Extreme Ownership
by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Two former SEAL officers translate combat leadership into business principles: own everything in your world, there are no bad teams only bad leaders, keep plans simple, prioritize and execute, decentralize command. The war stories are vivid and the business applications are sometimes forced, but the ownership principle is bracing and correct.
Read it if…
you blame circumstances or your team and are ready to stop.
Skip it if…
you find military framing off-putting; it is the whole book.
Three things you will actually use
- Own the outcome; no excuses, no blame.
- Simplify the plan until everyone understands it.
- Prioritize the biggest problem and execute on it.
Do this first
Take one failure from this month and write down what you, specifically, could have done differently.
Our verdict
Hard-edged and useful; the ownership idea alone justifies it.
Compare with other Leadership books
Good to Great
Jim Collins · Leadership
A landmark business book; use the frameworks, remember the caveats.
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Dare to Lead
Brené Brown · Leadership
Practical and humane; a leadership book about the hard conversations.
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The Laws of Human Nature
Robert Greene · Leadership
Vast and uneven; a reference you will dip into for years.
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