Extreme Ownership (How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win)

by Jocko Willink

Hardcover, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

303.3 WIL

Publication

St. Martin's Press (2017), Edition: 1, 384 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Business. Military. Nonfiction. HTML: "These guys are intense. And they bring that same fire to their narration in the audiobook. Listen to these insanely competent SEAL officers tell you exactly how to make a team successful through their firsthand experiences in business and combat." - The Hustle An updated edition of the blockbuster bestselling leadership audiobook that took America and the world by storm, two U.S. Navy SEAL officers who led the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War demonstrate how to apply powerful leadership principles from the battlefield to business and life. Combat, the most intense and dynamic environment imaginable, teaches the toughest leadership lessons, with absolutely everything at stake. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin learned this reality first-hand on the most violent and dangerous battlefield in Iraq. As leaders of SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser, their mission was one many thought impossible: help U.S. forces secure Ramadi, a violent, insurgent-held city deemed "all but lost." In gripping, firsthand accounts of heroism, tragic loss, and hard-won victories, they learned that leadershipâ??at every levelâ??is the most important factor in whether a team succeeds or fails. Willink and Babin returned home from deployment and instituted SEAL leadership training to pass on their harsh lessons learned in combat to help forge the next generation of SEAL leaders. After leaving the SEAL Teams, they launched a company, Echelon Front, to teach those same leadership principles to leaders in businesses, companies, and organizations across the civilian sector. Since that time, they have trained countless leaders and worked with hundreds of companies in virtually every industry across the U.S. and internationally, teaching them how to develop their own high-performance teams and most effectively lead those teams to dominate their battlefields. Since it's release in October 2015, Extreme Ownership has revolutionized leadership development and set a new standard for literature on the subject. Required listening for many of the most successful organizations, it has become an integral part of the official leadership training programs for scores of business teams, military units, and first responders. Detailing the mindset and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish the most difficult combat missions, Extreme Ownership demonstrates how to apply them to any team or organization, in any leadership environment. A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member SCRH
This book is one of the finest I’ve read on the subject of leadership. As stated by the authors, “Leadership is simple, but not easy.” (13, 286) I believe the authors succeed in identifying and explaining the key components and issues relating to leadership, and applying them to a setting
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that many should be able to use.

One of the attractive features used by the authors is that each chapter presents a lesson on a specific concept of leadership by using an example from their training or battlefield experience in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Next, a leadership principle is identified and discussed. Last, the principle is applied to a business situation.

Twelve chapters, broken into three main parts (winning the war within, laws of combat, and sustaining victory) follow this pattern in a logical manner.

The military training and battlefield experiences used to describe leadership concepts is an effective way to impart the leadership lessons. Each chapter is prefaced with a photo from the Ar Ramadi battlefield. (A city map of Ar Ramadi is also included to help readers better understand the setting.)

The authors do not claim “to be creators of a new paradigm of leadership principles.” (286) However, I believe persons striving to improve their leadership skills will benefit from the book and find it a joy to read.

An excellent index is included.

I am happy to have read the book and have it in my library. It was given to me as a gift, and I thank him very much.
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LibraryThing member hskey
I don't normally read books like this, but work gave us each a copy for our book club and I was pleasantly surprised. I appreciated the easy reading style, the identical formatting of each chapter, the harrowing war tales and the clear passion that Willink and Babin have for their comrades, their
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job and their country. I learned a lot of lessons through this book and couldn't help but go back and look upon my own failures in my professional career. Instead of blaming others, I will choose to look inward, take responsibility and practice a little Extreme Ownership. Great read, if a bit repetitive.
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LibraryThing member sbenne3
Some good thoughts on leadership and ownership, but if you don't want to think about that topic through the lens of war and killing and the military, it might not resonate.
LibraryThing member paven
As I believe in team autonomy I thought this book would make a case for the opposite. But ownership is a requirement for autonomy. Read team if teams, then this.
LibraryThing member Paul_S
I think Aesop's Fables have equally applicable and simplistic lessons for the management. Hard to read without cringing at the parables, especially after the lengthy bombastic disclaimer at the beginning.

It baffles me why people approach those military teams with such reverence that avoids any
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critical thoughts. They are the modern day equivalent of mercenaries. Imagine a mercenary group of Swiss crossbowmen trying to teach you how to pitch your electric scooter sharing as service on the blockchain startup to your angel investors. Probably more fun than reading this book and finding out what it actually looks like.

Let me save you the bother: "*you* are the boss and *you* and not your team are responsible for all the successes and failures. Fire anyone who disagrees."
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LibraryThing member jeffscollier
Compelling and motivating book
Good mental framework against BCD attitude

Language

Original language

English

ISBN

9781250183866
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