Table Of ContentAbout Leadership Strategy and
Tactics
Decorated ex-US Navy SEAL officer Jocko Willink delivers hard-won
leadership principles that have been tested and proven on the battlefield,
in business and in life.
Leadership Strategy and Tactics takes the guesswork out of leadership by
translating theory into practical skills and manoeuvers that leaders at all
levels can apply, practice and execute.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Extreme Ownership,
this book is a powerful and pragmatic step-by-step guide to leading any team,
in any situation, to victory.
PRAISE FOR EXTREME OWNERSHIP AND THE DICHOTOMY OF
LEADERSHIP
‘The smartest, most revolutionary management approach since Jack Welch’s
Six Sigma.’ Don Imus
‘I’ve never read a book that reveals the truths of leadership in such detail and
rawness. The true value of this book cannot be quantified in words.’ Pete
Roberts, CEO, Origin USA
‘Whether you’re leading in the family room, the boardroom or in the
community, this book will help you lead, and most importantly, win.’ Ryan
Michler, Founder, Order of Man
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEN OF
SEAL TEAM THREE, TASK UNIT BRUISER,
WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO LEAD,
ESPECIALLY:
MARC LEE, WHO TAUGHT ME THE VALUE OF LIFE.
MIKEY MONSOOR, WHO TAUGHT ME THE MEANING OF
SACRIFICE.
RYAN JOB, WHO TAUGHT ME TRUE PERSEVERANCE.
CHRIS KYLE, WHO TAUGHT ME ABOUT DEVOTION TO DUTY.
AND SETH STONE, MY BROTHER, WHO TAUGHT ME ABOUT
LOYALTY AND FRIENDSHIP, AND NEVER LET ME DOWN. EVER.
