As a freshman at Holy Cross, Mike Hayes attended a memorial service for John Connors. The Navy SEAL had been killed in Panama, after graduating the prior spring.
Hayes did not know Connors. But the event changed his life.
Hayes earned a spot in the very elite SEALs program. He spent 3 years in Iraq, then became a White House Fellow. On the National Security Council, he worked directly with Presidents Bush and Obama.
Mike Hayes (center), with his men on a mission.
After 20 years in the military — where he was held at gunpoint, jumped out of a building rigged to explode, and helped amputate a teammate’s leg — Hayes retired. He joined private industry, working as chief of staff to Ray Dalio, and COO, at Bridgewater Associates.
Hayes now serves as managing director at Insight Partners, a global software investor and venture capital firm.
Thirty years after his life was altered by a man he never met, Hayes spoke at a black-tie event, raising funds to build a statue honoring Connors in his home town.
Connors’ mother was there. Hayes thanked her, for raising a son who influenced Hayes’ life so profoundly.
That ideal — making an impact on someone you do not know — resonates deeply with Hayes. It’s the heart of his second book, “Mission Driven: The Path to a Life of Purpose.”
A practical guide for finding purpose and meaning in life, it focuses on self-discovery, and helps readers translate their purpose into actionable steps.
The target audience includes young adults, recent graduates, professionals seeking a new direction — anyone, really, who is going through a transition point in life — or will, one day.
Soon after publication in September, “Mission Driven” debuted at number 4 on USA Today’s list of all best-sellerss in the country.
Hayes never thought he’d be an author. But after the success of his first book — “Never Enough: A Navy Seal Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning,” offering lessons from both the battlefield and boardroom — Hayes realized there was more to say.
He’d provided a blueprint for readers. But now he wanted to offer practical tools, to go beyond living a life of meaning. The next step was making an impact on others — including strangers.
“Mission Driven” has made its own impact. The author has heard from people who made important personal and professional decisions after reading it.
And someone texted him: “Mike, you’ve saved another life. Mine.”
Mike Hayes
Hayes certainly walks the talk. As he did with his first book, he is donating all profits to the 1162 Foundation, supporting Gold Star families. Through it, Hayes has paid off the mortgages of 12 women whose husbands were killed in action.
Hayes emphasizes, though, that the military is not the only way to impact people you’ll never meet. When people thank him for his service, he counters, “Everyone serves, in whatever way we can.”
His book, he says, helps everyone find their way to serve. For someone, it might be “taking particles out of the ocean.” For others, Teach for America, volunteering at their place of worship, or stopping in at a retirement home to spend time listening to residents’ stories.
All of us, he says, can “take action to make our great nation even better.”
Hayes’ grandfather was in the Navy at Pearl Harbor, on the day that will live in infamy. He told Hayes, “Whenever you’re having a hard day, find someone having a harder day.”
Hayes also lives by these words: “Helping others helps us more.”
Serving others is not easy, he acknowledges. The busyness of daily life can intrude on our ability to reach out, and act.
But “Mission Driven”‘s mission — and Hayes’ personal mission — is to reach people he does not know, and provide the tools so that they, in turn, can help others they may never meet.
(For more information and purchase information on “Mission Driven,” click here. Hat tip: Marshall Kiev)
Jamie Dimon rarely provides book blurbs. But he knows Mike Hayes. He put the author’s previous book on JPMorgan Chase’s summer reading list.
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In 2005, 8 SEALs were killed in a helicopter crash. Hayes took over for the survivors. He spent 3 years in Iraq, rising to second in command of SEAL Team 10. That culminated with 8 months as the number 2 man for special operations in Anbar Province.
Hayes puts his money — literally — where his mouth is. When Never Enough is published next February, he’ll donate all profits to a non-profit he began. One of Hayes’ longtime passions is Gold Star families. He’s already paid mortgages for some. Now, he’ll be able to cover even more.