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.
Winning The War Within
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.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 35). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
This is the definition of extreme ownership.
Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a manager or a partner, you must own your own behaviour and actions while taking responsibility for results.
With Extreme Ownership, you must remove individual ego and personal agenda. It’s all about the mission.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 39). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
On Underperforming Colleagues
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.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 36). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Give then the best opportunity to succeed but if they cant then the leader must make that call too. Seems brutal but necessary. Perhaps redeploy the subordinate.
Who Receives the Credit For Success?
Such a leader, however, does not take credit for his or her team’s successes but bestows that honor upon his subordinate leaders and team members.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 36). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
This approach serves to empower young leaders and co-workers.
As a teacher, this means giving credit to your students.
As a work-colleague, this means giving credit to your subordinates.
Heck, if you are a subordinate, this means giving credit to your boss.
How Impactful Is A Strong Leader?
Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 47). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
leadership is the single greatest factor in any team’s performance. Whether a team succeeds or fails is all up to the leader. The leader’s attitude sets the tone for the entire team. The leader drives performance—or doesn’t. And this applies not just to the most senior leader of an overall team, but to the junior leaders of teams within the team.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 47). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
The above is in reference to a team of cadets who were performing drills and games in teams.
Each team had a leader.
Seal commanders switched out the leaders from the best and worst performing teams. What was the result?
The worst performing team became the best performing team.
The highest performing team became the second best performing team.
When a team has been well-drilled into high-performance, then it continues its performance.
How Do You Succeed With Monstrous Goals?
It was far more effective to focus their efforts not on the days to come or the far-distant finish line they couldn’t yet see, but instead on a physical goal immediately in front of them—the beach marker, landmark, or road sign a hundred yards ahead.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 48). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
On a hike during a school camp in Wilsons Promontory, one student at the rear of the pack complained about the duration of the climb.
I recall suggesting to the student that instead of focussing on how far there is to go, focus on the next achievable goal.
Get to that fern tree in less than 20 steps.
Get to the next bend.
Break down the goal into smaller chunks.
Make a game of it.
How Inaction Leads To Insidious Habits
It’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate. When setting expectations, no matter what has been said or written, if substandard performance is accepted and no one is held accountable—if there are no consequences—lhat poor performance becomes the new standard.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 50). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
What you walk past you is what you accept. It’s the same in the classroom. Setting expectations is crucial.
How do students enter the room? What energy do they bring in? If you accept the behaviour then that becomes the new benchmark. This isn’t to say that you are here to create an autocratic regime over students. It’s to refer back to agreed upon expectations. This is what we will uphold together. I am here to support you to uphold these principles.
What Is The Most Important Feature Of A High-Performing Team?
In the SEAL Teams, the bond of our brotherhood is our strongest weapon. If you take that away from us, we lose our most important quality as a team.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 59). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
It’s the chemistry and the understanding built between members. Operating on a level of instinctive understanding with each other. We need to pre-empt each other’s moves but not let the enemy pre-empt our moves.
This must be constructed over time.
What Must Be Present In Learners To Achieve Success?
But they did have to understand why they were doing it so that they could believe in the mission.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 62). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Where are we going, why are we going and how will we get there?
If your students, players, employees don’t know the why behind what they’re being asked to do, then they won’t have buy-in.
Blue Ocean Strategy makes reference to this with its three E’s: engagement, explanation, expectation clarity.
You must engage with your subordinates to give a voice to them. Once decisions are made, they must be explained. Roles and responsibilities must then be clearly stated.
But once I understood and believed, I then passed that understanding and belief on, clearly and succinctly, to my troops so that they believed in it themselves. When they understood why, they would commit to the mission, persevere through the inevitable challenges in store, and accomplish the task set before us.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 62). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Principle: In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, a leader must be a true believer in the mission.
If you don’t understand or believe in the decisions coming down from your leadership, it is up to you to ask questions until you understand how and why those decisions are being made. Not knowing the why prohibits you from believing in the mission. When you are in a leadership position, that is a recipe for failure, and it is unacceptable. As a leader, you must believe.”
