The Attributes

25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance

By: Rich Diviney

Narrated by: Rich Diviney

Do you have what it takes to succeed in any situation? According to a retired commander who ran training for Navy SEALs, true optimal performance goes beyond just skill. It’s all about THE ATTRIBUTES.

“Diviney’s incredible book explains why some people thrive—even when things get hard.”—Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit

During his twenty years as a Navy officer and SEAL, Rich Diviney was intimately involved in a specialized SEAL selection process, which whittled a group of hundreds of extraordinary candidates down to a handful of the most elite performers. Diviney was often surprised by which candidates washed out and which succeeded. Some could have all the right skills and still fail, while others he might have initially dismissed would prove to be top performers. The seemingly objective criteria weren’t telling him what he most needed to know: Who would succeed in one of the world’s toughest military assignments?

It is similarly hard to predict success in the real world.

It happens often enough that underdog students accomplish exceptional achievements while highly skilled, motivated employees fail to meet expectations. Dark-horse companies pull away from the pack while dream teams flush with talent and capital go under. In working with and selecting top special operators for decades, Diviney saw that beneath obvious skills are hidden drivers of performance, surprising core attributes—including cunning, adaptability, courage, even narcissism—that determine how resilient or perseverant we are, how situationally aware and how conscientious. These attributes explain how we perform as individuals and as part of a team. The same methodology that Diviney used in the military can be applied by anyone in their personal and professional lives, and understanding these attributes can allow readers and their teams to perform optimally, at any time, in any situation.

Diviney defines the core attributes in fresh and practical ways and shares stories from the military, business, sports, relationships, and even parenting to show how understanding your own attributes and those of the people around you can create optimal performance in all areas of your life.

Critic reviews

“So much of what I know about trust I learned from Rich Diviney. I’m so glad he wrote The Attributes. It’s the go-to reference for anyone looking to improve the quality of trust and performance across their team.”—Simon Sinek, optimist and New York Times bestselling author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game

“If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that things can go sideways at any moment. Diviney’s incredible book, The Attributes, explains why some people thrive—even when things get hard. It’s about where grit, mental agility, drive, and leadership come from. Mastering skills on its own doesn’t deliver success. Understanding how to cultivate your attributes is the key.”—Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit

“The Attributes is terrific. Diviney has brought world-class experience and deep intelligence to one of the least understood yet crucially important aspects of human performance. If you call yourself a ‘leader,’ or if you want to call yourself a ‘leader,’ this book is a must read!”—Steven Kotler, New York Times bestselling author and Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective

“What is greatness made of? How do you grow into the best version of yourself? Many have explored these questions, and none have succeeded in answering them as brilliantly as Diviney in this terrific, perspective-shifting book. The Attributes provides a powerful new model for achieving high performance—and, even better, a tool kit for reflection, assessment, and continual improvement. If you care about getting better, you need to buy this book.”—Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code

Outstanding resource

I will be reading this book over and over. The work I do in developing police officers that builds on knowledge, skills and ATTRIBUTES will
Benefit greatly through the knowledge I have gained in reading this book. Now to apply it 👍

Much more than Vet leadership book

Rich uses his stories as a Navy seal, as a dad, as a husband, as a researcher, and as a human to connect with the reader. I was drawn into the book and forgot that I was actually developing myself while listening to his stories. This is a must read for anyone working in a team.

Excellent and Practical info to Improve Performance

Excellent and Practical info to Improve Performance, including: interpersonal, intrapersonal, hard and soft skills - to accomplish daily activities as well as performance boosters for emergencies/crisis.

Like all advice - it works best when practiced and tweaked for your specific issues.

Take notes! I will definitely add info from Rich’s book ( with citations and credit) for teaching wilderness survival and share the practical implementation with my clients!

Excellent perspective on human performance

Well written. Well read. Gave me a new perspective on optimal performance. Will be able to directly employ these concepts in my role as Fire Captain.

Go Out and Perform Optimally

Rich Diviney does a wonderful job explaining the 25 attributes and how they differ from skills. A must read!