Can't vs. Won't: The Mindset Shift Leaders Can Learn From Navy SEALs
- Jonathan Cleck
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
How to Build a Growth Mindset in Teams Using Navy SEAL Training
Henry Ford said it best: "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right."
That quote sat differently for me after I went through BUD/S training. Because what SEAL training does, above almost everything else, is force you to find out which one is actually true — is it that you truly can’t or that you won’t? And the answer, almost every single time, is that you can but you’ve just never had to work through your own mental barrier to realize that you can.
As a Navy SEAL veteran today delivering leadership trainer and keynote speeches, the single most common barrier I see in organizations is not a lack of talent, resources, or strategy. It is a belief system that has never been tested. Teams that say "we can't" are rarely telling the truth. Most of the time, they are saying "we won't" without realizing it.
Understanding the difference between those two words is one of the most important mindset shifts a leader can make.
What BUD/S Training Actually Breaks You Of
People see movies and documentaries about BUD/S and SEAL training and they ask: how does it transform you? What does it break you of? What does it instill in you?
The first and most foundational answer is this: it breaks you of the mindset of what you believe are your limitations. What you believe you can’t do.
What you discover during training is that most limitations are not real. They are not walls, but rather doors that need unlocked. They are untested limitations. In many cases, people have simply never had the right environment, the right pressure, or the right motivation to find out what they are genuinely capable of. BUD/S removes every excuse and forces the question.
And the answer that comes back almost every time is: you are capable of far more than you previously thought possible.
The Double-Edged Sword for SEAL Leaders
Anyone who has ever worked for a Navy SEAL will tell you that leading with this mindset is both motivating and, at times, deeply uncomfortable.
When I step into an organization or a team, I push people further. I challenge them to get outside of their comfort zones, to think differently, to take calculated risks, and to operate at a level they have not reached before. That is not pressure for the sake of it. That is what genuine leadership development looks like.
But what I have heard is: "We can't do that."
And my response is always the same: is it that you can't, or is it that you won't?
That question lands differently for different people. For some it is clarifying. For others it is uncomfortable. But it is the right question, because it forces honest self-assessment. It separates genuine obstacles from self-imposed ones. And it creates space for a team to realize that the ceiling they have been operating under was never fixed.
Belief Comes Before Capability: What Ford Knew and SEALs Prove
Ford's quote is not just motivational. It is neurologically accurate. The brain does not invest fully in outcomes it does not believe are possible. Teams that have decided they cannot do something will not try hard enough, long enough, or creatively enough to find out if they actually could.
SEAL training works because it removes the option to rely on that limiting belief. You do not get to decide you cannot. You are required to try, and in trying, you discover the belief was the only thing holding you back.
The most successful people and teams I have worked with across my military and civilian career share one common trait: they started by believing they were capable, even before they had proof. That belief did not come from arrogance. It came from a willingness to be tested.
What HR Leaders and Managers Can Do With This
1. Start asking the right question
When a team member says "I can't," resist the instinct to accept it or work around it. Ask instead: “is it that you can't or won't?” Not as a challenge, but as a genuine inquiry. It opens a conversation about what is actually in the way and whether the barrier is real or assumed.
2. Create environments where people get tested
Belief in capability grows through evidence. Give your team stretch assignments, cross-functional challenges, and opportunities to operate slightly outside their comfort zone in a supported environment. People who succeed at things they did not think they could do, carry that confidence forward permanently.
3. Model the belief before they have it
As a leader, your belief in your team's capability matters before they believe it themselves. Communicate clearly what you know they are capable of, and hold that standard consistently. Teams rise to the level of what their leaders genuinely expect from them. And always start leading by example: believe in yourself first, then try, then succeed. That’s how innovation is instilled in a team or organization.
The Bottom Line
BUD/S training does not create superhuman ability. It dismantles the false belief that the ability was never there. The transformation is not physical. It is a mindset shift from "I can't" to "I haven't been pushed far enough to find out yet."
Whether you think you can or you can't, you are right. The job of a great leader is to make sure their team starts thinking the right way.
Ready to build a team that believes in what is possible?
I work with HR leaders, managers, and executive teams to build the confidence and clarity that drives real performance. Visit the services page to learn more about how we work together, or get in touch directly through the contact page.
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