Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink
Book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
By @coach_kobes
Advice:
Own your decisions, actions and attitude to elevate your life.
Background story:
I fucked up! I remember this day well. Why? Because I made a mistake that endangered the lives of my team. Tasked with establishing an overwatch position to target Taliban forces and mitigate the threat of an ambush or the placement of an Improvised Explosive Device targeting the Mentoring and Liasion team and their Afghani counterparts, who were going to be conducting a search in the area later that day. I was tired.
It was freezing cold in the middle of Winter. It was the early hours of the day. Operational tempo had been high and we'd already sustained a number of casualties. My position at the front of the patrol as the lead scout for my sniper team...the point man responsible for choosing an appropriate route, and keeping my eyes and ears peeled for any threat we might encounter along the way. I was also the Combat First Aider I carried with me an advanced first aid kit which would allow me to provide immediate first aid to any of my teammates or civilians as needed.
Well...I was supposed to... Before we stepped off, awaiting clearance to leave base, I had taken my bag off so I could give my shoulders and back a rest before the big day ahead.
About 20 minutes until our patrol I realised I hadn't put my bag back on. I sat with it for about 10 seconds, wondering what the right call was going to be. It was never in doubt. Over my radio, I raised my team leader. "Tamps, I'm sorry bro. I fucked up. I left the first aid kit on base!" "What? Are you serious? You fucking idiot!" I was embarrassed. I was ashamed. I'd let myself down. And I'd let my team down.
But I had to own it, step up and admit fault.
Only then, when my team leader had that information, could he make an informed decision and that was to continue with our mission!
Make mistakes OLD!
1. Own it
2. Learn from it
3. Don't let it happen again
