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June 6 - July 12, 2023
These leaders cast no blame. They made no excuses. Instead of complaining about challenges or setbacks, they developed solutions and solved problems.
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.
We know what it means to fail—to lose, to be surprised, outmaneuvered, or simply beaten. Those lessons were the hardest, but perhaps the most important.
We learned that leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory, particularly when doubters question whether victory is even possible.
combat is reflective of life, only amplified and intensified.
they must believe in the cause for which they are fighting.
leadership requires getting a diverse team of people in various groups to execute highly complex missions in order to achieve strategic goals
it was total chaos.
they were cunning, barbaric, and lethal.
something was wrong.
didn’t add up.
didn’t add up
But for some reason
At that moment, it all became clear.
With that in mind,
they assumed
had come very close
somewhat confused.
no doubt wondered how
the most horrible fate. It was also a reality.
Friendly fire was completely unacceptable in the SEAL Teams.
with utter disbelief.
Tough as nails and ready for more,
unfazed by what had happened and ready for whatever came next.
having operated in this chaotic urban battlefield
how easily such a thing could happen.
Plans were altered but notifications weren’t sent.
Timelines were pushed without clarification.
the leader is truly and ultimately responsible for everything.
On any team, in any organization, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader.
The leader must own everything in his or her world.
there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
there truly are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
“There are no bad units, only bad officers.”
it’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.
if there are no consequences—that poor performance becomes the new standard.
Teams need a forcing function to get the different members working together
Leaders should never be satisfied.
Most important of all, he believed winning was possible.
“If you aren’t winning,” I responded, “then you aren’t making the right decisions.”
Tortured Genius, in this sense, accepts zero responsibility for mistakes, makes excuses, and blames everyone else
It’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.
“There are only two types of leaders: effective and ineffective. Effective leaders that lead successful, high-performance teams exhibit Extreme Ownership. Anything else is simply ineffective. Anything else is bad leadership.”
We could recognize each other’s silhouettes on patrol in the darkness.
With that, I understood, and I believed. Now, I had to ensure that my troops understood and believed.
When they understood why, they would commit to the mission,
But they also proved useful in ways we hadn’t anticipated.
a leader must be a true believer in the mission.
If a leader does not believe, he or she will not take the risks required to overcome the inevitable challenges necessary to win.
Far more important than training or equipment, a resolute belief in the mission is critical for any team or organization to win and achieve big results.
