Extreme Ownership

Initially this book was not on my reading list, but my manager encouraged me to read it so I moved it to the top of the queue¹. The book covers the experiences of 2 Navy SEALs, the authors of the book, in the Iraq War and in their later life as leadership consultants. Each chapter begins with a combat story that transitions into a single principle. Then the authors apply that principle in an anecdote from their consulting work. The format and laconic style are effective at transmitting their message, even if sometimes the stories may not match the principle. For example, the last chapter “Discipline Equals Freedom” begins with a story about how a new search procedure replaced their old ransack method but ends with a story about a CEO who needed to fire his friend.

Much of the book can be reduced to “find a way”. Take ownership of your failures; use your agency to affect your surroundings. This is great advice for individuals but not for organizations or countries. Despite the successes Jocko Willink and Leif Babin and the rest of Task Force Bruiser fought and bled for during the Battle of Ramadi, the Iraq War was a failure. The decision to overthrow a dictatorial regime and establish a new democracy created a insurgency, the rise of ISIS, and a stronger Iran. Perhaps if the Bush administration practices better leadership, all this could have been avoided. For the soldiers on the ground like Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, extreme ownership could win the Battle of Ramadi but not the Iraq War.