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

experience. She gets this business.”
“OK,” I shot back. “So you’re all just scared to look stupid?”
Heads nodded in a universal yes.
I nodded as well, now more fully understanding the issue. No one
wants to look stupid, especially in front of the boss. “Let me ask you
this,” I continued. “When you can’t explain the reason behind this new
compensation plan to your sales force, how does that make you look?”
“Stupid and scared,” the class clown responded.
“Exactly!” I shot back, in jest. But I knew a simple, easy way to solve
the problem had been uncovered.
That afternoon I swung by the CEO’s office. She was meeting with
the company’s president of sales.
“How is the workshop going?” the CEO inquired.
“It’s going pretty well,” I said. “You have a solid crew of managers.”
“Absolutely. They are a great group,” replied the CEO.
“How is your relationship with them?” I asked.
“Oh, I think it is very strong with most of them. Some of the newer
ones I don’t know all that well yet, but as a whole, I have a good
relationship with our managers,” the CEO answered.
“Do they ever confront you on anything or ask questions?” I asked.
The CEO thought for a few seconds. “Not really,” she acknowledged.
“I think they get the business, and I think they know what we are trying
to do. So there really isn’t much that they would need to confront me on.
I’ve been in this game a long time. I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t
know what I was doing. They know that and I think they respect that.
Experience counts for a lot in this business. But I think if they had an
issue, they would certainly bring it up to me.”
A common misperception among military leaders or corporate senior