Review: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Last fall on Veteran's Day, I mentioned a book I was reading that was written by two Navy SEALs about leadership called Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead And Win. The authors, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin also run their own leadership development and executive coaching firm called Echelon Front. To be honest, I probably would not have known about their book if it had not been for the fact that Leif and a number of his classmates from USNA class of 1998 rallied to the support of Nuru International CEO and classmate Jake Harriman as part of their 15 year class reunion gift. I had been following Leif on Twitter when I saw news of his book. As part of my ethos, I believe in supporting people who I have at least some degree of connection to as they work to bring good into the world. With Leif and Jocko, the connection was indirect. They were connected to Jake, and they had been supportive of Nuru's mission.

That being said, when I heard they wrote a book, I figured the least I could do was give it a read, and potentially write a review of it. So here I am, writing a review. And as I start, let me say this. I feel like most books on leadership are really just a repackaging of timeless lessons that are made more timely by their proximity to modern challenges, or by being etched into the minds of the author by the crucible of experience. In Extreme Ownership, we are presented with a book that comes from both.

The authors are honest in an admission that there are already plenty of books available on leadership, but they believe (and I agree) that their unique contribution to this sphere comes in the fact that they learned these lessons in the tumult of combat and have sought to extract from their experience the important principles and also worked to apply them to more conventional contexts in the workplace. The lessons and experiences are written vividly, and as one reads, there is a certainty that these memories and lessons learned were hard-fought, and life-changing for the authors. I highly recommend giving the book a read, not just for the leadership wisdom, but for the concrete way these two men have been able to write about their experiences in combat and bring the realities that most of us only experience through the filter of news channel pundits into the forefront of our own understanding. While the book is a great book about leadership, it is also a history lesson on the very real challenges that men and women who are my age have encountered over the last several years in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflict zones around the world.

The three biggest reminders I took away from the book were these.

1) The person who bears ultimate responsibility for any mission, any project, or any objective in my life is me. We live in a world caught up in working to assign blame to others and displace responsibility from ourselves. If something in my life is not working out the way I want it to, I need to own it. I need to accept responsibility for my own failures, as well as my failures when leading others. I need to own it.

2) When I'm feeling overwhelmed, the most important thing I can do is prioritize and execute. We talk a lot about multi-tasking, but the reality is we will fail if we try to tackle several tasks simultaneously. It is up to me to determine the highest priority task and then begin there. If there are several tasks, I need to keep my head and do as the authors say, "Relax, look around, make a call."

3) Discipline equals freedom. Not only is this a great little mantra, but the premise is that increased discipline results most often in greater freedom. If we master a certain level of discipline, we can easily adapt. As we standardize and create routines, it helps us to be mindful and creative in our approaches to other areas, and by creating discipline around a few standing areas, we can easily adapt and create linkages when necessary. I like to think about this principle as the means through which I achieve results. If I want to attain mastery of my fitness, my spiritual formation, etc. I need to apply a level of discipline on an ongoing basis. At least this is my personal application of the principle.

So, if you are looking for a solid book on leadership, or if you are looking to learn from the stories and experiences of a couple of people who have been taught from the crucible of experience on the frontlines of combat, I recommend giving Extreme Ownership a read. Also, Jocko has started a podcast too. I was able to listen to a little bit of his first one, but I'm hoping to give these segments a listen on some future road trip or flight.

Review: The Heart And The Fist by Eric Greitens

Over the last several months in a wide spectrum of contexts I've been seeing the name Eric Greitens come up. He's an author, a Rhodes Scholar, a Navy SEAL, a humanitarian, founder of The Mission Continues, and currently a candidate for governor of Missouri. Because his name has been popping up in a variety of different contexts, I decided I would do a quick Google search.

When I did, among the top hits were a couple of books, one called Resilience, and the other was The Heart And The Fist. I decided to start by reading The Heart And The Fist because of its subtitle, The Education Of A Humanitarian, The Making Of A Navy SEAL. This title intrigued me on a few levels. First, given Nuru CEO Jake Harriman's background as a Force Recon platoon commander, I wondered what similarities may exist between the genesis of Nuru in Jake's mind and Eric Greitens' own experiences and conclusions. Separately, I find myself encouraged by the lives of others who have sought to work for a better world, and Mr. Greitens seems to be a person who has sought to do that with his life. I figure any time I can read a book where a person is willing to open up their life and share some of their personal lessons, I am usually made better through it.

