Weeks ago if you asked my son what he wanted to be when he grows up and he would have proudly exclaimed, “A pirate!” This week he has received a lesson in what it really means to be a pirate thanks to the news and some father/son discussions.

I watched the news tonight and felt joy that Captain Richard Phillips has been rescued, but the story took an interesting turn for me personally when anchor Brian Williams went on to say that the successful rescue mission was due to the training that the Navy SEALS received.

We all know that it is not an easy task to even become a Navy SEAL. Only one out of four recruits completes the initial training (which takes over 3 years). So what kind of ongoing training do these elite men receive that enables them to make such rescues?

According to Williams’ report tonight SEALS are typically on a cycle of 6-months deployment followed by 18-months training. Rinse. Repeat.

Ironically when you look at the Navy SEALS Web site their slogan is “Small Investment, Big Real-World Dividends.”

What kind of investment do we make with our training? And what kind of dividends do we see?