The Most Extreme Ownership Ever Taken

Navy Seal, Jocko Willink, says that great leaders take extreme ownership of everything in their world. Leaders who adopt the mindset of Extreme Ownership do not blame their teams for failure. They take responsibility for it and put the spotlight on themselves. They ask in what way their action or inaction may have led to the failure. Conversely, when their teams succeed, they shine the light on their teams, giving them credit for the success.   

This form of leadership is difficult but effective in developing high performing teams. Imagine an office in which the boss is always blaming his subordinates when things go wrong and always giving credit to himself when things go well. Contrast that with a workplace in which the boss takes extreme ownership. When things go wrong, he examines how he personally could have done things differently to have led his team to success. When things go well, he is quick to highlight the concrete ways in which the individual members of his team contributed. Which boss would you prefer to work for? 

Now, consider how extreme ownership might apply to family life. Think of a father who blames the members of his family for its problems. He blames his wife for not keeping the house clean and the kids under control. He blames his kids for their lack of respect for him and for their poor grades in school. Now consider a father who takes extreme ownership. When the house is messy or the kids are misbehaving, he asks in what way his action or inaction has led to the problem. He asks what he can do to clean the house himself and better support his wife in the future. When his kids show him disrespect or when their grades are poor, again he shines the spotlight on himself before he blames. Whose house would you rather live in? 

Finally, I invite you to consider our Lord Himself. What did He do when man sinned? He did not cast blame. Although He was completely innocent, He took all of our sins upon Himself and saved us. More than this, He has allowed us to participate in the work of bringing salvation to others and He has not been jealous in giving glory to the many saints who have done so. 

Before I share this week’s questions, I’d like to issue a word of caution. Do not use the tool of ownership to blame others and do not use it to blame yourself. Instead, use it to explore where there are opportunities within your sphere of influence to lead yourself and others toward greater success. Now for the questions: 

Where have failures happened in my life? To what extent have I blamed others? In what ways might my action or inaction have led to these failures? What could I have done differently? 

What are the successes in my life? In what way have others contributed to these successes? To what degree have I given credit to myself, publicly and privately? What would change if I were to give more credit to others instead? 

God Bless,
Dan