And so I picked up The Heart And The Fist. What I love about the book is that there is a mixture of these biographical sketches from different seasons of the author's life that each include both humor and nuggets of wisdom. In even the most serious moments of life it seems there can be an occasion to smile, to experience gratitude, and an opportunity to learn and grow as a person. In the preface of the book, Eric succinctly articulates his thesis. The stories he shares reflect this truth, "...without courage, compassion falters, and without compassion, courage has no direction...it is within our power, and that the world requires of us--of every one of us--that we be both good and strong...For each of us there is a place on the frontlines."

In each chapter of the book, Eric focuses in on key experiences and individuals who helped him learn important life lessons, and who inspire him to bring his best into whatever he does. Although the book is a story about moments that shaped his life, it is just as much a testimonial and tribute to individuals who gave him inspiration and who by being written about, may have the opportunity to give us inspiration as well. In this book, he communicates with a vulnerability and an honesty that does not attempt to paint any of these individuals (including himself) in a perfect light, but rather to show that even amid our imperfections, we each have valuable life lessons to impart, and we each have a unique contribution on the frontlines, wherever they may be.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of his book, and soaking in these stories of hardship, heroism, and simple truths in the hope that it might help you to bring your best to wherever you have been placed, and further, that it might inspire you to be both strong and good. In the words of the philosopher John Stuart Mill (also quoted in the book), " The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."  May we be a people who are willing to fight for good, who are relentless in standing strong, and purposeful in laying down our lives and our comforts for the good of others.

Martin Luther King Day 2016

For the many of the last several years, I’ve written a post and shared video or audio from one of Dr. King’s speeches on MLK Day. This year, in the spirit of continuing that tradition, I thought I would post an excerpt and a photo taken at the MLK Memorial in Washington DC.

As people around the country are enjoying a day off, I wanted to write a quick note to encourage you toward an act of service. The world becomes a better place when we choose to serve, and the purpose and intent of the MLK holiday is to give people a space and time to serve in their communities and in the world. For those who have already made other plans for the day, this is not an attempt to shame or guilt, but a reminder.

I believe service can and should be a lifestyle. I believe the highest calling of individuals is a calling to service. And I believe that setting aside a day is a great start to cultivating a lifestyle, but I want to encourage you to take time as you plot out your year and your plans—carve out opportunities to serve others. Go volunteer with your church or with a community group. Set aside money and time to give back.

The world can be a better place if we choose to serve. And I believe your life will be more fulfilling by choosing to serve. When we choose selfishness, I believe it shrinks our ability to be who we were made to be, to live out our calling, and to make the world a brighter place.

So whether you choose an act of service today or not, go out and serve this year. Set the date. Be intentional. Make it part of your life rhythm. May we each aspire toward the greatness that happens when we commit ourselves to the service and welfare of others.

Reflection: Servant Leadership In The Form of a Good Friend

One of our values at Nuru is servant leadership. One of the core values of my tribe and my faith is also servant leadership. Growing up in Parkersburg WV, I saw both of my parents model servant leadership for me and my siblings and for anyone who was paying attention. I've appreciated it and also tried to live it out for much of my adult life. And, as our time in California was wrapping up during the first week of 2015 (among many other times), I saw it modeled in my coworker and friend Troy Hickerson (in the photo above). 

Troy is an incredible human being. He manages all of the IT needs of Nuru, and is also an executive and cofounder in two other companies working to address malnutrition among children in the developing world—Mana Nutrition and Calorie Cloud. You should check them both out, and consider ways you and/or your company/family can be involved with them! 

But that’s not the point of this post. Troy and I were hoping to connect during the week of the summit to go for a run, but his busy schedule kept this from being a possibility—until the day we were leaving. He invited me and Jamie to come to his house in Newport Beach for an early morning jog and catch up time. He was really glad to see us show up, and admitted when we were running a few minutes behind, that he half-expected us to text him with a ‘Sorry bro, we aren’t going to make it.” Jamie and I were not about to let that happen. Troy had to leave for a meeting in Los Angeles mid-morning, so we only had a narrow window. So, we ran for about 30-40 minutes and then, came back to his house for a quick shower before heading inland to see my brother one more time and board a plane back east.

Amid the entire morning, Troy demonstrated servant leadership, but then, he took an additional step and began brewing coffee and preparing bacon, eggs, and pancakes for breakfast for us. He welcomed us into his home and showed us hospitality. He needed to head to Los Angeles for a meeting, but he took his time, and prepared and enjoyed a meal with us.

