Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willinks (Audio Book Review)

I read / listened to Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willinks as an audio book from Audible. This book is aimed at teaching lessons for life, but seemingly primarily business, drawing on Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's experience as US Navy Seals.

I was interested in this book because I practice and follow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Jocko Willink is a respected practitioner and teacher in this sport. I understand that the work needed to get to black belt level in BJJ is no small thing, and that the sport weeds out "bullshitters" pretty quickly. Due to this, I felt Jocko probably has something to say.

And he does. Much of the advice in the book, hammering home the benefits of small teams, keeping things simple, leading up and down the chain of command, taking responsibility and measuring and improving success. There are many stories from recent wars that lend credibility to the ideas in this book.

My criticisms would be that I feel this book promotes very black and white thinking. Right or wrong, goodies and baddies, with little room for nuance, balanced discussion, different points of view, empathy, critical or philosophical thinking. This is probably the inevitable product of life in the military and maybe a necessary reality when the only real goal is getting it done. The book is heavy on american military 'speak' and can be a bit much at times if you prefer a more balanced view of the world, but I get the impression that Jocko and Babin really want to help and have a lot to offer on the subject of leadership, which is what this book aims to teach at it's core.

Overall this is a good book, with a good balance of story telling and meaningful content. I would recommend it mostly for people working in teams in challenging work environments, where leadership, interpersonal relationships, hierarchy and continuous improvement are key.