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Leadership is simple, but not easy.

Jocko Willink

I had to take ownership of everything that went wrong. Despite the tremendous blow to my reputation and to my ego, it was the right thing to do—the only thing to do. I
JOCKO WILLINK

Myself Reputation Responsibility Right Time
The U.S. Navy SEAL Teams were at the forefront of this leadership transformation, emerging from the triumphs and tragedies of war with a crystallized understanding of what it takes to succeed in the most challenging environments that combat presents.
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Challenge Leadership Present Success Team Tragedy Transformation Understand War Win
If mistakes happen, effective leaders don’t place blame on others. They take ownership of the mistakes, determine what went wrong, develop solutions to correct those mistakes and prevent them from happening again as they move forward.
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Development Leadership Mistake Wrong
When it comes to standards, as a leader, 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.
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Acceptance Expectation Leadership Tolerance
We learned that leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory, particularly when doubters question whether victory is even possible.
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Achievement Belief Leadership Learning Perseverance Possible Victory
Such concepts are simple, but not easy,
JOCKO WILLINK

Easy Simplicity
All animals, including humans, need to see the connection between action and consequence in order to learn or react appropriately.
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Action Animal Connection Human Learning
Although discipline demands control and asceticism, it actually results in freedom. When you have the discipline to get up early, you are rewarded with more free time.
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Control Discipline Freedom Result Time
We wrote this so that the leadership lessons can continue to impact teams beyond the battlefield in all leadership situations—any company, team, or organization in which a group of people strives to achieve a goal and accomplish a mission.
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Accomplishment Company Leadership Lesson People Team
Is this what I want to be? This? Is this all I’ve got—is this everything I can give? Is this going to be my life? Do I accept that?
JOCKO WILLINK

Acceptance Generosity Life Myself Philosophy
There is no easy way.
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Easy Hard Time Inspirational
Don’t let your mind control you. Control your mind.
JOCKO WILLINK

Control Inspirational Mindset Yourself
Whether on the battlefield or in the business world, leaders must be comfortable accepting some level of risk.
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Business Comfortable Leadership Risk Understand War World
The most impressive thing about this improvement in performance was that it did not come from a major process change or an advance in technology. Instead, it came through a leadership principle that has been around for ages: Simple.
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Age Change Improvement Leadership Simplicity Technology
In the business world, and in life, there are inherent complexities. It is critical to keep plans and communication simple.
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Business Life Simplicity World
All elements within the greater team are crucial and must work together to accomplish the mission, mutually supporting one another for that singular purpose.
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Accomplishment Greatness Support Team Togetherness
The greatest of these was the recognition that leadership is the most important factor on the battlefield, the single greatest reason behind the success of any team.
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Greatness Leadership Team
The leader must own everything in his or her world.
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Himself Leadership World
And the more you build your will by doing hard things, the stronger your will becomes.
JOCKO WILLINK

Strong Willing Yourself
The Warrior Kid treats people with respect, doesn’t judge them.
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Judgement People Respect Warrior
Departments and groups within the team must break down silos, depend on each other and understand who depends on them.
JOCKO WILLINK

Break Independent Team Understand
The infamous they.
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Famous One Liner
Discipline equals freedom.
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Discipline Equality Freedom One Liner
For this reason, they must believe in the cause for which they are fighting.
JOCKO WILLINK

Believe Fight Inspirational Reason
Instead of letting the situation dictate our decisions, we must dictate the situation.
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Control Decision Ourselves
Leadership is simple, but not easy.
JOCKO WILLINK

Easy Leadership Simplicity
Don’t ask your leader what you should do, tell them what you are going to do.
JOCKO WILLINK

Future Leadership Yourself

Leadership is simple, but not easy.

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Leadership is simple, but not easy.

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