CONTENTS
I T R L L
NTRODUCTION: HE OOTS OF EARNING EADERSHIP
PART ONE: LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES
1. FOUNDATIONS
A. First Platoon: Detach
B. Second Platoon: Arrogance and Humility
C. Third Platoon: Overstepping My Bounds
D. Laws of Combat and Principles of Leadership
E. The Power of Relationships
F. Play the Game
G. When Is Mutiny in Order?
H. Born or Made?
I. Leadership and Manipulation
J. Subordinate Your Ego
K. Leaders Tell the Truth
L. Study
2. CORE TENETS
A. Be Capable and Ask for Help
B. Building Trust and Relationships
i. Down the Chain
ii. Up the Chain
iii. Trust and Decentralized Command
C. Earning Influence and Respect
D. Extreme Ownership of Everything
i. Preemptive Ownership
ii. Taking Ownership When Being Blamed
E. Picking Up Brass
F. Leading from the Rear
G. Don’t Overreact
H. Don’t Care
I. Everyone Is the Same, Everyone Is Different
J. Let Nature Work
K. Isolation as a Leader
L. Know What Is Important and What Isn’t
3. PRINCIPLES
A. The Most Important Member of the Team
B. Span of Control
C. Taking Care of Your People with Discipline
D. Imposed Discipline
E. Pride
F. Giving Orders
G. Yes-Men
H. The Exception to No Bad Teams, Only Bad Leaders
PART TWO: LEADERSHIP TACTICS
1. BECOMING A LEADER
A. How to Succeed as a New Leader
B. How to Be Chosen to Lead
C. When You Are Not Chosen
D. Imposter Syndrome
E. Insecurity as a Leader
F. Transitioning from Follower or Peer to Leader
G. Overcoming a Grudge
H. New Sheriff in Town
I. Don’t Go Overboard, Rambo
2. LEADERSHIP SKILLS
A. When to Step Up and Lead
B. Don’t Take Things Personally
C. Don’t Dig In
D. Iterative Decision-Making
E. Decentralized Command or Lazy Designation?
F. The Easy Button
G. Judging Reputations
H. Conform to Influence
I. Everything Is Good (But Not That Good)
3. MANEUVERS
A. Using Leadership to Teach and Build
i. Fixing a Negative Attitude
ii. Teaching Humility
iii. Building or Rebuilding Confidence
iv. Building High-Level Team Players
B. Leading Peers
C. Micromanaging, Indecisive, or Weak Bosses
D. When to Micromanage
E. The Boss Wants All the Credit
F. The Nearly Indefensible Leader
G. Stress Relief
H. Punishment
I. When to Quit
4. COMMUNICATION
A. Keep the Troops Informed
B. Rumor Control
C. Clear Guidance
D. Because I Said So
E. The Thread of Why
F. Tactfully Delivering the Truth
G. Balancing Praise
H. Hope
I. Ultimatums
i. Making an Ultimatum as the Boss
ii. Making an Ultimatum as a Subordinate
iii. Dealing with an Ultimatum Placed on You
J. Reflect and Diminish
K. When to Yell at Subordinates
L. Getting People to Listen
M. Apologizing
N. Be Approachable but Careful with Words
O. Set the Example
CONCLUSION: IT IS ALL ON YOU, BUT NOT ABOUT YOU
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
THE ROOTS OF LEARNING LEADERSHIP
When I reported to SEAL Team One after completing Basic Underwater
Demolition / SEAL Training (BUD/S), there was no leadership course. New
SEALs were issued no books or materials of any kind on the subject. We
were expected to learn to lead the way SEALs had learned for our entire
existence—through OJT, or on-the-job training.
Of course, there are some advantages to OJT. It is helpful to be coached
and mentored by a solid leader who trains you as you go through the real
challenges of your actual job. In the SEAL Teams, that means a leader telling
you exactly what to do in various scenarios as you go through them. If your
leader happens to be a good leader, is willing to invest in you, and if you are
smart enough to pay attention, you will eventually learn something about
leadership.
But there are some major shortfalls to this method of teaching leadership.
First of all, not all leaders are good leaders, and the SEAL Teams are no
exception. When I got into the SEAL Teams, it was 1991. There was no war
going on. The first Gulf War had just been fought, but the ground war was
over in just seventy-two hours. SEALs only conducted a small number of
operations, and they were relatively easy. Almost all other deployments
before that, for the better part of twenty years, had been peacetime
deployments. SEALs’ primary task had been training other countries’
militaries. Actually engaging in combat seemed a far-off dream to me and to
most of us in the military. The reality was, the SEAL Teams—and the rest of
the U.S. military—had been in a peacetime mode since the end of the
Vietnam War. That meant leaders weren’t really tested. A great leader in the
SEAL Teams got pretty much the same assignments and advanced just as
quickly as a bad leader.
There was no guarantee that the leader in a platoon who was supposed to
be mentoring young SEALs was the type of leader who should be emulated.
On top of that, not all leaders are looking to mentor their subordinates.
Furthermore, even the best leaders can only truly invest their time and
knowledge in a handful of their people. Even during peacetime, there is a ton
of administrative work to be done, and there is a good chance that leadership
coaching and mentorship will slide off the schedule.
For the junior SEALs, it was incumbent upon them to pay attention. But
there were also plenty of distractions. Sometimes it was difficult for a junior
member of the team to understand he would not always be a new guy—that
one day he would be a leader in a SEAL platoon, and he needed to learn
everything he could so he would be ready.
I was lucky. I had some truly great leaders who invested in me. They took
the time to explain things to me. They talked me through strategies and
tactics. Some of the Vietnam SEALs told stories that held important tactical
leadership lessons. I listened. Those stories and lessons sank in. Eventually, I
was able to put the leadership theories I had learned to the ultimate test—in
combat. I then codified those lessons and passed them to the young SEALs
entering the ranks. I tried to teach them how to lead.
The goal of leadership seems simple: to get people to do what they need
to do to support the mission and the team. But the practice of leadership is
different for everyone. There are nuances to leadership that everyone has to
uncover for themselves. Leaders are different. Followers are different. Peers
are different. Everyone has their own individual characteristics, personalities,
and perspectives. I often tell leaders that what makes leadership so hard is
dealing with people, and people are crazy. And the craziest person a leader
has to deal with is themselves. That being said, even crazy has a pattern; there
are patterns to human behavior. If you can recognize the patterns, you can
predict the way things are likely to unfold and influence them.
When I retired from the military, I started teaching civilian leaders the
same principles of combat leadership. Eventually, I partnered with my former
