attributed directly to a problem with ego.
Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and
operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking
ownership, and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to
any successful team. Ego can prevent a leader from conducting an
honest, realistic assessment of his or her own performance and the
performance of the team.
In the SEAL Teams, we strive to be confident, but not cocky (see
chapter 12). We take tremendous pride in the history and legacy of our
organization. We are confident in our skills and are eager to take on
challenging missions that others cannot or aren’t willing to execute. But
we can’t ever think we are too good to fail or that our enemies are not
capable, deadly, and eager to exploit our weaknesses. We must never get
complacent. This is where controlling the ego is most important.
APPLICATION TO BUSINESS
Leif Babin
“I’ve got an immediate fire that’s causing us a big issue, and I need
some help with this,” said the voice mail. “Please give me a call as soon
as you can.”
The voice mail was from Gary, a midlevel manager in the operations
department of a corporation with which Jocko and I had worked through
our company, Echelon Front. We had developed a twelve-month
leadership program for the corporation. Every few weeks, we traveled to
their corporate headquarters for training with a class of a dozen midlevel
managers from various departments. In addition to the classroom
sessions, we provided coaching and mentorship to help our course
participants apply what they learned in class to their everyday leadership
challenges.