Book Review: The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

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This book is the perfect accompaniment to the author's previous release "Extreme Ownership".  In "Extreme Ownership" Jocko Willink and Leif Babin make the case that for leaders to succeed they must take responsibility for everything in their world and while that is an extremely important and difficult lesson to learn, there was more to the story. That is where their new book, "The Dichotomy of Leadership", comes in. In "The Dichotomy of Leadership" the authors dissect real-world situations, both in the military and in business, that illuminate the balancing act that all leaders face. When a leader starts to slide too far to one end of the seesaw they risk falling off the ride. This book is for those that want to continue the fight and lead their teams toward victory. 

Like "Extreme Ownership", this book is broken into chapters, each with three sections: military examples, principles to take away and a real-world example of the lesson from the business world. Each chapter focuses on two opposing forces and breaks down the importance of each side. Then, it illuminates strategies for finding a balance between them. For example, the first chapter is about balancing the need to care about each team member while understanding that each team member is at risk of being killed, in the military case, or being replaced, in the business case. In this chapter, the reader learns that, while a team leader must be connected to their team members they cannot lose sight of the overall goal and mission that they are tasked to accomplish. A leader cannot be so close to someone that they neglect to hold them accountable and they can't be so detached that they engender no loyalty or respect. 

Another example I really enjoyed was in chapter two entitled: "Own it all, but empower others". In this chapter, we get more insight into the lessons that were discussed in "Extreme Ownership". The dichotomy of taking ownership of one's own responsibilities must be balanced with the ability to allow others to take ownership or their responsibilities. If a leader only holds him or herself accountable then they are doing their team a disservice by not creating a leadership mentality among the entire team. On the other hand, if a leader blames their team for every mistake then they are separating themselves from the team and not taking responsibility for their role the team's development.

As one continues to read they learn more and more about different opposing forces and how a leader can successfully identify when they are neglecting one aspect over the other. Each chapter empowers leaders with entertaining and instructional lessons, plucked from the real world, with strategies and tactics to correct the many imbalances that can occur. In chapter nine, A Leader and a Follower, we learn the power of humility and it is only with humility that one can look at one's self honestly and attempt to improve. This book is for those that have the humility to not take their own abilities for granted. By detaching from one's ego one can begin to see things more clearly and this book offers great insights into the many internal and external perils that leaders face.   

While this book can be read without having read its predecessor I think that they are really just extensions of each other. Both "Extreme Ownership" and "The Dichotomy of Leadership" contain the fundamental strategies, concepts, and philosophy that underly all successful leaders. One can choose to lead from a place of authority and may get compliance or one can lead from a place of friendship and they may get loyalty but for a leader to gain all the benefits that come from gaining the respect of their team one must learn to be balanced. A leader that does not take into account the dichotomies inherent in dealing with complex social interactions is bound to fall flat on their face, leaving their team directionless. Do not be that kind of leader. 

For my review on "Extreme Ownership" click here.

Book Review: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

If humanity is a team then it is on all of us to become better leaders. 

Extreme Ownership is a non-fiction book written by ex-Navy Seal operators Jocko Willink and Leif Babin that both educates and entertains. In each chapter, the writers describe real accounts of their military experiences highlighting key aspects of leadership principles, then they lay out the principles involved in a more abstract way and then illustrate the application of the principles to the business world using real-life examples from their work with high-level leaders in the corporate world. Each chapter highlights a specific leadership trait or strategy such as extreme ownership, decentralized command, cover and move, check the ego, leading up and down the chain of command and much more. 

One of my favorite aspects of the book is its accessibility. This book is the opposite of pretentious as it doesn't attempt to show off with inaccessible vocabulary, self-righteous preaching, or overly complex explanations. Both Jocko and Leif write in a similarly straightforward but not dumbed down style. Even though the sections note which author wrote which it was easy to go from section to section even as the authors change. 

I would say the only negative thing I have to say about the book is that sometimes the chapters would go on a little longer than I needed to understand the point of the section. I am sure that having additional examples and further explanation would be helpful for some but a few times I thought to myself, "I get it already." This didn't take away from the overall experience and even when this occurred soon enough a new section would start and the redundancy was over. 

I am very impressed with the writers' ability to apply military leadership strategies to the business world. As I have been in a few leadership positions at the ground level for a couple of large corporations and as I enjoy learning about military history, culture and tactics, I found both the military stories and the corporate business lessons equally compelling. 

The military stories are very detailed offering an in-depth perspective on the realities of our most recent war in the middle east. Most stories focus primarily on the action of front-line soldiers but the stories in this book focus more on what the leaders deal with as well as the effects it has on everyone up and down the hierarchy. I really appreciated the level of interpersonal communication and respect that is portrayed in these sections. 

The corporate lessons were engaging in a different way. They also offered an insight into a world that most will never be a part of and that many think of negatively but the book shows the humanity that exists in these elite organizations. High-level corporate managers are people that have to make very difficult decisions and they don't always know what to do or how to do it. I am inspired by the simple yet difficult solutions that arose from corporate leaders applying the principles outlined in this book. 

Extreme Ownership builds on the idea that to be a great leader you must start with the war inside yourself. It challenges you to take a hard look in the mirror to discover who you really are and what you could be. Once you can take responsibility for yourself and the effect you have on others then you can start to become a great leader. 

Leadership is a heavy burden and should be taken seriously and this book offers a no-bullshit guide that is entertaining, inspiring and practical. I recommend it to anyone interested in personal development as well as those taking on leadership roles. The principles and strategies outlined in this book can help leaders break through the fog of uncertainty to produce tangible results. If humanity is a team then it is on all of us to become better leaders.