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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.

Jocko Willink

Our egos don’t like to take blame.
JOCKO WILLINK

Blame Ourselves
Trust is not blindly given. It must be built over time.
JOCKO WILLINK

Time Trust
When it comes to standards, as a leader, it’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Philosophy Tolerance
There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline.
JOCKO WILLINK

Discipline Inspirational Morning Night Practice Success
Generally, when a leader struggles, the root cause behind the problem is that the leader has leaned too far in one direction and steered off course. Awareness.
JOCKO WILLINK

Direction Leader Problem Struggle
I can remember many times when my boat crew struggled. It was easy to make excuses for our team’s performance and why it wasn’t what it should have been. But I learned that good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get it done and win.
JOCKO WILLINK

Goodness Leadership Learning Myself Remember Struggle Time Win
A good leader does not get bogged down in the minutia of a tactical problem at the expense of strategic success.
JOCKO WILLINK

Goodness Leadership Problem Success
The Warrior Kid treats people with respect, doesn’t judge them.
JOCKO WILLINK

Judgement People Respect Warrior
As a leader, you have to balance the dichotomy, to be resolute where it matters but never inflexible and uncompromising on matters of little importance to the overall good of the team and the strategic mission.
JOCKO WILLINK

Goodness Importance Leadership Team
Remember: the enemy gets a vote.
JOCKO WILLINK

Democracy Enemy Remember
If the plan is simple enough, everyone understands it, which means each person can rapidly adjust and modify what he or she is doing. If the plan is too complex, the team can’t make rapid adjustments to it, because there is no baseline understanding of it.
JOCKO WILLINK

Planning Simplicity Team Understand
Don’t try to plan for every contingency. Doing so will only overburden you and weigh you down so that you cannot quickly maneuver.
JOCKO WILLINK

Quick Try Willing Yourself
A leader must lead but also be ready to follow. Sometimes, another member of the team—perhaps a subordinate or direct report—might be in a better position to develop a plan, make a decision, or lead through a specific situation.
JOCKO WILLINK

Decision Development Leadership Team
Cover and Move, Simple, Prioritize and Execute, and Decentralized Command.
JOCKO WILLINK

Act Simplicity
All elements within the greater team are crucial and must work together to accomplish the mission, mutually supporting one another for that singular purpose.
JOCKO WILLINK

Accomplishment Greatness Support Team Togetherness
So how can a leader become great if they lack the natural characteristics necessary to lead? The answer is simple: a good leader builds a great team that counterbalances their weaknesses.
JOCKO WILLINK

Greatness Leadership Necessary Simplicity Team Weakness

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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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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