Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win: 1 Hardcover – 13 Dec. 2017

Note:Although this book is written by two former U.S. Navy seals, it is not a war memoir. Rather, it is a how-to-lead manifesto, which draws on the lessons from the authors' experiences in combat situations and shows their applicability in non-military scenarios.Review:The structure of this book, whereby each chapter is divided into three parts (battlefield scenario; principle; applicability) allows the authors to convey their ideas clearly and effectively. The message in each chapter is simple, yet crucial for any individual, team, or organisation that wishes to optimise their performance through a set of principles that are applicable to leadership at all levels - from the most senior down to the most junior.Not only is it well written, succinct and engaging, but more importantly, the lessons conveyed throughout the book are of tremendous value to anyone with open ears. Having come across one of the co-authors on TED and Youtube, I had already familiarised myself with some of the book's central tenets before buying it. I can attest that whenever I have implemented the concept of extreme ownership, I have seen dramatic improvements across the board - both in my personal and professional life.What I like:The authors do a superb job of coming across as relatable, managing to steer away from a "back in my day" tone, which would have been tempting for someone like me, had I seen and done as much they have. The tone is always humble, as they are open about their own failures in leadership, and how it was those failures that taught them the toughest lessons. At times, the book reads like advice from a caring brother, rather than an overbearing uncle, and that makes it eminently more readable and enjoyable for a wider readership. This point may seem redundant to anyone already familiar with the authors - both of whom always carry themselves with utmost humility despite their wealth of experience - but I thought it worth pointing out in case anyone new to them is wondering about the tone of the book.How it's helped me:Although the "application to business" section in each chapter would seem to indicate that the book is primarily pitched to the business world, I have found equal - if not superior - use of its principles in my own personal life. It has forced me to honestly confront many of my own entrenched attitudes, and to reasses failures I had previously blamed on other people as my own. As a former assistant manager at a school that closed down on my watch, I know all too well the potential consequences of poor leadership, and of failing to adopt and implement the principle of extreme ownership. This book has helped me shine a light on those mistakes, and encouraged me to work towards avoiding the shortsightedness and blame-shifting that led to those past failures.Conclusion:I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of buying it - either for yourself or as a gift. I wish I'd read it ten years ago, as it would have saved me a lot of headaches. Its message is empowering, and serves as a tool for anyone ready to take ownership of his of her own shortcomings and demand higher standards of oneself. I would even go as far as saying that any organisation - be it governmental, sporting, entrepreneurial or otherwise - that implements the principles of this book would surely see marked improvements in all but the most exceptional cases.As a side note:I would like to say that this book has completely changed my view of the US military. Having grown up during the height of the disenchantment with the Iraq war, I became used to negative reports of misconduct by US troops in the media and accepted a general view of them as a self-appointed, shoot-from-the-hip Wild West cowboy force.Although it may not have been the authors' intended goal, this book has shown me how deeply wrong that view was. The professionalism, bravery and sacrifice (not to mention the painstaking commitment to minimising Iraqi army and civilian casualties, and to complying with ethical rules of engagement at risk of endangering their own lives) the troops displayed is second to none, and deserves far more coverage and recognition than the media has provided.This is not a comment on the Iraq war debate at large, but an honest assessment of the way the troops who risked their lives for their Iraqi brothers and sisters conducted themselves. I now know of situations where American troops led operations in which they threw themselves at enemy fire just to save the very Iraqi forces who had often desserted them and shot at their American brothers. Furthermore, though this commitment to the safety of Iraqis was carried out at the individual level, its implementation was institutional - saying as much of the individual troops as it does of the military as a whole. This, rather than the message that the authors wished to impart, was perhaps the most valuable lesson I drew from this book; and for that alone, I recommend it to anyone who may hold an unfair view of the US military, just as I once did.I hope this is one small step towards correcting for the disservice we have done these soldiers by failing to recognise the sacrifices they made to protect the people who now live under the constant terror of the black flag of ISIS. For all their efforts, and as a non-American, I wish to sincerely thank the authors. We are forever in your debt.

