This is bonus footage from Lessons From War, London Real’s film with former Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink, shot aboard HMS Belfast. In this clip Jocko goes deeper on the idea he is best known for: extreme ownership.
Jocko spent 20 years in the US Navy and led SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser in the Battle of Ramadi in 2006, against insurgents including al-Qaeda in Iraq. In the film he explains that the lesson he learnt in Ramadi applies in everyday life. He retired in 2010 and has spent the years since turning that lesson into a way of leading and living.
Extreme ownership means taking responsibility for your circumstances and for everything that happens to you, rather than looking for someone or something to blame. It is a no-excuses approach: recognise what you can influence, then change it.
For a leader, it means owning the team’s performance completely. When everyone takes responsibility for the whole team, not just their own job, the team gets stronger. Jocko pairs this with discipline: work out what you know you need to do, and do it, every day.
This behind-the-scenes clip is part of the bonus material for Lessons From War. Watch the full film.
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