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

“I’ll tell you something else,” I added. “These guys are cancers.
Their destructive attitudes will metastasize within the team and spread to
others. The quicker you cut them out, the less damage they will do, the
less negativity they will spread, and, most important, the fewer people
they will pull away with them.”
“What do you think, Jim?” Darla asked.
“I think it makes sense,” Jim replied. “Jocko and Leif have been
hammering us to be aggressive and maneuver to get the best advantage
over the enemy; to be decisive amid uncertainty. I think now is the
perfect time to do just that,” Jim replied. “Execute.”
Darla was excused from the off-site meetings for an hour to come up
with a plan. She called her lead developer and discussed her intent. He
loved it and quickly offered up two candidates from each team who were
ready and eager to step up. The two candidates had worked together in
the past and already had a good professional relationship. The lead
developer pulled each of the two individuals aside and met with them to
check their willingness. He quickly reported back to Darla that they each
were ready and excited to make the step up, adding that they both had a
deep knowledge of the most critical ongoing projects.
Darla debriefed Jim on the plan specifics. Then Darla decisively
executed the plan. She had the company’s Human Resources (HR)
department draft a letter to both Eduardo and Nigel. HR served them
each their respective letter of termination, and security escorted them
from the building. The Information Technology department turned off
their e-mail, their phone service, and their access to the internal intranet.
For Nigel and Eduardo, it was game over. For Darla and her new leaders,
it was game on.