Instead of continuing to invest in one subpar performer, once a concerted effort has been made to coach and train that individual to no avail, the leader must remove the individual.” “ Most underperformers don’t need to be fired, they need to be led.” The balance when leaders remember that “Instead of focusing on one individual, there is a team-and that the performance of the team trumps the performance of a single individual. Knowing when to work with someone and when to let them go isn’t easy. Prioritizing those areas where standards cannot be compromised and holding the line there while allowing for some slack in other, less critical areas is a wise use of leadership capital.” It’s an act of strength for a leader-the opposite of insecurity. It can be expended foolishly, by leaders who harp on matters that are trivial and strategically unimportant. “Leadership capital is the recognition that there is a finite amount of power that any leader possesses.

They must set high standards, but they cannot be domineering or inflexible on matters of little strategic importance.” It’s about your leadership capital. When and where do you hold the line? “There is a time to stand firm and enforce the rules and there is a time to give ground and allow the rules to bend. So you have to give them ownership.” Leaders set the destination but ownership comes when people can help set the course. You have to empower your team to lead, to take ownership. “With Extreme Ownership you are responsible for everything in your world. You have to have to take ownership, but at the same time, give ownership. The next tension is between micromanagement and hands-off leadership styles. But you also have to make decisions that will allow you to continue the mission for the greater good of everyone on the team.” This concept frequently gets lost on some discussing leadership. “And as a leader, you might have to make decisions that hurt individuals on your team.

The bottom line that leaders build on is the first dichotomy: To care about your people more than anything-but at the same time, lead them.

Knowing what the tensions or the dichotomies are is the first step avoiding the trap of extremes. A leader must be able to where to be on any given continuum in any given situation. “Leaders must find the equilibrium between opposing forces that pull in opposite directions.” The Dichotomy of Leadership is meant to help leaders find that equilibrium.Įxtreme is almost never the answer. And that’s what The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin is all about.Īfter the publication of their first book, Extreme Ownership, many people latched on to the aggressive implications of the word “extreme” and missed the more nuanced balance that a leader must have. This is where self-awareness plays a big part. SO MUCH OF LEADERSHIP is managing tensions.

Jocko on leadership