“Leaders should never be satisfied. They must always strive to improve, and they must build that mind-set into the team. They must face the facts through a realistic, brutally honest assessment of themselves and their team’s performance. Identifying weaknesses, good leaders seek to strengthen them and come up with a plan to overcome challenges. The best teams anywhere, like the SEAL Teams, are constantly looking to improve, add capability, and push the standards higher. It starts with the individual and spreads to each of the team members until this becomes the culture, the new standard. The recognition that there are no bad teams, only bad leaders facilitates Extreme Ownership and enables leaders to build high-performance teams that dominate on any battlefield, literal or figurative.”
― Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
This concept can seem counter intuitive at times because most feel it over work or it is never enough. The truth is that those motivated to do what it take find energy in the pursuit of greatness. When we as a leader loss sight of this passion in those that follow us, we set them up for disappointment. We never worry about how tired we are until we loss sight of what we are pursuing.
Have you ever notices how hard it is to go without food on a day when you have nothing going on? Then you have a day where you are focused, busy and it never crosses your mind to stop and eat. What is the difference? Focus, passion and a purpose that is more important than resting and eating. For me on these days I have more energy and less stress in my life. Let\’s focus on getting better, in small increments but everyday. Remember to celebrate then find what is next to improve and keep moving.