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

of the brief, the CEO asked if I had any questions.
“Have you ever heard the military term ‘decisively engaged’?” I
asked.
“No, I haven’t. I was never in the military,” the CEO replied with a
smile.
“Decisively engaged,” I continued, “is a term used to describe a
battle in which a unit locked in a tough combat situation cannot
maneuver or extricate themselves. In other words, they cannot retreat.
They must win. With all your new initiatives, I would say you have a hell
of a lot of battles going on,” I observed.
“Absolutely. We are spread pretty thin,” the CEO acknowledged,
wondering where this was going.
“Of all the initiatives, which one do you feel is the most important?”
I asked. “Which one is your highest priority?”
“That’s easy,” the CEO quickly answered. “The activity management
of our sales force is the highest priority. We have to make sure our sales
people are engaged in the right activities. If they aren’t getting in front
of customers and selling our products, we will no longer be in business,”
said the CEO.
“With all that you have planned, do you think your team is clear that
this is your highest priority?” I asked.
“Probably not,” the CEO admitted.
“On the battlefield, if the guys on the front line face-to-face with the
enemy aren’t doing their jobs, nothing else matters. Defeat is
inevitable,” I replied. “With all your other efforts—all your other
focuses—how much actual attention is being given to ensuring your
frontline salespeople are doing the best job possible? How much of a
difference would it make if you and the entire company gave them one