Extreme Ownership Flashcards
Jocko Willink
Describe “Extreme Ownership”.
A true leader takes 100% ownership of everything in his domain, including the outcome and everything that affects it. This is the most fundamental building block of leadership that cuts across all other principles. It applies to leadership at any level, in any organization.
Describe “No Bad Teams, Only Bad Leaders”.
Leaders fundamentally decide their teams’ level of performance. Under the right leadership, any team can thrive.
As a leader, you must fully understand and believe in a mission, before you can convince others to embrace it and lead them to do what’s needed to succeed.
Explain how to accomplish this.
A leader must ask questions of their superior to gain a comprehensive understanding of instructions/strategy.
What comes above all else, including your ego?
The mission & your team.
Great leaders prioritize the wider mission over their personal ego. They’re willing to learn, accept good ideas from others, and own up to their mistakes. They also of manage their team members’ egos to keep everyone focused on the team mission.
Describe the “Cover & Move” strategy.
Cover and Move is a common military tactic, where one team covers while another moves, so they can jointly gain ground. This is all about having different teams working together and supporting one another.
i.e. breaking down existing silos, & doing what you can to help other teams.
What is the importance of keeping things simple?
Keep your plans simple, so they can be easily communicated, understood, and adjusted in response to real-time changes.
When faced with a number of problems, what is the best strategy to move forward with?
Prioritize & Execute.
It can be overwhelming to be faced with many time-sensitive, high-stake problems, all of which may snowball into bigger issues. In such situations, good leaders stay calm, take stock to identify the top priorities, then tackle them one at a time.
Explain “Decentralized Command”.
Break down your teams into groups of 4-5, with a clearly assigned leader for each group. Ensure that leaders at all levels understand the overall mission and immediate goals, including what the team must do and why.
What does “Sound Planning” look like?
Great leaders ensure there’s a sound planning process that includes mission clarity, evaluation of options and risks, engagement of all levels, post-action debrief, and systematization of the planning process..
Describe leading “up & down the line”.
Great leaders concurrently lead lead upward (by offering information and updates to help their leaders understand their work and support them) and lead downward (to help junior leaders and frontline staff to see the bigger picture).
