Extreme Ownership

Chapter 3 – Believe

Belief in the mission is an essential factor in achieving success with a project, goal, or strategy. You have to believe in it. And as a leader, you need to do two things with this. You need to make sure those below you understand what the goal is and why we’re trying to achieve it. The second part is if you don’t understand the why, then you need to go up the chain of command to your bosses and find out the why.

If you don’t believe in a goal or mission, you won’t put in the effort or the resources needed to fulfill it, and the goal or mission won’t be accomplished. So make sure you are helping the people underneath you believe in what you’re trying to achieve, what the goal is, and the why behind it.

Belief in an organization’s purpose and mission may be the most significant factor in an organization’s success. Give your organization/team a meaningful vision that they can believe in, and they will follow you to accomplish it.

In this chapter, six excerpts really stood out to me.

“In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, a leader must be a true believer in the mission.”
“Leaders must always operate with the understanding that they are part of something greater than themselves and their own personal interests. They must impart this understanding to their teams down to the tactical level operators on the ground period far more important than training or equipment, a resolute and belief in the mission is critical for any team or organization to win and achieve big results.”
“In many cases, the leader must align his thoughts and vision to that of the mission. Once a leader believes in the mission, that belief shines through to those below and above in the chain of command. Actions and words reflect belief with a clear confidence and a self assuredness that is not possible when belief is in doubt.”
“The challenge comes when that alignment isn’t explicitly clear. When a leader’s confidence breaks, those who are supposed to follow him or her see this and begin to question their own belief in the mission.”
“Every leader must be able to detach from the immediate tactical mission and understand how it fits into strategic goals. When leaders receive an order that they themselves question and do not understand, they must ask the question; Why? Why are we being asked to do this? Those leaders must take a step back, deconstruct the situation, analyze their strategic picture, and then come to a conclusion. If they cannot determine a satisfactory answer themselves, they must ask questions up the chain of command until they understand why. If frontline leaders and troops understand why, they can move forward, fully believe in what they’re doing.”
“It is likewise incumbent on senior leaders to take the time to explain and answer the questions of their junior leaders so that they too can understand why and believe. Whether in the ranks of military units or companies and corporations, the frontline troops never have it’s clear and understanding of the strategic picture as senior leaders might anticipate. It is critical that those senior leaders impart a general understanding of the strategic knowledge the why to their troops.”
“In any organization, goals must always be in alignment. If goals aren’t aligned at some level, this issue must be addressed and rectified. In business just as in the military, no senior executive team would knowingly choose a course of action or issue an order that would purposefully result in failure. But a subordinate may not understand a certain strategy and thus not believe in it. Junior leaders must ask questions and also provide feedback up the chain so that senior leaders can fully understand the ramifications of how strategic plans affect execution on the ground.”
“The leader must explain not just what to do but why.”
“So, if you ever get a task or guidance or a mission that you don’t believe in, don’t just sit back and accept it. Ask questions until you understand why so you can believe in what you are doing and you can pass that information down the chain to your team with confidence, so they can get out and execute the mission. That is leadership.”

Here are a few questions to help you dive deeper into this chapter:

Do I genuinely believe in the mission I’m asking my team to execute, or am I relying on position, authority, or compliance to carry it forward? (This forces leaders to confront whether conviction or title is driving execution.)
Where might my own uncertainty, frustration, or lack of clarity be quietly eroding my team’s confidence—even if I haven’t said it out loud? (Targets the subtle ways doubt spreads downward.)
When I receive direction I don’t fully understand or agree with, do I actively seek the “why,” or do I pass confusion down the chain disguised as orders? (Exposes abdication of leadership under ambiguity.)
Can every person on my team explain how their daily work connects to the larger mission—and if not, where have I failed to communicate alignment? (Tests whether belief has reached the tactical level.)
What is one decision or initiative right now where misaligned goals are creating friction—and what responsibility do I have to clarify, question, or correct it? (Moves belief from theory to organizational action.)

Go – Be the Hero of Your Story

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Overview

Extreme Ownership
Purchase Extreme Ownership
Chpt. 1 – Extreme Ownership
Chpt. 2 – Only Bad Leaders
Chpt. 3 – Believe