson.