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Tom Chaby

Performance Under Pressure

Learn Leadership, Performance Optimization, and Resilience Delivered by a Navy SEAL

Learn how to apply performance optimization techniques across the full spectrum of your organization delivered by the Navy SEAL responsible for innovating resilience across the global Special Operations community.

Great teams and the strongest individual performers leverage every opportunity to get an advantage over their competition. They assess and select smarter, they train and develop more effectively, they develop motivation that unites when it matters most, they communicate with their leaders and teammates more clearly, they understand leadership is a tool for success vs. a title someone “wears,” and they perform under pressure without fail. If you are interested in capturing these powerful opportunities and using them to your advantage, we can help.

Navy SEAL Captain Tom Chaby clearly translates his extensive leadership, performance optimization and resiliency expertise into tangible and immediately usable learning modules. His model has proven resoundingly successful with more than 100 business, sports and public organizations over the past five years. He has brought extreme value to some of the most successful “teams” of our generation.

Tom has eight dynamic presentations that provide the foundation to custom design his content to best meet your requirements for success.  Whether you are looking to develop a program from the ground up or simply enhance an already existing capability, Captain Chaby can help capture opportunities to help take you and your organization to the next level of success and beyond.

Captain Chaby has eight dynamic presentations that provide the foundation to custom design his content to best meet your requirements for success.  Whether you are looking to develop a program from the ground up or simply enhance an already existing capability, Tom can help capture opportunities to help take you and your organization to the next level of success and beyond.

  • Leadership in chaos; Embracing disruption
  • Handling pressure; The most important SKILL when it matters most
  • Failure is not an option
  • Setting the conditions for success; creating a culture of change
  • Full spectrum resiliency and how it improves your bottom line
  • The art of relevance
  • If I could go back in time
  • “The interview”

Partial List of Tom’s Clients:

  • Morgan Stanley
  • FEDEX Executives
  • Intuit Inc. Leadership Panel
  • American Medical Association (AMA) Interim Meeting
  • First Niagara Bank, provided by Nationwide
  • CBRE Leadership Event
  • Vistage Key Group San Antonio
  • TEDx IMG Academy
  • Meridian (Oil Industry)
  • Gem Seal Annual Conference
  • Retired Executives Advisory Panel
  • Bank of Tampa
  • Healthcare Executives Network (HEN)
  • Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and
  • Resilience Summit
  • Eagle Fund fundraiser
  • Business Leaders at Vintage Club Indian Wells – Briefed
  • Bill Gates, Dennis Washington and 20 other business leaders on what makes SEAL teams successful.
  • Next Speaker Series
  • Kobold Watch and Expedition Tools Company
  • SIGGRAPH Conference
  • Vice President of the United States of America
Travels From:  Florida
City: Clearwater
$5,001 to $10,000

Biography

Captain Tom Chaby has been an active duty US Navy SEAL for 26 years. Throughout his career, Tom has led special operations at every level in over 70 countries around the world. Shortly after 9/11, Captain Chaby deployed to Afghanistan leading a Task Unit of 50 SEALs and support personnel conducting special operations in support of the initial stages of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. During the latter part of the most critical fight in Fallujah, Tom led a Task Force of over 400 personnel conducting full spectrum special operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Earlier in his career, Tom lived in South America leading Counter Drug Operations throughout Colombia and the region. Captain Chaby’s operational experience has been extensive, diverse and extremely effective.

Outside of the operational realm, Tom has worked relentlessly with developing and ensuring performance optimization for the SEAL community and developing holistic resiliency for the entire 67,000 members that comprise the Special Operations community. During five years of being the Deputy Commanding Officer of the SEAL Training Command and a SEAL Instructor, Tom was integral in creating the current generation of SEAL operators. While directing the Preservation of the Force and Family effort, Tom helped shape programs, authorities and resources to help the entire Special Operations community build and sustain resiliency in four domains: physical, psychological, social and spiritual. His efforts have significantly improved operational readiness and the well-being of his teammates.