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 69). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
So, if you ever get a task or guidance or a mission that you don’t believe in, don’t just sit back and accept it. Ask questions until you understand why so you can believe in what you are doing and you can pass that information down the chain to your team with confidence, so they can get out and execute the mission. That is leadership.”
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 69). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Great advice for kids in the classroom. If you’re unsure why we are doing something, then approach with curiosity to understand.
As an educator, it’s important to have an answer in mind. For example, kids can often challenge mathematics and how is this useful?
I’ve often given the analogy of eating a meal. To eat a meal, when need ingredients and we need tools. We use number and algebra as our tools and utensils so that we can enjoy the meal.
We use primary aged mathematics in measurement as adults, in chance or probabilities and in finance.
Personally, I find a working knowledge of fractions, decimals and percentages to be useful when making calculations on the fly.
Check The Ego
Ego clouds and disrupts everything: the planning process, the ability to take good advice, and the ability to accept constructive criticism. It can even stifle someone’s sense of self-preservation. Often, the most difficult ego to deal with is your own.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 78). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
When personal agendas become more important than the team and the overarching mission’s success, performance suffers and failure ensues. Many of the disruptive issues that arise within any team can be attributed directly to a problem with ego.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 78). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
You could apply this to any context. A sports team where an individual places their performance first over the performance of a team.
The work colleague who enters into self-preservation mode. I have done this in school working environments as my energy depletes.
My focus has shifted from the needs of the team inwardly to my personal needs. If I were to cast aside my ego, then I wouldn’t have an issue making a contribution to the team.
But there is a balance.
You can see peers who continually give and burn themselves out or work themselves into resentment.
That’s why it’s critical to have an open forum where people can openly discuss their ideas, thoughts and feelings.
Link to Nir Eyal and Indistractable workplaces.
An Example Of A Leader Using Extreme Ownership Language
‘Our team made a mistake and it’s my fault. It’s my fault because I obviously wasn’t as clear as I should have been in explaining why we have these procedures in place and how not following them can cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. You are an extremely skilled and knowledgeable superintendent. You know more about this business than I ever will. It was up to me to make sure you know the parameters we have to work within and why some decisions have got to be run through me. Now, I need to fix this so it doesn’t happen again.’
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 81). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Translate the leader for a teacher. It’s my responsibility that the children understand the content. If they don’t understand, then it’s my fault, not theirs.
I must make the content relatable to them.
Your followers will develop more respect towards you when they see you take the responsibility for unintended results and mistakes.
When An Instruction From A Leader Is Unclear
“Boss, I don’t understand why we are doing this. I don’t see how this is going to help us win the battle. Can you please explain it to me so I can explain it to my guys?” And my boss will be able to do that.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 195). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Expose Your Ignorance; Don’t Hide It
“I’ve never done this procedure before,” or, “I’ve never done work with this piece of equipment before. Can you show me how to use it? Because I want to make sure I understand. I want to make sure I get it.”
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 197). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Don’t pretend you know how to do something when you don’t know. You’re not expected to know everything.
That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t know anything either as that reveals incompetence. Ask for instruction. Ask for understanding.
When You Make A Mistake
If you make a mistake, own it. The worst thing you can do if you make a mistake is try to avoid taking blame for it.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 203). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Cover and Move
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.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 90). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Who is the enemy in your context? Who is the enemy in mathematics? The enemy can be ourselves. It can be the mysterious content itself. Whoever the enemy is, we must name it and work together to overcome it.
The focus must always be on how to best accomplish the mission.
Simpler
Plans and orders must be communicated in a manner that is simple, clear, and concise. Everyone that is part of the mission must know and understand his or her role in the mission and what to do in the event of likely contingencies.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 101). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Here is another reference to expectation clarity in Blue Ocean Strategy. In the classroom, this means keeping language simple and focussing on one key concept each lesson.
You must brief to ensure the lowest common denominator on the team understands.
Remember that the enemy always gets a vote. What this means is that no matter how ‘fool-proof’ your plan, the enemy will always have something to say. They will do something unexpected. The enemy always has a vote.
