Hi UKG — Dan Cnossen here. You may know me as a Paralympic Nordic skier and your proud athlete ambassador, but I’ve worn a few different uniforms over the years. Before becoming an athlete, I served as a Navy SEAL officer, and before that, I was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, trying to figure out what I wanted to study — and, really, who I wanted to become.
That process of figuring things out — through formal education, the military, and sport — has shaped not just my path, but the way I think, work, and adapt. And if there’s one lesson that’s been consistent across all those worlds, it’s this: learning never stops, and adaptability is a skill you have to keep building.
Finding My Own Academic Path
When I arrived at the Naval Academy from a fifth-generation Kansas farm, it was a cultural shift, to put it mildly. Most midshipmen pursued engineering or technical majors. I considered it too — it seemed like the “right” path. But I kept coming back to what truly interested me: literature. Shakespeare, Hemingway, war novels, stories of the human condition. Eventually, I chose to major in English.
That decision may not have looked strategic at the time, but it changed everything. Studying literature helped me communicate better, understand people more deeply, and think critically — all skills that would serve me in ways I didn’t yet understand. And it gave me the academic foundation to compete for a spot in the elite Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training program. Not despite my major, but because I was thriving.
Learning Doesn’t Stop at Graduation
In the military, training never stops — but studying sometimes does. Looking back, I wish I’d carved out more time for reflection and deeper learning: not just tactics, but global politics, history, public speaking, and leadership philosophy. A SEAL teammate of mine once blocked out one hour each day just to study international affairs. That stuck with me. He knew that to lead in complex environments, you had to keep sharpening the mind as much as the body.
Adaptability isn’t just reacting quickly — it’s preparing intentionally.
Grad School (and Buddhism) Made Me a Better Athlete
After my injury in Afghanistan and my retirement from the Navy, I leaned into education again — first at Harvard Kennedy School, then, unexpectedly, at Harvard Divinity School. It wasn’t part of some grand plan. I met a few students, sat in on a class, and was drawn in. I found myself studying ethics, philosophy, and religion — subjects I might not have pursued in a more “practical” phase of life.
One class on Buddhism struck me in particular. The teachings on presence, discipline, and quiet persistence echoed what I’d always loved about skiing. That semester, I was training full-time for the 2018 Paralympics. The mental discipline I gained from those studies helped me focus more fully — and I ended up winning gold in the 7.5km Biathlon Sprint.
Did a course on Eastern philosophy make me a faster skier? Not directly. But it helped me become a more present and intentional athlete. And that mattered more than I expected.
Adaptability Through Learning
Across the Naval Academy, the battlefield, the classroom, and the ski trail, I’ve learned that the key to long-term growth is staying a student — always. The labels change — soldier, skier, speaker — but the mindset stays: keep learning, stay curious, cross-train your brain and your body.
In today’s workplace, especially in a fast-moving organization like UKG, that lesson applies just as strongly. Markets shift. Technologies evolve. Roles change. The people who thrive aren’t always the ones who knew the most at the start — they’re the ones who stay open, flexible, and committed to growth.
When you combine the structure of academics with the mental toughness of athletics or military service, you don’t just get resilience — you get strategic adaptability. You become someone who doesn’t just handle change but leads through it.
So, whether you’re learning a new platform, diving into an unfamiliar subject, or just asking better questions — know that you’re investing in one of the most transferable skills of all: the ability to adapt and keep moving forward.