Over the past four years, Captain Chaby has been collaborating with dozens of corporate leadership and sports teams, providing value to organizations by bringing his extensive experience and insights through speaking engagements and full spectrum consulting. Some of Captain Chaby’s talks include: Leadership in Chaos, Embracing Disruption; The Art of Relevance; Handling Pressure, the most important SKILL when it matters most; Failure is not an option; Setting the Conditions for Success, creating a culture of change; and Full Spectrum Resiliency and how it improves your bottom line. Tom has spoken to Bill Gates, Dennis Washington, CBRE leadership, American Medical Association, Intuit leadership, Coach Saban and the University of Alabama Football Team, Coach Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Yankees coaching staff and dozens of other high performance organizations.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Tampa Bay, FL | 2013 –Present
Director, Preservation of the Force & Families Task Force (POTFF-TF)

  • Managed $500M effort. Led two Legislative Proposals to change current law to better support requirements
  • Worked directly with 40+ members of the United States Congress to ensure resources and support
  • Directed a network of 1,000 + doctors, trainers, and family program coordinators to reach all program goals
  • Developed and implemented a Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) plan to monitor and validate program results
    Refined human performance master plan for over 20 large scale construction projects
  • Developed and provided ongoing support for a Transition Management Program for retiring Special Operators

Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWCEN) San Diego, CA | 2011 – 2013
Deputy Commander

  • Managed curriculum development and safety for over 80 training courses and 6,000 + students annually
  • Directed the “pipeline” to create Navy SEALs, Sniper School, Free-fall Parachute School and all High Risk Safety training
  • Provided training capability briefings to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Congressional Delegates, Senior Foreign Military Leaders, and over 100 + other state, federal, and foreign government leaders
  • Team leader negotiating land use for critical training – multi service/agency challenge – environmental impact mitigations

Naval Special Warfare Group One San Diego, CA | 2009 –2011
Deputy Commander – *Assigned Commander for seven months while acting Commander was deployed

  • Briefed U.S. Vice President, SECDEF, and other key foreign policy officials on battlefield operations and challenges
  • Implemented a resiliency development program – efforts raised morale, readiness and effectiveness
  • Awarded the mark of Outstanding during Inspector General’s Command Assessment – commended for this result
  • Received the San Diego Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Military Honoree Award
  • Managed 10 Component Commands, 112 special assistants, and an extensive training range network, synchronizing efforts to man, train, and equip 1,700+ SEALs and support personnel conducting special operations around the globe

Special Operations Task Force – West Fallujah, Iraq | 2008 –2009
Commanding Officer

  • Established four new forward operating bases in remote regions of Iraq
  • Successfully targeted over 125 known terrorists and improved regional stability in critical regions of Iraq
  • Developed and implemented new aerial surveillance capability, effort improved battlefield effectiveness
  • Led 400 personnel; routinely briefed senior military and governmental leaders from the US and Iraq
  • Developed and implemented Third Location Decompression (TLD) stop in Germany. Effort improved service members’ ability to seamlessly reintegrate with their family upon return from combat

SEAL Team FIVE San Diego, CA | 2007 – 2008
Commanding Officer

  • Ranked #1 Commanding Officer on West Coast
  • Task organized and trained 200 personnel to deploy to combat around the world
  • Implemented 1st ever Combat Support Unit fusing operations, ordnance and supply into one cohesive team

United States Special Operations Command Tampa Bay, FL | 2004 – 2007
Operations

  • Planned and executed 57 intricate trips around the world for the Commanding Officer (a position leading 50K+ personnel) to meet with Heads of State, political leaders, ambassadors, business leaders, military leaders and combat units
  • Night Chief of Operations for Task Force in Afghanistan – tracking and ensuring battlefield requirements were met
  • Led a Strategic Planning Team of 125 personnel developing a classified operation plan against global terrorist organizations

SEAL Team EIGHT Afghanistan | 2001 – 2002
Task Unit Commander

  • Led 50 + personnel conducting full-spectrum special operations in Afghanistan
  • Key leader developing operational plans to surge into Afghanistan in response to 9/11
  • Trained three Carrier Battle Groups to conduct Maritime Interdiction Operations

Colombian Embassy Bogota, Colombia | Puerto Rico | Panama | 1998 – 2001
Plans Officer | Operations Officer

