Author: Jocko Willink
My recommendation: 5/5
Summary
Powerful and practical advise from a former U..S Navy SEAL on how to be a great leader.
My Takeaways
- On any team, in any organization, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader. The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame.
- The leader must acknowledge mistakes and admit failures, take ownership of them, and develop a plan to win.
- If an individual on the team is not performing at the level required for the team to succeed, the leader must train and mentor that underperformer. But if the underperformer continually fails to meet standards, then a leader who exercises Extreme Ownership must be loyal to the team and the mission above any individual.
- If underperformers cannot improve, the leader must make the tough call to terminate them and hire others who can get the job done. It is all on the leader.
- Total responsibility for failure is a difficult thing to accept, and taking ownership when things go wrong requires extraordinary humility and courage. But doing just that is an absolute necessity to learning, growing as a leader, and improving a team’s performance.
- Navy Seal training example in BUDS: boat leader 2 had a realistic assessment, acknowledgment of failure, and ownership of the problem were key to developing a plan to improve performance and ultimately win. Most important of all, he believed winning was possible. In a boat crew where winning seemed so far beyond reach, the belief that the team actually could improve and win was essential.
- Extreme Ownership is contagious and gets instilled in teams.
- One of the most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
- Everyone must believe in the mission and it’s a leader’s job to explain why the mission exists and is important. In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, a leader must be a true believer in the mission.
- Leaders must always operate with the understanding that they are part of something greater than themselves and their own personal interests. They must impart this understanding to their teams down to the tactical-level operators on the ground. Far more important than training or equipment, a resolute belief in the mission is critical for any team or organization to win and achieve big results.
- It’s important to ask questions and understand the “Why” behind the mission or decision. This will help you convince others in the mission which will increase the likelihood of success.
- Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership, and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team.
- Ego can prevent a leader from conducting an honest, realistic assessment of his or her own performance and the performance of the team.
- The SEAL concept “Cover and Move” means teamwork. All elements within the greater team are crucial and must work together to accomplish the mission, mutually supporting one another for that singular purpose. Departments and groups within the team must break down silos, depend on each other and understand who depends on them.