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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

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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Control Discipline Freedom Result Time
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.
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Blame Development Failure Leadership Mistake Oneself Win
But, in fact, discipline is the pathway to freedom.
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Discipline Freedom
Good leaders are rare; bad leaders are common.
JOCKO WILLINK

Bad Goodness Leadership
Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes.
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Motivational One Liner
And the more you build your will by doing hard things, the stronger your will becomes.
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Strong Willing Yourself
Stop researching every aspect of it and reading all about it and debating the pros and cons of it, Start doing it.
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Reading Start
Good leaders don’t make excuses.
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Goodness Leadership One Liner
Even the most competent of leaders can be overwhelmed if they try to tackle multiple problems or a number of tasks simultaneously.
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Leadership Problem Try
A good leader has nothing to prove, but everything to prove.
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Deep Goodness Leadership
For leaders, the humility to admit and own mistakes and develop a plan to overcome them is essential to success. The best leaders are not driven by ego or personal agendas. They are simply focused on the mission and how best to accomplish it.
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Accomplishment Development Focus Humility Leadership Mistake Simplicity
More than a decade of continuous war and tough combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan gave birth to a new generation of leaders in the ranks of America’s fighting forces.
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Born Fight Force Leadership Tough War
Staying ahead of the curve prevents a leader from being overwhelmed when pressure is applied and enables greater decisiveness.
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Decision Force Greatness Leadership Stay
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.
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Goodness Leadership Learning Myself Remember Struggle Time Win
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.
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Direction Leader Problem Struggle
Get after it.
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Inspirational One Liner
It’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.
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Deep Tolerance Yourself
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.
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Greatness Leadership Necessary Simplicity Team Weakness
Leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems.
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Acceptance Development Leadership Problem Responsibility
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
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Explanation Leadership Photograpgh
The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
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Bad Fundamental Heart Important Leadership Team Truth
The focus must always be on how to best accomplish the mission.
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Accomplishment Best Focus
The Warrior Kid treats people with respect, doesn’t judge them.
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Judgement People Respect Warrior
Don’t let your mind control you. Control your mind.
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Control Inspirational Mindset Yourself
Leadership is simple, but not easy.
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Easy Leadership Simplicity
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
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

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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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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