Seal Team Leadership — The Power of One

Sometimes it takes just one.

One person willing to risk, to step forward, to challenge what everyone else has learned to accept. That’s all it takes to shift the tide of culture—whether in the wild or in the workplace.

We were recently watching Hostile Planet with Bear Grylls. In one scene, a pod of sea lions huddled together near the shoreline. A baby sea lion had strayed too far, falling into deep water. Out of nowhere, a great white shark lunged, catching the pup mid-air. The pod froze, staring at the horror. They knew the danger. They knew what would happen if they moved.

And then—something remarkable.

One sea lion leapt into the water. Alone. Vulnerable. But determined. Within seconds, others followed. The shark had no chance against the momentum of the group. What would have been certain death for one became victory for all.

That picture is leadership. That picture is culture.

In every toxic environment, people know the “shark” is out there. They’ve seen it devour others—coworkers who spoke up, employees who dared to challenge the status quo, teammates who couldn’t survive the cutthroat atmosphere. Most people learn to stay quiet, to stay still, to simply survive. And yet the cost of doing nothing is starvation. When everyone holds back, the culture remains unsafe, unproductive, and unhealthy.

But when one person steps forward—one person who refuses to let fear rule the group—it creates space for others to follow. Courage is contagious. And momentum is powerful.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. The first sea lion could have been swallowed. The first employee to speak up might be ignored or criticized. But if that person holds steady, if they continue to model a better way of treating people, others will notice. People don’t want to live under constant threat. They want to work where they feel safe, valued, and appreciated. When they believe the environment can be different, they will give more than you could ever demand.

Think of Rosa Parks. On December 1, 1955, she refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama. Her single act of quiet defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, ignited the civil rights movement, and changed the course of history. One woman, weary of injustice, sat firmly where others told her she did not belong—and in doing so, she gave countless others courage to stand.

The same is true for our workplaces. A healthy culture doesn’t appear out of thin air, and it won’t change just because of a new slogan on the wall. It starts with someone choosing to act differently—protecting a colleague instead of gossiping, admitting a mistake instead of covering it up, or calling out harmful behavior when everyone else stays silent.

Toxicity only survives if everyone watches and waits. But health grows when one person jumps in—and others follow.

So here’s the question: will you be that one?