  • Led 150 personnel with $20M budget planning and executing operations throughout South America/Caribbean
  • Routinely briefed both US & Colombian Ambassadors, Deputy Chief of Mission and other key leaders
  • Worked alongside all US Agencies and the Colombian Government ensuring program readiness and effectiveness

Presentations

As leaders, we constantly talk about aligning objectives, situational awareness, dealing with ambiguity, and adapting to unpredictable conditions.  Captain Tom Chaby, an active duty US Navy SEAL officer, talks about the reality of developing and training the very best of our military’s special operators to be successful in situations where the environments are all but guaranteed to be dynamic and disrupted, with deadly serious implications possible.  While failure in your environment may not result in the consequences faced by our military special operators, you can draw on lessons from them on how to lead successfully in fast-moving, hyper-dynamic conditions with limited predictability.  Join us and learn how to change your team into one that not only can handle the challenges of chaos, but learn strategies to embrace disruption and use it to your advantage.

 

The ability to handle pressure is often the difference between success and failure and at times it can even be the difference between life and death.  Captain Tom Chaby, an active duty US Navy SEAL officer, talks about handling pressure and performing at your highest level when it matters most.  Learn how Navy SEALs prepare their warriors to dominate under the most daunting pressure imaginable. Learn how a simple perceptual change can shift you from being a “choker” to someone who excels under pressure.  If your organization is committed to improving your bottom line results, pressure will undoubtedly increase.  Join us so you can develop the necessary tools to help take your organization to the highest levels of success possible.

(The Five Key elements that make SEAL Teams successful) – Have you ever truly been part of something where failure, was not an option?  Captain Tom Chaby, an active duty US Navy SEAL officer, talks about what it takes to ensure mission success in the most difficult conditions imaginable while preventing injury and death.  In this presentation, you will be exposed to everything from the SEAL culture to the unique leadership principle “teamability.”  Join us and learn that when failure is not an option, the possibilities of success become limitless.

Creating change is easier said than done.  If it were easy, everyone would be zeroing in on perfection.  Captain Tom Chaby, an active duty US Navy SEAL officer, talks about how his community creates change.  He will share his experience conducting special operations in over 60 countries around the world.  He will explain how SEALs prepare for combat and some of the unique leadership features of this elite organization.  Join us and learn how your organization can leverage these simple principles and immediately begin down the road to success.

 

The USA has the most impressive medical system in the world.  We can respond to any medical challenge with state of the art equipment and techniques.  How good are we at prevention and encouraging wellness?  Captain Tom Chaby, an active duty US Navy SEAL officer and the Director of United States Special Operations Command Preservation of the Force and Family, talks about how special operations has built a system of prevention that is helping special operators prepare for and navigate physical, psychological and social challenges.  This effort is significantly improving operational readiness while reducing costs.  These same principles can be “game changing” for you, when applied to your organization.

Have you ever felt fully empowered, fully part of the solution?  Captain Tom Chaby, an active duty US Navy SEAL officer, talks about the importance of relevance to success in special operations.  Join us and learn how, relevance, can improve your organizations morale, effectiveness and level of success.

Captain Tom Chaby looks back at his lessons learned over his 26 year career as a Navy SEAL.  Tom captivates the audience with his unique insights to performance optimization, leadership, being a better follower, and resilience.  Tom constructs his remarks as if he is giving himself advice back when he was in High School.   Captain Chaby’s reflective journey in time combined with his amazingly compelling delivery; provide the perfect vehicle to motivate positive change in your organization.

Your organization selects one of your leaders to interview Captain Chaby in front of your team (up on a stage is ideal).  The setting is informal, typically two comfortable chairs with coffee or water.  The questions are designed by your organization with Captain Chaby to focus on your team’s vision, challenges and goals and to ultimately compel action.  This collaborative adventure routinely results in subtle messaging that becomes a game-changer for success.

 

Areas of expertise

  • Crisis Communication
  • Culture Change
  • Cross Functional Team Leadership
  • Executive Leadership
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Building Effective Relationships
© 2023 Ro Morrison & Assoc.