black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.

Jocko Willink

Instead of letting the situation dictate our decisions, we must dictate the situation.
JOCKO WILLINK

Control Decision Ourselves
There are no bad units, only bad officers. This captures the essence of what Extreme Ownership is all about.
JOCKO WILLINK

Bad Control Politics
Decisively engaged?
JOCKO WILLINK

Decision Marriage
Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen. You won’t be. Don’t count on motivation. Count on Discipline.
JOCKO WILLINK

Discipline Expectation Motivational
Once people stop making excuses, stop blaming others, and take ownership of everything in their lives, they are compelled to take action to solve their problems.
JOCKO WILLINK

Action Blame Live People Problem
In the business world, and in life, there are inherent complexities. It is critical to keep plans and communication simple.
JOCKO WILLINK

Business Life Simplicity World
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
For this reason, they must believe in the cause for which they are fighting.
JOCKO WILLINK

Believe Fight Inspirational Reason
Discipline equals freedom.
JOCKO WILLINK

Discipline Equality Freedom One Liner
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

Challenge Leadership Present Success Team Tragedy Transformation Understand War Win
You have to BE VIGILANT. You have to be ON GUARD. You have to HOLD THE LINE on the seemingly insignificant little things— things that shouldn’t matter—but that do.
JOCKO WILLINK

Importance Worth Yourself
Leadership isn’t one person leading a team. It is a group of leaders working together, up and down the chain of command, to lead.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Person Team Togetherness
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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Age Change Improvement Leadership Simplicity Technology
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
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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Blame Development Failure Leadership Mistake Oneself Win
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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Important Lose Quality Relationship Strong Team Weapon
If we could execute with a monumental effort just to reach an immediate goal that everyone could see, we could then continue to the next visually.
JOCKO WILLINK

Effort Goal See
leadership is the single greatest factor in any team’s performance.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Team
All animals, including humans, need to see the connection between action and consequence in order to learn or react appropriately.
JOCKO WILLINK

Action Animal Connection Human Learning
In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, a leader must be a true believer in the mission.
JOCKO WILLINK

Accomplishment Believe Inspirational Leadership True
The infamous they.
JOCKO WILLINK

Famous One Liner
The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
JOCKO WILLINK

Bad Fundamental Heart Important Leadership Team Truth
And the more you build your will by doing hard things, the stronger your will becomes.
JOCKO WILLINK

Strong Willing Yourself
Remember: the enemy gets a vote.
JOCKO WILLINK

Democracy Enemy Remember
That’s it. When things are going bad: Don’t get all bummed out, don’t get startled, don’t get frustrated. No. Just look at the issue and say: Good.
JOCKO WILLINK

Bad Goodness Issue
A good leader has nothing to prove, but everything to prove.
JOCKO WILLINK

Deep Goodness Leadership
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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Acceptance Expectation Leadership Tolerance

The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Jocko Willink Quotes