Investigating the Measurement of, and Interrelationship Between Resilience, Hardiness, Grit in a Population of Navy SEAL Candidates

Abstract

Effective managers and leaders require resilience, hardiness, and grit to persist in the face of great adversity. To that end, we examine these traits separately and together to refine them into the most parsimonious and reliable measures possible. We utilize a sample of basic underwater and demolition (BUD/s) U.S. Navy SEAL candidates and address several claims about the nature of the instruments. Our findings include more parsimonious measures, the rewording of several items to enhance reliability, and a finding that it takes a combination of all three to navigate the stressors of leadership on the edge.