JOCKO WILLINK’S SECRET TO GAINING RESPECT

Just own up to it already, you love this newsletter. That’s normal. Stop trying to hide it.

The Man of Many Badges

Jocko Willink is a former Navy SEAL, renowned author, and influential leadership consultant known for his unwavering commitment to discipline, resilience, and extreme ownership.

He worked his way up the ranks, eventually leading SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser during the height of the Iraq War.

There is a tactic he deployed when things got bad. A tactic so important, that he wrote a book and gave a Ted Talk about it.

But first, we need to figure out what caused him to find this tactic.

Fog of War

In the shadowy heart of Ramadi, Iraq, during the spring of 2006, the city was a nightmare, held in a vice grip by ruthless insurgents who ruled the streets with terror.

Picture it: a coalition of forces, a blend of Iraqi soldiers, U.S. Army soldiers, U.S. Marines, and a small, elite team of SEALs, all converging on a single neighborhood.

The stage was set for a cataclysmic clash, and the "fog of war" descended like a sinister curtain.

A different fight began to break out. A fight not between the enemies, but amongst everyone on the team.

It resulted in a friendly Iraqi soldier dead, two more were wounded, one of Jocko’s men was wounded, and the rest of the SEALs were shaken.

The commanding officer, master chief, and investigating officer were on their way to Jocko’s location, and they were expecting one thing:

A debrief on what had just happened.

The Debrief

Jocko prepared this debrief. He detailed every little thing. Every person that made an error and when.

The clock was ticking. Ten more minutes before he had to go into the room and start explaining himself. But something hit him before then, just in time.

He walked into the debriefing room. He asked one question:

“Who’s fault was this?”

It was my fault. I didn’t keep control of the Iraqi soldiers I was with and they left their designated sector.

No, it wasn’t your fault.

It was my fault. I didn’t pass our location over the radio fast enough so no one knew what building we were in and that’s what caused all this confusion.

No, it wasn’t your fault.

Boss, this was my fault. I didn’t properly identify my target and shot and killed the friendly Iraqi soldier.

No, it wasn’t your fault.

“It’s one person’s fault.” Jocko said. “Mine.”

“Extreme Ownership”

This hurt Jocko. This could have been a nice finger-pointing game. He could have used all his fingers.

But instead, he used his finger and pointed it at himself. He was worried he would get fired, and this integrity ended up earning him the respect of everyone in that debriefing room.

Think about the ownership you take in your life. Would you consider it “extreme ownership?”

We’re not always in situations like Jocko, thank god. But we’re in subtle situations, where we don’t even realize we’re pointing fingers.

It takes some deep thinking to figure out who or what we blame for why we haven’t gotten what we wanted. The reason no one points to themselves is because…

Well, it sucks. No one wants to accept their life sucks because they suck. I’d rather suck because that person over there made me suck.

But the moment you point that finger, the power follows. Meaning if your life sucks because of that person over there, they’re the only one who can change it.

But the moment you become the cause for your life sucking, although it may hurt at first, it becomes the exact moment you can begin to change.

So put the ego aside, and ignore the finger pointing. Your finger will dance all over the place.

But if you want to succeed, you gotta point that finger at you.

Unlock The Better Version of You

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

The better version of you needs a better-quality newsletter, correct? Of course, that’s why our email newsletter is what you need.

‎ ‎ ‎

The web version is great. Immersive audio is a neat little trick. But what about custom-designed, limited-edition products? What about sick announcements, referral prizes, and feeling really cool?

‎

That is all email subscriber exclusive. So feel free to enter your email, or just keep refreshing our web version hoping more editions populate. It will work eventually.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎

And yeah, maybe Elon will call you baby too.