In a classroom context, this means that you could have the most perfectly planned lesson, but you cannot account for the student who is absent, the student who is rebellious.
Control what you can control. Be reflexive and adapt.
Prioritise And Execute
But a leader must remain calm and make the best decisions possible. To do this, SEAL combat leaders utilize Prioritize and Execute. We verbalize this principle with this direction: “Relax, look around, make a call.”
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 115). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
The strategy is to take a deep breath and slow down your thinking. You must be able to make a decision with the best available information.
How To Implement Prioritise and Execute
To implement Prioritize and Execute in any business, team, or organization, a leader must:
- Evaluate the highest priority problem.
- Lay out in simple, clear, and concise terms the highest priority effort for your team.
- Develop and determine a solution, seek input from key leaders and from the team where possible.
- Direct the execution of that solution, focusing all efforts and resources toward this priority task.
- Move on to the next highest priority problem. Repeat.
- When priorities shift within the team, pass situational awareness both up and down the chain.
- Don’t let the focus on one priority cause target fixation. Maintain the ability to see other problems developing and rapidly shift as needed.
What’s important is that you cannot try to do everything at once. That is guaranteed failure.
I must take a lesson from this sentence as I often have too many projects running simultaneously. Sure, repeated daily action will lead to growth over time, but you have a capacity for tasks. You can do it all. Focus on one thing. Do it until it is finished then move onto the next thing.
Decentralised Command
Human beings are generally not capable of managing more than six to ten people, particularly when things go sideways and inevitable contingencies arise. No one senior leader can be expected to manage dozens of individuals, much less hundreds. Teams must be broken down into manageable elements of four to five operators, with a clearly designated leader.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 128). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
The application in the classroom is to place responsibility in classroom leaders. Perhaps in a classroom of 25, you have 5 students who leader the other four in their group. These are the students who report directly to you.
They are the ones who are reliable and demonstrate that they can do the work.
Plan
What’s the mission? Planning begins with mission analysis. Leaders must identify clear directives for the team. Once they themselves understand the mission, they can impart this knowledge to their key leaders and frontline troops tasked with executing the mission.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 141). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Plan to realise the mission. What is our mission for the course creation?
On Contingency Planning
Detailed contingency plans help manage risk because everyone involved in the direct execution (or in support) of the operation understands what to do when obstacles arise or things go wrong.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 142). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
The school where I was teaching asked us to take the kids to a park during pandemic times. I felt uncomfortable with this instruction.
I asked the leadership team if they had an instruction for what to say if we were approach by someone who questioned our presence.
Establishing an effective and repeatable planning process is critical to the success of any team.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (pp. 144-145). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
This is a consideration I must make for the course creation system.
Leading Up And Down The Chain Of Command
It is critical that each have an understanding of the other’s role. And it is paramount that senior leaders explain to their junior leaders and troops executing the mission how their role contributes to big picture success.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 157). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
What is our maths mission? How does each lesson contribute to that mission? Know the bigger picture and have students understand it for buy in.
When a leader is ‘breaking your balls’, then you can own the situation by understanding their needs. Deliver the report so you know what is being asked of them. They are not here to sabtage.
I believe there is a link here to 7 Habits and being proactive in your circle of influence. Overdeliver and you will gain trust.
Examine what you can do to better convey the critical information for decisions to be made and support allocated.
One of the most important jobs of any leader is to support your own boss—your immediate leadership. In any chain of command, the leadership must always present a united front to the troops. A public display of discontent or disagreement with the chain of command undermines the authority of leaders at all levels. This is catastrophic to the performance of any organization.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 162). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
If you’re discontented, change your attitude. We are a team and we are more performant when working together.
Discipline Equals Freedom
If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win—you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 182). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
Make your get up response almost instant when you first wake.
Leadership requires finding the equilibrium in the dichotomy of many seemingly contradictory qualities, between one extreme and another.
Willink, Jocko; Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership (p. 184). Pan Macmillan Australia. Kindle Edition.
This speaks to balance and even an oscillation between two poles.