Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

you are all on the same team. You have to overcome the ‘us versus them’
mentality and work together, mutually supporting one another.”
Just as I had on the battlefield in Ramadi years before, the production
manager was now so focused on his own department and its immediate
tasks that he couldn’t see how his mission aligned with the rest of the
corporation and supporting assets, all striving to accomplish the same
strategic mission. As I had done after some constructive guidance from
my chief, the production manager must now be willing to take a step
back and see how his production team’s mission fit into the overall plan.
“It’s about the bigger, strategic mission,” I said. “How can you help
this subsidiary company do their job more effectively so they can help
you accomplish your mission and you can all win?”
The production manager pondered this. He was still skeptical.
“Engage with them,” directed Jocko. “Build a personal relationship
with them. Explain to them what you need from them and why, and ask
them what you can do to help them get you what you need. Make them a
part of your team, not an excuse for your team. Remember the stories
Leif and I have told about relying on other units to support us? Those
Army and Marine Corps units we worked with were not under our
control. We had different bosses. But we depended on them and they
depended on us. So we formed relationships with them and worked
together to accomplish the overall mission of securing Ramadi. That’s
Cover and Move. You need to do the same thing here: work together to
win.”
The production manager was a driven leader who wanted his team to
perform at the highest level. Now, he began to understand true
teamwork. The proverbial lightbulb went off in his head, and his attitude
completely changed: if he wasn’t working together with this subsidiary