Jocko Willink Quotes

The only meaningful measure for a leader is whether the team succeeds or fails.
JOCKO WILLINK

Failure Success Team
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
Extreme Ownership. Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.
JOCKO WILLINK

Blame Leadership World
When it comes to standards, as a leader, it’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Philosophy Tolerance
After all, there can be no leadership where there is no team.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Team
Good leaders don’t make excuses.
JOCKO WILLINK

Goodness Leadership One Liner
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
Leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems.
JOCKO WILLINK

Acceptance Development Leadership Problem Responsibility
leadership is the single greatest factor in any team’s performance.
JOCKO WILLINK

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

Bad Control Politics
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
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.
JOCKO WILLINK

Born Fight Force Leadership Tough War
Whether on the battlefield or in the business world, leaders must be comfortable accepting some level of risk.
JOCKO WILLINK

Business Comfortable Leadership Risk Understand War World
Most important of all, he believed winning was possible.
JOCKO WILLINK

Believe Himself Important Possible Win
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 infamous they.
JOCKO WILLINK

Famous One Liner
Calm but not robotic, logical but not devoid of emotions.
JOCKO WILLINK

Emotional Logic Technology
To not move around, observe, and analyze, in order to make the best decisions possible, was to fail as a leader and fail the team.
JOCKO WILLINK

Best Decision Failure Leadership Possible 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 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
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
The best leaders are not driven by ego or personal agendas.
JOCKO WILLINK

Leadership Virtue
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
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
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
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

Famous Author