Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink TEDx Talk
Jocko Willink shares a powerful lesson from his time as a Navy SEAL in Ramadi, Iraq: true leaders take extreme ownership of everything in their world, including mistakes and failures, rather than blaming others.
The Story
In 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq, Jocko Willink was leading an operation when a tragic friendly fire incident occurred. In the fog of war, US forces and Iraqi soldiers ended up fighting each other, resulting in one Iraqi soldier dead and multiple wounded, including one of Willink's SEALs.
When his commanding officer arrived demanding answers and someone to blame, Willink prepared to point fingers at all the mistakes others had made. But then he realized there was only one person responsible: himself.
The Debrief
When asked "Who's fault was this?", multiple SEALs raised their hands to take blame:
- One didn't control the Iraqi soldiers properly
- Another didn't pass location info fast enough
- A third shot the friendly Iraqi soldier
Willink told each of them: "No, it wasn't your fault." He then declared that as the commander and senior man on the battlefield, he was responsible for everything.
Key Principles
- Take extreme ownership - Don't make excuses, don't blame others
- Control your ego - Don't let pride prevent you from taking responsibility
- When everyone takes ownership, problems get solved - Unlike teams where no one owns problems, ownership culture fixes issues
- Trust comes from accountability - His CO trusted him more after he took responsibility, not less
- Lead yourself first - Then your team, then others in your life
Notable Quotes
"I am the commander, I am the senior man on the battlefield, and I am responsible for everything that happens; everything."
"Take ownership of everything in your world, the good and the bad."
"Unlike a team where no one takes ownership of the problems, and therefore, the problems never get solved, with us, everyone took ownership of their mistakes, everyone took ownership of the problems. And when a team takes ownership of its problems, the problems get solved."
Connections
This talk shares leadership principles with start-with-why-simon-sinek - both are TEDx talks exploring what makes great leaders effective. While Sinek focuses on purpose-driven leadership, Willink emphasizes accountability and ownership as foundations of leadership.