3. Detaching Emotion and Adapting Plans Mid-Action AUTHOR NAME: Admiral James Stavridis, United States Navy (Retired) BOOK TITLE: To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision Key lessons include not getting emotionally involved, quoting The
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John Batchelor
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🗓️ 13 October 2025
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Summary
3. Detaching Emotion and Adapting Plans Mid-Action
BOOK TITLE: To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision
Key lessons include not getting emotionally involved, quoting The Godfather: "Never make the mistake of hating your enemies. It clouds your judgment." Bill Halsey failed this by becoming emotional in competition with Admiral Spruance. Stephen Decatur demonstrated preparedness to change his mind in Tripoli when he switched his plan from cutting out the USS Philadelphia to burning the ship.
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| 0:28.9 | This is CBSI and the world. I'm John Bachelors with Admiral James Stavridis. |
| 0:34.7 | United States Navy retired. His new book is To Risk It All, nine conflicts in the crucible of decision. We're taking lessons learned. |
| 0:38.5 | We go now to lesson five. |
| 0:40.7 | Do not get emotionally involved. |
| 0:43.4 | I jest with Jim, this seems to be a filter that admirals have to go through when they, because the examples in his book are Farragut and then Dewey learning from Farragut. |
| 0:55.2 | And then Halsey in the Lady Golf and actually through his career, the raid on the marshals in 42 and certainly the Doolittle Raid. |
| 1:05.9 | And then Michelle Howard, not get emotionally involved. |
| 1:08.8 | What does that mean as an admiral knowing you're going to be blamed if something goes wrong? |
| 1:12.6 | Well, let's start with the point that all of these stories give us any of us good lessons because everyone sooner or later faces a moment where you must risk at all, be it at a mass shooting, be it standing on a beach |
| 1:29.3 | when someone's drowning in front of you, be it when an ATV goes over the side on a mountain |
| 1:34.9 | trail, you have to scramble down to help someone. |
| 1:38.1 | Everyone faces these moments. |
| 1:39.9 | And so I'll start by not describing how admirals don't get emotionally involved, |
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