extreme ownership
TLDR: Frickin Jocko. Great book to understand how to lead well. From a Navy SEAL. Those two things need to be taken into context.
This is another book I got on because of my Navy SEAL kick.
That is not supposed to sound as trite as it probably does.
I didn’t grow up as a military kid. I read Lone Survivor and IMMEDIATELY knew how ignorant I was about life. That inspired a truly deep inward look at who I was/am, and what to do about it.
This book specifically I picked up because I listen to The Jocko Podcast, and I appreciate what Jocko has to say about leading. I’ve had some pretty crap leaders in my life, specifically over the last 5 or so years. (There’s probably a few blog posts I’ve done about this haha).
These guys leave ZERO room for excuses. ZERO. That is something to really be inspired by. They break down their idea of “Extreme Ownership” over chapters, each one diving more into techniques in leadership.
I love it all. What I have a hard time with is the blanket idea of “taking the blame for everything.” More inspection to this idea on his podcast breaks it down better - we all know we’re not to blame for everything, but there’s an invitation to take initiative on anything that goes wrong and do the work to fix it. THAT is awesome.
The other interesting thing is that the Echelon Front team is a team of folks that have the same value set. This book is hard to implement into cultures where the values are different. I’ve experienced that first hand. HOWEVER I may have just not taken enough time within that specific culture to do these things… but regardless, this book offers a great perspective on the importance of taking swift action to solve problems on any level, and how to do that with personal tact.
I recommend this to any leader who is trying to figure it out. I’m using this stuff daily, albeit imperfectly.
*the link above is an Amazon Affiliate link. You will NOT be charged if you click on it, however if you do buy the book from this link, I will get a small commission on the sale at zero extra cost to you. This money goes to diapers, coffee, and the occasional movie rental. Thanks for the commish, enjoy the book!