The book was written from the vantage point of hours and hours of training and practice to life and death practical experiences of two highly decorated and distinguished U.S. Navy Seals and their teams. It was written from the perspective that the principles critical for SEAL success on the battlefield as well as living and working in close cooperation, coordination, collaboration and communication with one another and others in their ecosystem were highly applicable and adaptable to any group, venture, and enterprise as well as to life in general.
The title and context of the book is derived from the underlying principle – the mind-set that provides the foundation for all other principles the SEALs lived and led with: Extreme Ownership. Leaders must own everything in their world to the extent that there is no one else to blame if something doesn’t go right. Taking 100% responsibility for the success or failure of their missions – blaming no one and constantly seeking ways to improve is the meaning of Extreme Ownership.
The book (very well written) was both a joy and simple to read and understand. It was told from the vantage point of very clear, distinct stories which illustrated both the failure and success of missions using specific key principles. The authors, after the story, went into detail discussing each principle then provided both a business story and application.
Why Extreme Ownership? The authors, who together had 33 years in the Navy and 29 years as SEALS, were both on the ground leaders as well as spent time training other leaders. They witnessed and tried a number of principles that worked and didn’t work. They noticed time and time again, both in training and in live experiences in combat, it was almost always the leader’s attitude that determined whether their SEAL units would ultimately succeed or fail in a mission or exercise. The leader would always blame someone or something else and wouldn’t accept full responsibility. They both saw and learned that the best-performing SEAL units had leaders who accepted responsibility for everything. Every mistake, every failure, shortfall – those leaders would own it. After a mission, those good SEAL leaders took ownership of failures, sought guidance on how to improve, and figured out a way to overcome challenges on the next iteration.
When things don’t go well, what do YOU do? Whether it is at home or the office, do you blame the people around you for the problems or do you take Extreme Ownership?
Key Ideas for personal application:
1) There are no bad teams, only bad leaders – a concept that for the authors was proved out a number of times in their experiences but was a difficult one to accept but a crucial concept that leaders must fully understand and implement to enable them to most effectively lead a team. As a leader do you own 100% of the situation? Do you own problems that inhibit performance? Do you develop solutions to those problems? With a culture of and in the context of Extreme Ownership within the team, every member of the team could contribute to this effort and ensure the highest levels of performance. Team members are only as fast and as disciplined as the leader. That means that the most important, but also the most underused and violated, principle of leadership is lead by example.
2) Are you a true believer? – “In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, a leader must be a true believer in the mission.” A leader must make it clear to everyone in his or her command the strategic importance of why they are and were being directed as they were to do so. Anything short of the team fully understanding the why of the mission is a failure by the leader. To accomplish the mission usually takes doing something different to win and the leader must set the tone by showing his or her understanding and belief in the why. If the leader does not illustrate fully they are a true believer, his followers will not take the risks required to overcome the inevitable challenges necessary to win.
3) Prioritize and Execute – “On the battlefield countless problems compound in a snowball effect, every challenge complex in its own right, each demanding attention. But a leader must remain calm and make the best decisions possible. To do this SEAL combat leaders utilize Prioritize and Execute. Even the most competent of leaders can be overwhelmed if they try to tackle multiple problems of a number of tasks simultaneously. The team will likely fail at each of those tasks. Instead, leaders must determine the highest priority task and execute on that specific task before proceeding to other tasks – what SEALS call “simplify the battlefield”.
4) Check the Ego – Ego clouds and disrupts everything: the planning process, the ability to take good advice, and the ability to accept constructive criticism. It can even stifle someone’s sense of self-preservation. Often the most difficult ego to deal with is your own. When personal agendas become more important than the team and the overarching mission’s success, performance suffers and failure ensues. Many of the disruptive issues that arise within any team can be attributed directly to a problem with ego. Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Remember, “It’s not about you, it’s about the mission and how best to accomplish it.”
5) Cover and Move – “The most important tactical advantage, perhaps the only tactic, we had was working together as a team, always supporting each other.” Cover and move means teamwork. All elements within the greater team are crucial and must work together to accomplish the mission, mutually supporting one another for that singular purpose. Departments and groups within the team must break down silos, depend on each other and understand who depends on them and work together to win. “You must work together and support each other as one team.”
So What? One might ask. I’m not going to be in combat, fighting for my life or someone else’s life. I’m working as a mid-level manager hoping to survive each day and get paid in order to keep food on the table and a roof over my family’s head.
These are the last words of the book:
“Leading people is the most challenging and, therefore, the most gratifying undertaking of all human endeavors.”
God has placed something in each human to exceed oneself and that is serving others. Extreme Ownership details and chronicles the how and why of becoming a good leader so that all others can enjoy the benefits of being their best in the service of others.
What IF? As I was reading the stories told by the authors, it hit me that what they could be describing is almost exactly what spiritual warfare is like and the principles outlined in the book were very relative and useful in winning this type of battle as well.
As ambassadors for the Lord, we are called to exercise His authority on earth and we are called to be stewards of everything and not owners. What IF? The title was flipped, to Extreme Stewardship? What IF? The context of the book was changed to one of training and disciplining leaders on spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12) from training and leading leaders to overcome Iraqi insurgents and how best to lead others and use the authority given to us by God (Luke 10:19).
I believe this book could easily be used as a training manual for disciplining leaders in the real warfare believers are all engaged in.