“ There was a high demand for it ,” Jocko says . “ What we realized is that in any organization ’ s leadership , there ’ s a big thing . There ’ s a lot of civilian companies that don ’ t have leadership training , and they don ’ t learn that on the job if you don ’ t have good leaders to learn from . There ’ s a demand for leadership training .”
On The Frontlines
In 2015 , Jocko partnered with fellow U . S . Navy SEAL Officer Leif Babin to co-author The New York Times ' best-selling book , “ Extreme Ownership : How U . S . Navy SEALs Lead and Win .” The book pushes leaders to evaluate the ways in which they lead and challenges them to become better for their teams and in their personal lives . Together , Leif and Jocko provide readers with a thorough military-grade guide to navigating the nuances and landmines of leadership to become the best versions of themselves for their team and mission . But the pursuit of education didn ’ t stop there . Jocko and Leif once again partnered together to found Echelon Front to address the need for effective leadership training for organizations at all levels . The company now deploys 10 experts to teach leadership skills and styles the military ingrains in soldiers like Jocko and Leif before trusting them to lead a group of men and women into intense combat zones .
Building off the lessons Jocko and Leif compiled in “ Extreme Ownership ,” the team engages business leaders across the nation to create a culture of pride in work while fully accepting responsibility for the actions and results of their leadership . To encourage finding the balance between pushing hard and being compassionate about a team ’ s success , Jocko , Leif , and the Echelon Front team deploy the Extreme Ownership Principles to serve their lesson .
They ’ re the very same tactics Jocko and Leif were taught in SEAL training , and while the war zone is vastly different than the boardroom , these tactics are still vital , Jocko says . These Extreme Ownership Principles give leaders a guide to that everyday battle .
1 . Cover and Move : Just like the military teams that weave and advance toward an enemy target , your team has to be coordinated in the goals of your mission and the steps you are taking to get there . As Jocko often explains , if you have a sales team that is underselling what the manufacturing floor can create , then your sales team is failing your company and the manufacturing team . They are leaving the team dead in the water . Likewise , a manufacturing team that cannot produce the quality materials a sales team is pushing is failing the sales team . Sales will plummet , and you will lose customers .
2 . Simple : This one is easy . Keep it simple . There ’ s no need for added complexities in your fight toward optimal company culture and production . Find the easiest , most effective , and most powerful way to get there and deploy it — simply .
3 . Prioritize and Execute : Does this sound familiar ? You settle into work on Monday morning , field 20 emails , prepare for the big meeting in an hour , manage a complaint from the floor , and overhear of a budding problem in your shipping area , among dozens of other matters that pull your attention away . How do you manage this ? Where many untrained leaders fail is in their inability to
prioritize the biggest problems ahead of them and focus on what they can accomplish rather than everything they want to accomplish .
4 . Decentralize Command : When Jocko was leading a team of trained Navy SEALs into combat , he wasn ’ t taking the brunt of the responsibility of the tasks simply because of his rank . He was relying on the leadership capabilities of every member of Unit Bruiser . He recognized that other members of his team had skills that went beyond his own capacities , and he capitalized on them . A successful business leader does the same .
Disciplined To Succeed
Becoming a great leader doesn ’ t happen overnight . It takes discipline , courage , and the foresight to understand where you need to grow and how you can get there . When Jocko spent his childhood days fighting his backyard war , he didn ’ t let each day pass hoping opportunity would land on his lap . Instead , he remained dedicated to his dream , enlisted , and climbed a ladder that many struggle to climb . All it took was that first step and a willingness to work . “ I ’ m not a big believer in motivation ,” Jocko says . “... To think that every morning I feel like a spring chicken to go lift weights and go for a run … I ’ m not motivated . It ’ s because I demand unmitigated discipline .” n
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