Introduction: 

Have you ever been in charge of a super elite team of trained killers with dangerous weapons?  Probably not. Have you ever associated your corporate or occupational responsibilities with the responsibilities of someone who is tasked with taking lives to preserve world peace?  Probably not. However, in Extreme Ownership, former Navy SEAL officers Jocko Willink and Leif Babin detail how their leadership experiences in violent combat are capable of being applied to just about anyone working a regular nine-to-five job. Apart from his prestigious SEAL credentials, Willink is known for his motivational, no-nonsense attitude and his articulate storytelling on popular podcasts. I am familiar with his speaking, and I wanted to see if his writing packed the same punch. I was surprised- his writing was more informative than it was motivational. I did not find myself getting fired up by his - or Babin’s - stories. Instead, I found myself learning a great deal about leadership at the highest level. 

The Review:

Willink and Babin state that the purpose of the book is to demonstrate how the principles critical to Navy SEAL success on the battlefield are directly applicable to success in any group, organization, corporation, business and to a broader degree, life. They double down, stating that the leadership concepts in the book are not abstract theories, but are practical and applicable. They deliver on this promise. To effectively communicate their concepts, they split each chapter into three subsections. The first subsection is a personal combat story told from the first-person point of view. The second subsection explains a leadership principle extracted from the story. The third subsection proves how the principle can be applied to the business world, based on their work with a multitude of companies in different industries. This structuring ensured that there was no ambiguity. For example, in Part I: Winning the War Within, both Willink and Babin do an excellent job demonstrating that having the greatest success as a leader means taking responsibility whenever possible, even if it means damaging your ego or possibly losing your job, hence the concept of extreme ownership at all costs. This principle is easily applicable in all walks of life. 

Before I cover the next two parts, I want to discuss some things that Willink and Babin could have done differently. For starters, this book reads like a how-to manual. While I enjoyed this structure, it is not for everyone. It is not written with a lot of pathos appeals, which will surprise readers who have listened to Willink and Babin speak (they talk with a high level of intensity and passion). Instead, Willink and Babin strictly focus on highlighting some of their specific wartime experiences, the leadership principles in these instances, and how they are directly applicable to the common man’s job. 

While I think Part I was near-perfection, Part II and III have room for improvement. Part I provided a very practical principle of extreme ownership that is applicable to any group, organization, corporation, business, and life, but the principles in Part II and III are narrowly catered to the corporate and business pillars of their promise. This is especially true for Part III: Sustaining Victory, where they talk about narrowing down priorities to focus on one or two important goals. This can be effectively applied in the corporate workplace or on the battlefield isolated from society. However, it is less practical for someone who is juggling a lot of important priorities on a daily basis. For example, the common person who is married and actively raising children, managing their health, relationships, work, and hobbies among other things is not going to be able to remove any of these priorities.

Next, I am going to discuss the tone and style of the book. Willink and Babin do a great job of making this an easy read. There are no flowery words and they thoroughly explain all of the key military terms. The tone is black-and-white and serious and deliberate. There is no indecisiveness or vagueness in either of their writing. Every sentence is written with authority and conviction. 

Willink and Babin are more than qualified to write about leading with extreme ownership. Both are highly decorated Navy SEAL officers who served together in Ar-Ramadi, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. They built, trained, and led high-performance teams that met and exceeded expectations. As SEAL leaders, they developed, tested, and confirmed an array of leadership lessons as well as management and organizational best practices. In the corporate world, both claim to have served in a number of advisory roles for multiple organizations.    

I am invigorated by this book. More than anything, I enjoyed reading the first subsection of each chapter and learning more about their experiences in war. This subsection was also very important because it showcased the most extreme example of the principle in focus. It is hard to make a case against any of these principles when Willink and Babin demonstrate that they are forged from life-or-death situations.

Quotes:

• “There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.” (Willink & Babin, 2015, p. 59)

• “Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership, and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team.” (Willink & Babin, 2015, p. 105)

• “When setting expectations, no matter what has been said or written, if substandard performance is accepted and no one is held accountable—if there are no consequences—that poor performance becomes the new standard.” (Willink & Babin, 2015, p. 64)

• “Leaders must always operate with the understanding that they are part of something greater than themselves and their own personal interests.” (Willink & Babin, 2015, p. 84)

• “After all, there can be no leadership where there is no team.” (Willink & Babin, 2015, p. 9)

• “Good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get it done and win.” (Willink & Babin, 2015, p. 67)

Conclusion: 

Overall, the book was impressive. Aside from the lack of pathos, it had everything I was looking for in a book co-authored by Jocko Willink: strong storytelling blended with practical advice for the non-military demographic. I recommend this to people who want to gain insight into how the most elite-trained combat professionals lead a team of equally skilled warriors into battle. The principles are a little too extreme for the common person, but are well-suited for a driven leader who aspires to accomplish goals and achievements with maximum efficiency. I give this book a 5/5. I encourage you to take extreme ownership over your life and track how this raised level of accountability leads to success.