Every time I see servant leadership in action, I am inspired. Servant leadership is completely counter-cultural to the way much of our world seems to work—it’s like an act of resistance against our own selfishness every time we choose to serve.

Who are some examples of servant leadership in your life? How do you take steps to become a servant leader? May we all learn to be better leaders as we learn to serve and care for the needs of others instead of seeking to serve ourselves!

Reflection: Nuru Summit 2015

One of my favorite experiences of any given year since we started talking about Nuru in 2007 has been the Annual Nuru Summit. In 2007 and 2008, the ‘summit’ was less official and was more of an informal gathering at my friend John Hancox’ house in Morgantown WV. Over the years, the summit has become the one time each year when all of Nuru’s staff have gathered together in one location—typically a location in California, and most of the time in Orange County.

Last year, we gathered for four days in Huntington Beach, CA and talked in detail about some of the challenges and highlights of the past year, as well as the path ahead for what we are striving to accomplish in 2015. I love the philosophy that our team has with regard to planning as well as with regard to assessing our activities for the sake of continuous improvement, but that was not the highlight for me. Nor was the highlight seeing my friends at Nuru who have been pushing forward in this fight. Those are both great things, but not my high point.

My highlight for last year’s summit was a renewed focus on our ‘why.’ Sometimes, no matter what our vocation, we can get caught up in the ‘what’ or the ‘how’ of what we are doing. And we need to be aware of those things—if we don’t it becomes easy to go off mission, or to undermine our values. But, ‘why’ is the thing that gets us up each morning, and helps each one of us keep going.

The week started off with a teary-eyed Jake sharing his why after sharing his sadness over the loss of a visionary Kenyan leader, PhilipMohochi, earlier in 2014. Throughout the week, individuals shared their unscripted why as they shared other updates for their program and for Nuru as an organization. Without a why, I think it would be hard for folks to keep going.

For me, I could talk at length about my why, but in short form, I believe my why comes from my faith, which has set ablaze in me a desire to care for other people well; to seek justice, do mercy, and walk humbly with my Creator. In an even shorter form for me it comes down to this—People matter. Every. Person. Matters. And so I personally keep pushing forward with this mission to give people meaningful choices.

What about you? What is your why? What inspires you to keep pressing forward with supporting and furthering Nuru’s work? What keeps you on mission in your life? What is your why? If you have not considered it, carve out some time for reflection and keep that why in front of you. When times are tough, it is easy to want to throw in the towel, but if you know your why, you will be able to resist ringing the bell or giving up.

Keep pressing—the world needs you to show up and stay on mission!

Reflection: Independence Day 2015

92nd Annual Lake Floyd WV July 4th Celebration

 This past weekend, Jamie and I traveled to the place she was raised, Lake Floyd, WV to celebrate July 4^th with her family and friends. At Lake Floyd, the July 4^th celebration is a bit of a throwback to a different era of America. On July 3^rd, the entire community gathers for a covered dish dinner and hot dog roast at the clubhouse (which is for all practical purposes the center of activity for the lakeside community).  I would estimate roughly 150 people came out for the hot dog roast. And the thing is, people come from near and far to be back at Lake Floyd for July 4^th. The atmosphere is similar to a large family reunion or homecoming.

And on July 4^th, the day starts with Irish RoadBowling, then a parade. The parade is comprised almost entirely of all of the kids from the lake community riding in wagons, bicycles, tricycles, and other decorated riding toys. After this comes “the games.” Of course there are fireworks at the end of the evening, but “the games” are not to be missed. Different age groups of boys and girls, men and women compete in three-legged races, obstacle courses, tug-of-wars, wheelbarrow races, and even an egg toss. This was the 92^nd anniversary of the Lake Floyd July 4^th celebration.

Open division wheelbarrow race July 4th

And this year, I was asked to pray to open up the games. For me, it was a big deal because 1) I’m not a member of the community like Jamie and others are and 2) I have witnessed a few of the others who have prayed to open the time, and those men and women were patriarchs and matriarchs in the community. Men and women who were giants of faith, who led lives of service, and who were stalwart champions of goodness in their community. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not trying to place myself in that league—these are the exact reasons why I felt completely out of place standing in that position. At the same time, it made me want to aspire to live a life that could even be a shadow of the one they led.

Jamie rocking a Nuru shirt and getting ready for the parade.

