In contrast, those who do the best not only take on the onus for mistakes but seek correction from their superiors. In Navy SEAL training, the lowest performers in worst-case-scenarios are those that blame their subordinates or the scenario instead of carrying the burden themselves. Because his superior’s knew that leaders make mistakes but the best ones take accountability for them, they let him remain in command. Interestingly, his level of responsibility for the event ended up saving Willink’s job. Of all the things he could have thought about this tragedy, this man knew for certain that the accountability for what had happened rested on him. What was Willink to do seeing as he was the ranking officer in the operation? To their horror, the group later learns that bullets from their assumed enemy were actually friendly fire from another unit.

When the team starts taking heavy fire from what they thought was the enemy, a soldier loses his life. It’s 2012 and Jocko Willink finds himself in Ramadi, Iraq leading a SEAL task unit. If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.ĭownload PDF Lesson 1: A team’s success depends on the leader’s willingness to take blame for failure. I hope you’re looking forward to learning from some of the top leaders in the world, let’s go! Extreme Ownership Summary

Managing risks before they pop up is a key attribute of great leaders.

Pressure is inevitable as a leader, remaining calm and effective comes from establishing priorities and taking action.

A leader who takes responsibility for failure is vital to the success of a team.

Here are 3 lessons I’ve learned about leadership from these Navy SEALs: That means you don’t need to dodge bullets in another country to learn how combat experiences can help you become a better leader. These two will bring the management lessons of the battlefield right into your workplace. That’s what authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin are here to do in Extreme Ownership: How U.S. What can a Navy SEAL’s experience while protecting their country teach you about how to get better at those decisions?

But we still must make decisions that affect our clients and employees. Thankfully, many of us don’t have to go into battle. One of these aspects that you probably didn’t consider is the leadership skills that soldiers learn while bullets are whizzing past their ears.īeing a leader sometimes feels as extreme as leading a company of troops into a war zone.

We watch depictions of it on the movie screen for entertainment, but we often don’t consider what really happens on the battlefield.

Extreme ownership workbook