Problem Solvers who take Extreme Ownership
US Navy Seal Jocko Willink and Leif Babin tell us to first *relax* ...👇
“Relax, look around, make a call” is their often-verbalized principle at critical moments:
1. 😮💨 -- relax
2. 👀 -- look around
3. 📞 -- make a call (ie. a decision, not like phone a friend!)
Jocko tells the riveting story of a rooftop fire-fight where a fellow Navy Seal falls through a floor down 20 feet. The flood of competing interests comes to him as the leader, tradeoffs between multiple risky paths: which problem do we solve first?! ⚠️
Extreme Ownership
They break down this principle into simple, practical wisdom in their chapter titled “Prioritize & Execute” in the book Extreme Ownership.
Intrapreneurs, you do not work on the front lines of battle, yet your ability to see the prioritize the problem may be critical to your mission’s success. And you face an "array of challenges simultaneously”, so you may relate to Jocko's insights!
Intrapreneurs — you are problem solvers who take extreme ownership.
You bring vision and wisdom to see the most valuable problem first. You roll up sleeves and dig in. You generously bring your energy to the problem and you do the practical work to write down a clear problem statement and vision.
You also remain endlessly optimistic that every problem has a solution. You firmly root proposed solutions within the context of clear, simple observations and metrics. 🔢
Did you know that not everyone has your night-vision!? 🥽 You make a unique contribution at your workplace.
On that rooftop, Jocko follows his training and applies the principle: “Relax, look around, make a call.”
As much as they want to rush straight downstairs blindly to their teammate, Jocko makes the tough call to quickly secure the area first.
They arrive very soon to see that their teammate thankfully has landed on his rucksack, banged up but ok. They made the way back to base safely all together as one team.
Lead on problem solvers!