Jamie’s cousin sang the national anthem (beautifully I might add), and the MC led the gathered crowd in the pledge of allegiance. And as these events transipired, I found myself reflecting as I stepped up to pray before the hundreds of men and women and boys and girls entered the “competition” at the 92^nd annual Lake Floyd July 4^th celebration. What I reflected on was a bit different than what others might have found themselves considering.

I reflected on this. What are we celebrating and highlighting when we come together at gatherings like this on the fourth of July. Are we celebrating our independence? Are we celebrating the freedoms we enjoy in America? Are we celebrating a successful rebellion from a tyrannical England that happened 239 years ago? In a sense we may be celebrating all of those things, but when I think about what values we choose to highlight on Independence Day, I think we are celebrating the fact that freedom imparts to us a need to take responsibility. Freedom means that we are called to serve and look out for the interests for others.

Jamie and her cousin Genevieve speeding past the competition.

As the list of those occupations and careers we typically honor on Independence Day are mentioned or listed they bear one thing in common. They the outflow of lives committed to the service of others. We often take time on Independence Day to pray for and honor the sacrifices of service men and women, first responders, fire-fighters, and police (among others), and these occupations share a common thread. They are careers and occupations when at their best demonstrate an ethic of self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. There is a sense with each of these vocations that their practitioners have come to the conclusion that a life of “freedom” also means a life of “responsibility.”

I have been privileged to be surrounded by others who champion this philosophy that is not uniquely American, but it is a part of America’s roots. Growing up I saw it in my parents and relatives who committed themselves to hard work to make sure there was food on the table for me and my generation, or in my neighbors who were always ready and willing to chip in and share skills to help repair a vehicle or a home. They weren’t living for themselves, but were looking out for the interests of others.

As I grew older, I felt the tensions of an increasingly dominant culture that said that I needed to put myself first, that it was survival of the fittest, that only the strong survive and these principles were in direct contrast to what I had witnessed in my own family and community. As I went off to college, the dominant culture was winning. I was pursuing an education that would line me up for a career where I could make a lot of money and “have all of the toys.” But something kept drawing me back. Among other happenings, during my college years, I became a Christian, and I was part of a community of Christians who were striving earnestly to live out their faith in tangible ways (and I’m grateful to still be part of that community). In addition, I had the opportunity to become more involved with my own tribal community. One of the highest principles among my tribe, is that you are here to serve. And now, I work for an organization in which servant leadership is among the core values.

 

As Martin Luther King, Jr. has said, “Anyone can be great, because anyone can serve.” You want to lead? Serve. You want to be respected by others? Serve. President Kennedy said it this way, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

So back to Independence Day. I believe that part of what we celebrate on Independence Day is freedom of responsibility. I think what makes America great (among many other attributes) is this. There is a rich tradition of service that has been woven into America. Of course there are ugly patches in this nation’s history, and there is definitely a need for introspection and correction, but while some of these wrongs cannot be righted easily, they can cease to continue if more people commit their lives to the service of others.

Right now, in the faith community of which I am part, we have been studying the letter Paul the Apostle wrote to the church at Philippi. One of the foremost themes of the book is service. Paul holds up multiple examples, including the life and example of Jesus Himself. Service brings out our best, and it actually can bring out the best in those around us too.

And while on various holidays and occasions we often celebrate those who serve, I look around and I see service trending downward. I see people who are caught up in their own interests. They have grabbed hold of an ethos of looking out for number one. They disrespect themselves, they disrespect rules, they disrespect property, and they, as a natural outflow, disrespect others. And yet, this is part of what it means to be free. We are also free to make bad choices. We are free not to take responsibility or expect consequences for our actions, but at some point there will be a reckoning.  My hope is that as a society we can begin to course correct. My hope is that Americans can celebrate not only the sacrifices of past generations that have enabled us to continue as a democracy, but also look to imitate an ethos of service that makes us our communities better, and also makes this entire world a better place for others.

So as we return to our normal rhythms after celebrating Independence Day, I want to encourage you to strive to maintain or develop an ethos of service. Your family will be better off. Your community will be better off. Your country will be better off. And, I believe wholeheartedly this world will be better off.  And this is the great irony, I believe you will be better off as well, because you will be living for a purpose greater than yourself, your bank account, or your own indulgence. There’s something about service that transforms us into a better version of ourselves than we would be otherwise. Will you take steps toward a greater ethos of service in your life by saying yes to others and no to yourself?