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

Jocko Willink · Leif Babin

Nov 2017 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this eBook

An updated edition of the blockbuster bestselling leadership book that took America and the world by storm, two U.S. Navy SEAL officers who led the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War demonstrate how to apply powerful leadership principles from the battlefield to business and life.

Sent to the most violent battlefield in Iraq, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin’s SEAL task unit faced a seemingly impossible mission: help U.S. forces secure Ramadi, a city deemed “all but lost.” In gripping firsthand accounts of heroism, tragic loss, and hard-won victories in SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, they learned that leadership—at every level—is the most important factor in whether a team succeeds or fails.

Willink and Babin returned home from deployment and instituted SEAL leadership training that helped forge the next generation of SEAL leaders. After departing the SEAL Teams, they launched Echelon Front, a company that teaches these same leadership principles to businesses and organizations. From promising startups to Fortune 500 companies, Babin and Willink have helped scores of clients across a broad range of industries build their own high-performance teams and dominate their battlefields.

Now, detailing the mind-set and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish the most difficult missions in combat, Extreme Ownership shows how to apply them to any team, family or organization. Each chapter focuses on a specific topic such as Cover and Move, Decentralized Command, and Leading Up the Chain, explaining what they are, why they are important, and how to implement them in any leadership environment.

A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

Ratings and reviews

Favourite Quote : Leaders in any chain of command will not always agree. But at the end of the day, once the debate on a particular course of action is over and the boss has made a decision-even if that decision is one you argued against-you must execute the plan as if it were your own. (Chapter 10) Favourite Chapter : Chapter 2 shares about the SEAL hell week training where the soldiers were grouped into boat crews. Each crew were given boats and are required to carry and paddle their own boats. The crews were given challenges and boat crew 2 were always 1st while boat crew 6 will always be last in all the challenges. After many challenges, the SEAL instructor swap the leader of boat 6 with leader of boat 2. After the swap, boat 6 and boat 2 crews were constantly in the top 2 spots for the rest of the challenges. This proves that there are no bad teams, only bad leaders and good leaders will produce a team that will continue to succeed when the leader is no longer around. Personal thoughts on the book: i love the concept of the book where the author breaks down each chapter into 3 parts. The 1st part, the author shares about his life experience as a SEAL which can make it feel like a fiction story. The 2nd part is where the author explains the leadership ideas linked to his experience and the last part is when the author links how the leadership ideas can be used in the corporate world. This book shares a lot of great ideas that leaders in the military and corporate world can use and adopt.

An entire book to support the claim that anything that goes wrong under your purview is your fault. There's always something more you should have done/communicated/explained. If a subordinate fails, it's because you failed. If you tell someone to open a soda, and the stab it open with a screwdriver rather than use the top, that is your fault. Saved you $9.99

I've seen alot of negative reviews on this on how basic the principles are but thats the point of the book. Its basic principles that can make a world of difference in your life because majority of people aren't using them. If you don't get anything out of this book then you need to put your ego in check.

About the author

JOCKO WILLINK is author of Extreme Ownership, a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he is a leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising through the ranks to become a SEAL officer. As commander of SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the "Ready First" Brigade of the US Army's First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city. Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. Jocko returned from Iraq to serve as Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams. There, he spearheaded the development of leadership training and personally instructed and mentored the next generation of SEAL leaders who have continued to perform with great success on the battlefield. During his career, Jocko was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and numerous other personal and unit awards. In 2010, Jocko retired from the Navy and launched Echelon Front where he teaches the leadership principles he learned on the battlefield to help others lead and win. Clients include individuals, teams, companies, and organizations across a wide-range of industries and fields. Jocko is also the author of the children's book Way of the Warrior Kid and the New York Times bestseller Discipline Equals Freedom.

LEIF BABIN is author of Extreme Ownership, a decorated former Navy SEAL officer, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he serves as leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Leif served thirteen years in the Navy, including nine as a Navy SEAL. As a SEAL platoon commander in SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser, he planned and led major combat operations in the Battle of Ramadi that helped the "Ready First" Brigade of the US Army's 1st Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city. Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War. Leif returned from combat as the primary leadership instructor for all officers graduating from the SEAL training pipeline. There, he reshaped SEAL leadership training to better prepare SEAL officers for the immense challenges of combat. During his last tour, Leif served as Operations Officer and Executive Officer at a SEAL Team where he again deployed to Iraq with a Special Operations Task Force. He is the recipient of the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart. In 2011, Leif left active duty and co-founded Echelon Front, a leadership consulting company that helps others build their own high-performance winning teams. Clients include individuals, companies, and organizations across a wide-range of industries. Leif speaks on leadership, U.S. military strategy, and foreign policy matters. His editorials have been published in the Wall Street Journal and he has appeared on a variety of national television news and radio programs.