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

occurrence that happens out there. It is just impossible. But let me tell
you something: when things went wrong, you know who I blamed?” I
asked, pausing slightly for this to sink in. “Me,” I said. “I blamed me.”
I continued: “As the commander, everything that happened on the
battlefield was my responsibility. Everything. If a supporting unit didn’t
do what we needed it to do, then I hadn’t given clear instructions. If one
of my machine gunners engaged targets outside his field of fire, then I
had not ensured he understood where his field of fire was. If the enemy
surprised us and hit us where we hadn’t expected, then I hadn’t thought
through all the possibilities. No matter what, I could never blame other
people when a mission went wrong.”
The VP contemplated this. After a thoughtful silence, he responded,
“I always thought I was a good leader. I’ve always been in leadership
positions.”
“That might be one of the issues: in your mind you are doing
everything right. So when things go wrong, instead of looking at
yourself, you blame others. But no one is infallible. With Extreme
Ownership, you must remove individual ego and personal agenda. It’s all
about the mission. How can you best get your team to most effectively
execute the plan in order to accomplish the mission?” I continued. “That
is the question you have to ask yourself. That is what Extreme
Ownership is all about.”
The VP nodded, beginning to grasp the concept and see its
effectiveness.
“Do you think that every one of your employees is blatantly
disobedient?” I said.
“No,” the VP said.
“If so, they would need to be fired. But that doesn’t seem to be the