“But only when I started to swim, did I feel true fear”: these words, repeated several times, formed a key part of Chapel speaker Eric Kapitulik’s impactful story about the harrowing experience of being trapped in a sinking helicopter during a training mission gone wrong at sea. With this story as his opening, Kapitulik took the stage on Friday, September 26th, to provide key advice on leadership and teamwork.
In 1995, Mr. Kapitulik, having graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy as a student-athlete on the lacrosse team, went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Special Operations Officer with the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division. After several of his colleagues tragically passed away in the helicopter accident, Mr. Kapitulik began competing in triathlons, notably completing eight Ironman competitions, the Canadian Death Race Ultra Marathon, and the American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon, among others. Through competing in these endurance events, Mr. Kapitulik aimed to raise enough money to provide college scholarships for the children of all of his deceased friends. After eight years, Mr. Kapitulik left the service and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2005. He then founded an organization called The Program, which seeks to help young men build character and grit.
According to Mr. Kapitulik, “leadership is a contact sport.” He demonstrated this by instructing the boys to stand up and hug the people immediately adjacent to them. Using Tyler Smith ’26 and Thomas Danahy ’26 as on-stage models, Mr. Kapitulik emphasized that “ if you want energy, you have to be the kind of person who gives it. And if someone does give you energy, you better make sure you give it right back to them.”
Next, Mr. Kapitulik emphasized the importance of leading by example, declaring, “As a leader, don’t ever ask your teammates to do something you’re not willing to do yourself. The best teammates set the example, and then we hold our teammates accountable to it.” Mr. Kapitulik went on to warn against the danger of simply being “nice friends,” describing how only resorting to kindness could morph into laziness. As great teammates, we should tell each other the things we do not want to hear, in order to improve each other.
Finally, Mr. Kapitulik proved how uncomfortable changing a habit could be through a simple arm-crossing activity. Talking about the three main areas of courage that he found most important, physical, mental, and emotional courage, Mr. Kapitulik presented a photo of him and his wife standing at the base of Mt. Everest on a beautiful day. He asserted that feats like completing triathlons, climbing towering mountains, and being a good leader ultimately required all three types of courage (physical, mental, and emotional), and that each are essential tools needed for success. Mr. Kapitulik emphasized how significant making good habits was both as an athlete on a sports team and beyond in the outside world.“All it has to do with is a choice—we must make every morning that we wake up, a morning where we decide to be the best leader that we can be. I hope you make the right choice.”
If you would like to learn more about Mr. Kapitulik and his mission at The Program, please feel free to visit theprogram.org.