What’s It Mean to Be “Elite?” — A Delta Force Commando’s Perspective

Mark A Hope
10 min readAug 20, 2023

I served in four elite units and attended the most challenging and elite training courses the U.S. military offers.

I have often reflected on the elite status of people, leaders, and organizations.

What people are defined as elite, and how did they achieve that status?

What are “elite” organizations, and how did they become so?

During my time in the service and the years following — as I built my business career — I often thought about…

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Mark A Hope

Mark A Hope, a former Army Delta Force operator and corporate executive, writes about business, performance, and life.