As a leader or a manager, when the stakes are high and someone drops the ball, what happens? You call that person out and make sure they never do that again correct? That is 100 percent correct but the problem comes in when you stop there.
There’s a part of the process you are missing that is potentially destroying morale.
We are going to let you in on that missing part and exactly how you can enable your leaders to implement it.
(Ramadi, Iraq)
A coalition force of the Navy Seals, U.S. Marines, US army, and the Iraqi army formed. Their task: take on the Iraqi insurgents that were killing, terrorizing and causing absolute chaos.
The fog of war sets in…
Guns fire. Bullets zip past. In these crazy situations people don’t even know where they are shooting. The accounts in the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink are horrifying. When the dust inevitably settled, many were injured and a member of the Iraqi member was killed.
the accidental killing of one’s own forces in war
Fratricide. The member of the Iraqi army was not killed my the enemy, but by one of the allies. An act of fratricide. Friendly fire brought on by the fog of war.
Willink states that situations such as these lead to severe consequences. They were gathered together in a courtroom infront of a tribunal asking this question:
whose fault was it?
Three soldiers under Willink’s command stood up saying it was their fault. All three times Willink said, “No, it was not your fault”. Then, Willink stood up and took ownership.
(Jocko Willink)
Willink stated that the fault was his as the commanding officer. He took extreme ownership. Ultimately Willink was not relieved of his command, but he gained the respect of his authority and his team. He still acknowledged his teams failures, but he knows that true leadership is about owning the failures of your team as your own.
Think about your business. How often do you blame your team when they fail and leave it at that? Are you taking extreme ownership?
When you take extreme ownership, you show your team that you are willing to fight for them. You not only gain the respect of your team, but you allow for them to have a major boost of morale. Here’s how to do it:
The Ex-Own equation. Follow this in order to take extreme ownership in your business to reap the rewards of earning your teams respect and boosting your teams morale.
So, how can you set your team on the path of extreme ownership? Atomic Talks! The free sign up that gives you access to a free rehearsal deck and free coaching video. You’ll be able to deliver a talk like a professional speaker to your team and watch as they take extreme ownership going forward.