This really is pure, 100%, undiluted leadership: management theory at it best, tested in combat and deadly effective in a corporate environment. The bad news is that great leadership is extremely hard work but if you're up for that challenge then you could not ask for two better wingmen than Leif and Jocko. During my MBA, I got a real taste for management theory and this book is right up there with the greats of Drucker, Hamel and Covey in delivering a novel, solid and innovative leadership skill set to win today. The narrative's combat/principle/corporate case study structure is easy, entertaining and highly illuminating and makes the principles of EXTREME OWNERSHIP easily accessible from day one. What's very refreshing is the degree of humility the authors exhibit. God knows if I could disembowel a battalion with a shoelace or do a fraction of what these guys can, people would never stop hearing about it. This is a clear template for global leadership. Buy it today and GET AFTER IT!

Recommended reading for managers IMO. Useful for analysing work situations with clarity. Have definitely taken parts of this into the office

The book was a good read for those that wish to gain insight into leadership principles.

This is a book on leadership, told through the experiences of those who experienced those lessons whilst in the US Navy Seals. I love reading books with plenty of anecdotes on fighting, contacts and getting the rounds down. Whilst there was some of that within Extreme Ownership, there was not much of it. If you want a book like that I recommend Seal Team Six: The incredible story of an elite sniper - and the special operations unit that killed Osama Bin Laden.What those books did not describe is the mindset, tips and mental strategies that those individuals used to operate at an elite level. This book gives you those tools.What I did find was a really simple book on leadership. Written by two US Navy Seal's one of whom had clearly commissioned through the ranks to a senior tactical command (which indicates that he had a thorough understanding of the reality of life for a Seal both from a frontline "Shooter" point of view and a Lieutenant-Commanders point of view) it highlights lessons that I have not come across communicated with a level of humility that I was surprised by.Not only did Extreme Ownership show me lessons that I wasn't implementing into my own life - it educated me on strategies I had not even heard of.The lessons that have had the most impact on me where firstly the books title, Extreme Ownership. Ultimately I am responsible for any of the factors that impinge on my mission in life: whether that is in sports, military academic or business. I have always blamed circumstances beyond my control and because I am brighter then the average bear I easily buy into my own bulls***. They describe this as,"As individuals, we often attribute the success of others to luck or circumstances and makes excuses for our own failures and the failures of our team. We blame our own poor performance on bad luck, circumstances beyond our control, or poorly performing subordinates-anyone but ourselves. Total responsibility for failure is a difficult thing to accept, and taking ownership when things go wrong requires extraordinary humility and courage."Jocko's solution to this is;"The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame. The Leader must acknowledge mistakes and admit failures, take ownership of them, and develop a plan to win."The approach they outline just strips away all of the nonsense excuses and blame culture that is so prevalent in modern life. By seeing the world through the eyes of two men who applied a principle of being responsible for all of the uncertainty associated with a volatile combat environment to ensure that they stayed alive demonstrated that a better job of this could be done by people living in a much more predictable world where excuses and blame crept in as justifications for sub-optimal performance.The second point that has changed the way that I view the world is Jocko's take on getting out of bed. After listening to the Tim Ferriss podcast, (cannot enter the link on Amazon - please google the following title)The Scariest Navy SEAL Imaginable…And What He Taught Meand hearing that Jocko gets out of bed at 0445am I thought I would try it out. After travelling back from London to home I was late and got to bed at 0100 but I was up at 0445. I felt like I was going to die and my mind told me I was going to hurt myself seriously if I didn't get back into bed - but I cracked on with it and kept it up for two weeks.It changed my life.I study on the weekends at University and the extra time I had in the mornings enabled me to get all of my reading done and to really dominate the subject matter and learning that was required. When I got home I was much more efficient in using my time to ensure that I got to bed on time. I lost weight - not really sure why, but that happened.But more importantly I felt more in control of my life, I had the free time to execute what was important to me and I enjoyed myself more.I purchased the book afterwards and in Chapter 14 at 7:52:11 (on audible) Loc 3641 (Kindle) Jocko gives a summary of what seems to be his secret which is that Discipline equals Freedom. He tells us how the first test of the day starts when his alarm clock goes off. His reaction time and attitude towards that alarm clock sets the tone for how the rest of his day will play out.Reading this element of the book has inspired me to adopt the same attitude and has helped me improve my life. If your go to reaction for the alarm clock is to hit snooze until the last possible minute before you need to get up then this may help you as well.Should you buy this book? If you think that you are not the finished product as a leader or an individual then this book will give you some signposts on how to get to the next level.Authors note - I now get out of bed at 0545 as 0445am was just too hardcore.