PRESENTING: A retired Navy SEAL commander has a technique for having difficult conversations with underperforming teams that can get them back on track
Jocko Willink once told us that some of the early clients for his leadership consulting firm, Echelon Front, expected him and his cofounder (and fellow former Navy SEAL commander) Leif Babin to instill order into their ranks through fear and intimidation. Sure, Willink may look intimidating, but his approach to leadership is founded on communication and mutual respect.
Over a 20-year career in the SEALs that included a stint as the commander of SEAL Team 3 Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated American special operations unit that served in the Iraq War, Willink learned that the best leaders take ownership of everything that happens on their watch.
And that means that when a team member failed, the leader was somehow responsible. If he took the aggressive approach some civilians expected of Willink, that would lead to a worse problem. It's a lesson as relevant in the battlefield as it is in an office.
We spoke recently to Willink about his new book, "Leadership Strategy and Tactics." If you join BI Prime, you can learn how best to handle a problematic team member, using an easily adaptable example Willink gave us.