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

It was foolishness not to work together. Though we were working in small teams with some distance between us we weren’t on our own. We were all trying to accomplish the same mission. The enemy was out there working against us—all of us. It was essential that we support each other and work together.

The most important tactical advantage we had was working together as a team, always supporting each other.

Departments and groups within the team must break down silos, depend on each other and understand who depends on them.

It falls on leaders to continually keep perspective on the strategic mission and remind the team that they are part of the greater team

It falls on leaders to continually keep perspective on the strategic mission and remind the team that they are part of the greater team and the strategic mission is paramount.

These individuals and teams must instead find a way to work together, communicate with each other, and mutually support one another. The focus must always be on how to best accomplish the mission.

“Build a personal relationship with them. Explain to them what you need from them and why, and ask them what you can do to help them get you what you need.

simple, clear, concise information—exactly what was needed.

I gave him an approving nod that, without words, said: Well done; you kept your composure and you made clear calls. You got the help you needed and kept the rest of your team alive. The SEAL leader nodded back: he understood.

Simplifying as much as possible is crucial to success.

Plans and orders must be communicated in a manner that is simple, clear, and concise. Everyone that is part of the mission must know and understand his or her role in the mission and what to do in the event of likely contingencies.

As a leader, it doesn’t matter how well you feel you have presented the information or communicated an order, plan, tactic, or strategy. If your team doesn’t get it, you have not kept things simple and you have failed. You must brief to ensure the lowest common denominator on the team understands.

Simple: this principle isn’t limited to the battlefield. In the business world, and in life, there are inherent complexities. It is critical to keep plans and communication simple. Following this rule is crucial to the success of any team in any combat, business or life.

They need to understand it to a point that they don’t need to be thinking about it to understand it. It needs to be on the top of their minds all the time.” “But we have to make sure we incentivize them in the right direction,” said the chief engineer. “Exactly,” echoed the plant manager. “We have got to take the variables into account so that they are constantly pushed or pulled the right way.” They had each very clearly put extensive time and effort into the bonus plan and now tried desperately to defend their efforts despite its glaring overly complex deficiency. “How well is this bonus plan working to incentivize them now?” I asked. “You just told me they aren’t taking advantage of it, so they aren’t being effectively incentivized to do anything differently or to move in any direction. Your plan is so complex that there is no way that they can mindfully

They need to understand it to a point that they don’t need to be thinking about it to understand it.

all animals, including humans, need to see the connection between action and consequence in order to learn or react appropriately. The way you have this set up, they can’t see that connection.”

all animals, including humans, need to see the connection between action and consequence in order to learn or react appropriately.

“It certainly is possible that they could. But they don’t.

“It certainly is possible that they could. But they don’t. People generally take the path of least resistance. It is just in our nature.

Regardless of how you think an operation is going to unfold,” I answered, “the enemy gets their say as well—and they are going to do something to disrupt it. When something goes wrong—and it eventually does—complex plans add to confusion, which can compound into disaster. Almost no mission ever goes according to plan. There are simply too many variables to deal with. This is where simplicity is key. If the plan is simple enough, everyone understands it, which means each person can rapidly adjust and modify what he or she is doing. If the plan is too complex, the team can’t make rapid adjustments to it, because there is no baseline understanding of it.”