Extreme Ownership: Book Review
By: Tom Olson
Today’s blog will consist of a review of the book called, Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
I have broken this down into sections that I believe really stood out to me when reading this book. The book is life changing and gives multiple views on different aspects of war that can relate to the business world and team building. Everyone I have talked to that has read this book, has different things they get out of the book, but here are my thoughts after reading it.
Preparation
When prepared, a person can take advantage of opportunities. This book discusses the importance of taking ownership. Be responsible in taking extreme ownership of what happens in life. The tendency is to blame when unexpected events take place in a person’s life. A person can go the other direction and blame themselves for circumstances that occur. Extreme ownership is not about either of these. It is about taking responsibility and ownership of what you possess, both negative and positive. A person can either decide to take ownership of what’s happening in their life or play the blame and pity game, which will get you nowhere.
Leadership
There are no bad teams, just bad leadership. Many times, as leaders of a company, it is easy to blame others for failures within that company. Being an “extreme ownership” leader creates a successful company. Realizing that as the leader, the success of my team, my business and company rests on me. If I want success, it must first be born and bred in me in order to pass this along to the employees. When the leader takes extreme ownership he/she can lead with successful confidence.
Ego
Ego is a secret enemy that creeps into each one of us at times. Ego cannot work alongside anything successful. Taking extreme ownership checks ego at the door and does what is best for the team as a whole. When the ego is running the show then only what is good for “me” is what motivates. This type of motivation only causes division and brings everyone down everyone involved.
Communication
Communication is the key to any successful relationship, whether personal or business. Without clear communication, there is frustration, confusion, blaming which breeds “ego” and contempt. Vision from leadership can only be implemented effectively when the leader communicates the vision down the line of command to its employees. The employees must also communicate with its leadership in order for any vision to come to fruition. When the entire team is communicating the same vision, it can be executed successfully.
Evaluation
In any business, there are problems. Evaluate the problems presented and learn in which order they should be addressed. Maintain the ability to see other problems developing and then rapidly shift as needed. Otherwise, every problem becomes an emergency and therefore nothing meaningful is accomplished.
Extreme Ownership isn’t necessarily about assessing goals. It’s about owning where you are today. It doesn’t have to be an emotional ownership. It can be a completely logical ownership. Being honest with where you are in life and what has happened, whether good or bad, creates an attitude of ownership in who you are, which leads to success.
Here is the book “Extreme Ownership” on Amazon if you want to read it: https://goo.gl/JRZVdZ
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