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Leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems.

Jocko Willink

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
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
Staying ahead of the curve prevents a leader from being overwhelmed when pressure is applied and enables greater decisiveness.
JOCKO WILLINK

Decision Force Greatness Leadership Stay
Decisively engaged?
JOCKO WILLINK

Decision Marriage
Get after it.
JOCKO WILLINK

Inspirational One Liner
Such concepts are simple, but not easy,
JOCKO WILLINK

Easy Simplicity
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
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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Accomplishment Company Leadership Lesson People Team
There are no bad units, only bad officers. This captures the essence of what Extreme Ownership is all about.
JOCKO WILLINK

Bad Control Politics
Discipline equals freedom.
JOCKO WILLINK

Discipline Equality Freedom One Liner
When it comes to standards, as a leader, it’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Philosophy Tolerance
As a leader, it is up to you to explain the bigger picture to him—and to all your front line leaders. That is a critical component of leadership
JOCKO WILLINK

Explanation Leadership Photograpgh
Trust is not blindly given. It must be built over time.
JOCKO WILLINK

Time Trust
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
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
The focus must always be on how to best accomplish the mission.
JOCKO WILLINK

Accomplishment Best Focus

Leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems.

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Leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems.

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