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    “There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.  The leader’s attitude sets the tone for the entire team.  The leader drives performance—or doesn’t.  And this applies not just to the most senior leader of an overall team, but to the junior leaders of teams within the team.” ~ Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership (Page 49)

      “Leadership is the most important factor on the battlefield, the single greatest reason behind the success of any team.  By leadership, we do not mean just the senior commanders at the top, but the crucial leaders at every level of the team—the senior enlisted leaders, the fire team leaders in charge of four people, the squad leaders in charge of eight, and the junior petty officers that stepped up, took charge, and led.  They each played an integral role in the success of our team.” ~ Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership (Page 11)

        “Leadership is the most important thing on the battlefield and the principles of good leadership do not change regardless of the mission, the environment, or the personalities of those involved.  Leading is leading.” ~ Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership (Page xiv)

          “Once people stop making excuses, stop blaming others, and take ownership of everything in their lives, they are compelled to take action to solve their problems.  They are better leaders, better followers, more dependable and actively contributing team members, and more skilled in aggressively driving toward mission accomplishment.  But they’re also humble—able to keep their egos from damaging relationships and adversely impacting the mission and the team.” ~ Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership (Page xii)

          Extreme Ownership [Book]

            Extreme Ownership Book
            By: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

            From this Book: 22 Quotes

            Book Overview: In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share hard-hitting, Navy SEAL combat stories that translate into lessons for business and life. With riveting first-hand accounts of making high-pressure decisions as Navy SEAL battlefield leaders, this book is equally gripping for leaders who seek to dominate other arenas. Jocko and Leif served together in SEAL Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated Special Operations unit from the war in Iraq. Their efforts contributed to the historic triumph for U.S. forces in Ramadi. Through those difficult months of sustained combat, Jocko, Leif and their SEAL brothers learned that leadership–at every level–is the most important thing on the battlefield. A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

            Buy from Amazon! Listen on Audible!

            Great on Kindle. Great Experience. Great Value. The Kindle edition of this book comes highly recommended on Amazon.

            Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

            1.  18 Quotes from Extreme Ownership That Will Help You Lead and Win
            2. A Navy SEAL’s Checklist for Planning—from Jocko Willink and Leif Babin [Excerpt]
            3. Jocko Willink Quote on How Your Greatest Strength Can Also Be Your Greatest Weakness (Beyond the Quote 165/365)

              “The elders were all proof that you could live a full and fulfilling life even when the weather turned stormy.  So why worry about the clouds in the forecast?  Live your life, put on a show, take a chance, give thanks for your failures along with your successes—they’re two sides of the same coin.  If we’re living longer, maybe we have an obligation to live better: wiser, kinder, more grateful and forgiving, less vengeful and covetous.  All those things make life better for everyone, but especially the person trying to live by them.  Even, I would add, when we fail in our attempts to get there.” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 231)

                “So often we measure the day by what we do with it—cure cancer or surf in Maui or meet with our child’s math teacher—and overlook what is truly miraculous, which is the arrival of another day.  Enjoy it or not.  The day doesn’t care, but if you miss it, it won’t be back again.” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 216)

                  “It takes seventy or eighty or ninety years to learn the value of another sunrise or a visit from a surly grandchild—to appreciate how amazing, really amazing, life is.  They only seem paltry because we haven’t lived long enough to see their value, or survived enough losses to know how surmountable most losses are.  Simple gifts can be as rewarding as more elaborate ones, and there’s no rule that a life of daily mah-jongg in a fluorescent-lit community room is less fulfilling than one of high-stakes baccarat in Monte Carlo.” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 215)

                    “I would say, that I am applying the ‘butterfly wing’ theory to my everyday life.  It’s a kind of moral dictum, moral responsibility to keep in mind that whatever I do this second affects what the next second will be.  So I try not to do anything negative, which is my best insurance that the world will be better next second, or at least not worse.  But of course, my positive action may be undermined by 100 negative actions of others and so it may mean nothing.  But I still have to follow that dictum.  You can call it optimism.” ~ Jonas Mekas, via Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 212)

                      “Only the young think they aren’t dying, or that aging is something that affects other people.” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 211)