Here’s my 1 sentence summary of the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink: The leader always takes the blame.
Even if you don’t think it’s your fault.
That’s how Jocko defines the term ‘extreme ownership.’
He told the story of how his Navy SEALS went into a house in Ramadi, Iraq, and didn’t inform their location to command.
One of them saw a local approaching with an AK-47 and shot him.
After that, people started firing at their location.
They fired back and called for backup.
It was a fierce firefight.
Some of them got injured.
When backup finally arrived, they found out they had been in a shootout with their Iraqi ally.
1 person died.
A few were injured.
So the leadership demanded an investigation.
Jocko called his team into a room.
His leaders and the investigators sat in.
Then, he asked his team, “Whose fault is it?”
1 of them said, “It’s my fault. I should’ve identified the local before engaging.”
Jocko said, “No. Whose fault is it?”
Another said, “It’s my fault. I should’ve informed command we were in the house.”
Jocko again said, “No. Whose fault is it?”
When there were no more answers, he said, “It’s my fault. As leader, I take full responsibility.”
He wasn’t even in the house, by the way.
He was back at the base.
Why should the leader always take the blame?
2 reasons:
1. When the leader takes the blame, changes happen
When you take the blame, when it’s your fault, you’ll do everything in your power to prevent it from happening again.
For example, putting processes in place, reorganizing your team, etc.
But if you blame others, more often than not, nothing changes.
And the problem will keep repeating.
2. You create a winning culture.
When your team sees you taking the blame, they’ll learn to do the same.
Imagine a team where everyone takes responsibility for a mistake.
Where everyone takes extreme ownership.
That’s a high-performing team.
But if you blame everyone else, they’ll do the same.
And worst, if you blame your team, you’ll create mistrust, which leads to a low-performing team.
As Jocko said, “Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.”
Some other lessons.
A few other lessons in the book:
1. You must believe the instructions you receive
One day, Jocko received an email from his superiors:
You must execute missions with, by, and through your Iraqi allies.
In other words, you must bring the Iraqi allies on every mission.
He was pissed.
He thought, How could my leaders do this?
The Iraqis are one of the worst soldiers in the world.
They’re untrained, unmotivated, and disloyal.
Some had seen the Iraqis run from the battlefield while blindly shooting backwards.
All while their team was still behind them.
He thought, This command will get my men killed.
But as he thought about it deeper, he realized he and his men were not going to be in Iraq forever.
And in order for them to go home, the Iraqi allies have to be capable enough to defend their country.
Only once he believed this did he tell his team.
His team objected initially.
But when he asked, “Do you want to stay in Iraq forever?” they understood and complied.
You must understand and believe the instructions you receive before cascading them to your team.
If not, you’ll not be able to convince them.
And you and your team will not take the necessary risk to get the job done.
But what if you receive an instruction that you do not believe?
Then, he suggests you go and talk it over with your superiors until you do.
2. Be decisive
Jocko told the story of a tech startup where the 2 senior engineers hated one another.
One day, the CEO received an email from one of them: Fire this other engineer or I’m quitting.
A few hours later, the other engineer emailed her: Fire this 1st engineer or I’m quitting.
Jocko, who was consulting for the company, asked, “Who will you keep?”
She said, “I don’t know.”
When he pressed her further, she said, “Let it play out.”
In other words, “I don’t want to make a decision.”
She didn’t say, “I will decide in 2 days,” which is still OK.
That’s still making a decision.
But she decided not to make a decision.
Jocko then proposed a 3rd option: Fire both of them.
They’re bad for the team morale.
She was hesitant, but after a while, she agreed.
She spoke to the engineering manager.
Who, in turn, spoke to 2 junior engineers.
They were ready and willing to fill the senior engineer’s shoes.
A few hours later, she fired them both, and things got better.
Be decisive.
3. Leadership makes all the difference
The final stage to be a SEAL is Hell Week.
This is 5.5 days of continuous training with no sleep, meant to break you.
During one Hell Week, 1 team was consistently getting 1st and another was consistently getting last.
So Jocko decided to try out something: He moved the leader from the 1st team to the last team.
And the leader from the last team to the 1st team.
The results?
The last team became 1st.
Leadership plays that big a role in a team’s success.
It makes all the difference.
4. Be humble.
Don’t have a us VS them mentality.
My team VS your team mindset.
Be humble and work for the greater good.
5. Communicate your intent
Don’t just tell your team what to do.
Tell them why you want them to do it.
When you do this, they’ll become more adaptable.
Before 1 mission, Jocko said,
“Our mission is to secure this building (goal) so Iraqi soldiers can take control of the neighborhood (intent).”
But when they approached that building, the route was blocked, and they came under enemy fire.
Instead of pushing through, they adapted and took another building, which still gave them control of the neighborhood.
So communicate your intent. Then, your team will become more adaptable.
6. Prioritize and execute.
When you’re under pressure, don’t be overwhelmed.
Prioritize and execute.
Choose the most important task and do it.
Then, move on to the next most important task and do it.
And keep going.
7. Plan as if everything will go wrong
When the SEALS plan to storm a building, they do not assume everything will be OK.
They plan for contingencies: What if the door is laced with explosives?
What if the enemy is ready for them, etc.?
Don’t assume everything will be OK.
Plan as if everything will go wrong.