Strength Doesn’t Make You Tough
April 2, 2026
I wasn’t sure I could do it. The US Army’s Ranger School was known to be a grueling test of both physical endurance and tactical ability. And I wasn’t sure I had either. Hell, at just 5’ 9” and barely 140 pounds, I wasn’t exactly the portrait of strength. I had been in the Army for a few years and had been through some tough training events, but did I have what it would take to succeed at Ranger School?
I confided my doubt in a mentor. He thought for a moment, then grinned. “I didn’t think I could either,” he said, “but I learned that the hardships I had endured and lessons that I learned from them had prepared me far more than I could imagine. You’re ready.”
I learned a lot about myself, others, and teams in Ranger School, but none greater than the value of mental toughness. I learned that strength does not equal toughness. I also learned that developing toughness doesn’t happen by accident.
Strength is tangible. Toughness is intangible. For example, you can go to the gym and increase your physical strength by following a good workout regimen. But that wouldn’t necessarily make you tough. I served with many strong soldiers who were not tough. When thrust into adverse environments, their physical strength did little for them. Unable to overcome the challenge, they washed out, and their team suffered as a result. But soldiers who possessed both strength and toughness were something special. These soldiers were warriors.
Throughout my military career, toughness always mattered on the teams I was on. We worked as hard to develop it as we did physical fitness and strength. And much like fitness and strength, toughness could not be taught, it had to be instilled. No amount of instruction on coping mechanisms and visualization techniques could build toughness. Sure, mental frameworks were good, but toughness isn’t a framework. True toughness was built by instilling within team members a sense of commitment to something greater than themselves, thrusting them into developmental hardships, and fostering the belief that they would prevail despite the most difficult of circumstances.
Developmental Hardships: Mental toughness grows in the space between what happened last and what happens next. Leaders who are intent on building toughness provide their team members with developmental hardships that are often harder than anything they might face in “real life.” They use everything at their disposal, Mother Nature included, to create opportunities for shared hardship. “If it ain’t raining, we ain’t training.” Toughness abounds on teams where every member shares in enduring hardship to accomplish the team’s mission, no matter how big or small. Leaders use these experiences to improve their teams by assessing and providing feedback on areas that must improve and those that should be sustained, both for the individual and the team. These shared hardships become a harness that powers the team when adversity strikes.
Commitment: Tough team members are deeply committed to their teams. This team-first attitude overrides any sense of “me first.” This type of commitment breeds an I will never leave a fallen comrade and an I will shoulder more than my share of the task, whatever it might be mentality. Leaders foster commitment through both their words and their actions. They provide meaningful purpose and vision to their team, then demonstrate it through their actions so that their team members will follow. Though team members’ roles may differ, they all share one common goal — and every individual effort matters.
The Stockdale Paradox: Admiral Jim Stockdale saved dozens of lives while in captivity as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He didn’t lead an escape. He didn’t overwhelm the prison guards. But he did instill the belief in his fellow prisoners that they would survive no matter how brutal their circumstances were. For this he earned our Nation’s highest award for valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Tough team members fundamentally believe that they and their team will prevail, no matter what. Tough teams embrace a “two-minute” drill as if victory is predetermined. Even failure cannot deter this belief. Failure is just a setback that temporarily suspends an inevitable future victory. No matter their circumstance, they display the intestinal fortitude required to keep moving forward to accomplish their team’s mission. They don’t whine, complain, or make excuses.
Does toughness matter on the team that you lead? If so, what are you doing to develop it before the moment that matters?
Blog by Shawn Umbrell
Strength Doesn’t Make You Tough was originally published in Horizon Performance on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
