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

seemed uncertain and unclear on what to do about it.
When the next break in the leadership off-site came, again, Jim,
Darla, Jocko, and I assembled in a meeting room to discuss options.
“I think I better just let this play its course,” Darla started. She had
decided not to decide.
“What makes you say that?” I asked. In the SEAL Teams, we taught
our leaders to act decisively amid chaos. Jocko had taught me that, as a
leader, my default setting should be aggressive—proactive rather than
reactive. This was critical to the success of any team. Instead of letting
the situation dictate our decisions, we must dictate the situation. But for
many leaders, this mind-set was not intuitive. Many operated with a
“wait and see” approach. But experience had taught me that the picture
could never be complete. There was always some element of risk. There
was no 100-percent right solution.
“Well, I’m really not sure what is going on,” Darla responded.
“Eduardo and Nigel could both be lying, or they could both be telling the
truth. There is no way to know. And there isn’t enough information for
me to act, so I think I just have to let it play out.”
“How do you think this will most likely play out?” I asked.
“Time will tell. But they don’t like working with each other,” Darla
responded. “When they realize I’m keeping them both, one will leave. If
they choose to leave, they will have offers from our competitors very
quickly. They will likely take some key players from the team with
them.”
“Are there any other options?” Jocko inquired.
“Well, I could fire one of them. But which one?” Darla asked. “What
if I fire the wrong one? I just don’t think I know enough to make a
decision.”