Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual (2020) by Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL officer and a leadership consultant, is a manual on leadership principles and practices. The book offers insights gleaned from Willink’s extensive military background. It dispenses practical advice and techniques for leaders across diverse domains, underscoring the significance of discipline, accountability, communication, and teamwork.

Willink draws on his experiences as a decorated Navy SEAL and in training and leading high-achieving teams to shape the substance of the book. He applies his military background to leadership, civilian life, and commerce. Leadership Strategy and Tactics is for those aspiring to enhance their leadership prowess and grasp the dynamics of effective team management.

This guide refers to the 2020 St. Martin’s Press edition.

Summary

Leadership Strategy and Tactics begins by emphasizing the importance of a leader’s mindset. Willink champions a harmonious approach, where one combines modesty with resoluteness. He underscores the need for leaders to take responsibility for their decisions and their team’s performance. He introduces the concept of “Extreme Ownership,” which prompts leaders to embrace absolute accountability for their actions and the actions of their subordinates.

The book then plunges into the import of strategic planning and decision-making. Willink expounds on the crafting of adaptable strategic blueprints and outlines strategies for decision-making in stressful situations. He underscores the significance of prioritizing tasks and concentrating on the most pivotal objectives to attain success.

Willink also dissects team dynamics and the significance of erecting robust, united teams. He discusses the art of forging trust and reverence among team members and the role of a leader in cultivating a constructive and productive team dynamic. He emphasizes the value of effective communication, both in imparting clear directives and in responding to team input.

Willink spends a substantial portion of the book addressing adversity. He recounts his experiences surmounting challenging circumstances and extends counsel on maintaining composure, adapting to shifting situations, and guiding teams through crises.

The book also explores the leader’s role in developing subordinates. Willink underscores the significance of mentorship, setting ambitious benchmarks, and affording opportunities for team members to grow and cultivate their skills. He discusses the art of discerning and nurturing potential leaders within a team.

Willink emphasizes how leadership should perpetually progress. He urges leaders to remain open to learning and adaptation, and to continually seek enhancement. He highlights the value of self-control and the need for leaders to lead by their actions.

Leadership Strategy and Tactics can be seen as a treatise on military leadership as well as a handbook for others in leadership capacities, whether in the corporate world, athletics, or personal life.