How To Take Ownership When It's Not Your Fault - Jocko Willink

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Excerpt from JOCKOPODCAST 170

[Jaaaackjack]

I feel like this is a high level explanation.
I’ve been a manager, now an owner, and I have honestly never heard this situation explained like this. I really appreciate this video.
Standing by to get some.

[iambecomedeafdestroyerofwords]

I was never Willink to ever take responsibility for somebody else's mistake at work but now I will Echo these sentiments to my co workers. Thanks guys!

[mikechaffee]

Echo's challenge of extreme ownership + Jocko's explanation = my much improved understanding of extreme ownership and a wanting to apply it. Thanks!

[Broman-Empire]

Very well spoken, and greatly debated, the level of thought put into this discussion between the two of you is fantastic to watch. Youtube needs more content like this, cheers mates!

[clippotronics]

„I don’t understand that extreme ownership thing“
Jocko: „ i have to clarify this !“ (actually taking extreme ownership)

[stub]

I like his first reaction after the question!

[coachbahman]

*Always take ownership.*

Every mistake is a chance to learn, profit from
other people’s mistake.

[jaxx-inspiregrowcreate]

*As a leader, you must realize that the team must take the faults together and it is your responsibility to correct it.*

[KHWZ]

Good evening.

YES. Awesome lesson in 15 minutes.

Great example of blame and fault and responsibility and teams and Extreme Ownership in practice.

Mistakes happen all the time - we are all human.

Solve one problem, another problem comes up - all part of continuous improvement.

Jocko also addresses -- the "Difficult Discussion" -- when the time comes.

[chadwicksmith]

I am a Facilities Manager at an aerospace and defense manufacturer, I worked to this position over 10 years of clawing my way up from cleaning parts and mopping floors. I recently had a 3 year old criminal case come back up and could end up doing the next couple years in prison. I have spent the last few years fixing my wrongs, paying off debts, rebuilding relationships, ect. I am still acting manager and working to prep my team to function without me. Through this extremely difficult time of letting down my son, my pregnant wife, and my entire workplace I have religiously listened to Jocko and tried to implement some of his leadership and ownership tactics into my own life, and though it probably wont change the outcome, it has changed the path. I have been able to maintain my relationships through this and am confident it will endure. Thank you for all you contribute and all you have sacrificed for us all.

[Yetipfote]

What I understand from my disembodied brain point of view:
When others make mistakes on your team that lead into a problem,
Own the problem
Come up with a solution
Implement the solution and own the implementation!

[jasonsalistean]

The office space reference. Just bursted out laughing those damn TPS reports.

[jenniferdana]

Jocko Willink is explaining how and why it's so important and helpful not to blame an individual on a team even when someone else is at fault. It's true that it's important to help the person who completely drops the ball or makes the mistake. If the person is having trouble understanding something. What Jocko Willink is saying that if someone is making mistakes and isn't capable of doing a job it's because the person hasn't been shown the correct way to do things it will not help. What is important is to have everyone on a team take responsibility. Then fix, correct, remedy and solve the problematic issue.

[finalcountdown]

This is definitely one my favorite clips you guys have made. Funny, important, disembodied brains, complex topic. Get some

[slevine]

I had this problem with a colleague. I was responsible for teaching her the procedures and I did so many times and watched over her and made sure she knew what was going on and had a "ask me anything policy". Constantly, I would ask her if she was ok and understood etc. She would say yes, I got this. Well, lo and behold she would constantly make mistakes and I would explain things to her time and time again and she just would make the same mistakes. When I had to report to my team leader, I would take ownership of the problem (without knowing that this was a concept-I am just responsible for my actions) and she would NOT or she would blame me. I told her she needed to take responsibility for her work and her mistakes. So, I started NOT trusting her or her work and would have to double-check everything, which was a waste of time. Eventually, she got fired. At what point, after going through all the checks and taking ownership on your end, do you tell someone to take ownership on their end? I think this girl just didn't understand what it meant to take ownership and saw that I was and shirked her own ownership until I told her to do so. I think some people just don't get what ownership is, in general.

[Dabomb]

Another element to this is that people, 99% of the time, have clear reasons for their actions. Taking ownership for the situation and correcting what allowed the person to make the wrong decision helps them make better decisions in the future. Thank you,
Jocko. This has helped me understand this concept even more.

[trentonwilson]

This lesson right here is one of the hardest you will even learn in your life. It is such a bitter lesson to learn especially if it is over something that is the slightest technicality or an extremely small detail that would take lawyer type exploitation to recognize, and even worse that small thing happens at the wrong time to cause a result that's worse than the actual offense. Mind you these lessons don't happen all that often but man do they suck when they come along. You will feel defenseless and powerless because you will feel like you made all the right moves, did all the right things, took all the right precautions to still have a bad result, and at the end of the day, when you do the math, and the math doesnt lie, it especially hurts when your heart was in the right place only to find you missed one tiny detail.

[digitt]

That pesky ego, always building its self up at the expense of everyone else. I love the concept of extreme ownership, and it works where there is life and death on the battlefield. The unspoken truth is, I would want my fellow team mates to be willing to put it ALL on the line for me if I found myself in a terrible situation, and they would also know that I would do the same for them. Everywhere else its just one up man-ship and pesky ego must not die on this hill today.

[Alex-jrzs]

As a 30 year old my biggest life regret is not joining the military and I did not join because of my background and tattoos at the time. Being able to learn from these guys and apply it to my life now has been life changing. It's as if I am getting the training I always wish I got.

[dionthomas]

Extreme ownership shows what kind of leadership is needed in the right direction for better life decisions in work and life itself