Blog

Bestselling authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin "love having weak leaders"

Once Extreme Ownership hit the shelves and became an instant New York Times bestseller, it wasn't long before people were clamoring for more information from Jocko Willink and Leif Babin about how best to lead and win. The Dichotomy of Leadership is the answer to every business leader's question about how most effectively to lead in order to achieve victory in their organizations. We sat down with Jocko and Leif to dive a little deeper into this latest book.

Just like Extreme Ownership, Jocko and Leif have divided The Dichotomy of Leadership into three parts: balancing people, balancing the mission, and balancing yourself.  Within each of these three parts, readers and business leaders will find three sections. The first section of each part opens with a story from the battlefield, then the second section explains the main principle, and the third section presents a story that is applicable in the civilian or business sector.

Leif discusses with us here: "one thing that is misunderstood in Extreme Ownership is accountability.  So, in The Dichotomy of Leadership, we really hone in on accountability.  If you're only leading through accountability and you're standing over employees' shoulders, you can't expect them to do what they need to do without you standing there.  You have to empower them to make the right choices and to execute—so you're empowering your people to take their own accountability."

Other key takeaways from Jocko and Leif include the idea of sometimes being a follower as a leader.  "If someone else is standing up and becoming a leader, you have to show flexibility and let them lead and take on the follower role a bit more."  In this way, you show that you're comfortable enough as a leader to let others shine, learn, and lead—while you follow and learn from your team.

The "Dichotomies of Leadership" are infinite. The more that you keep the balance on these three elements, the better chance you have of victory—whatever that means to you, your team, your family, or your organization.  The Dichotomy of Leadership is all about balance. Overall, it's simple—either "stay humble, or be humbled."

Be sure to listen to the full AuthorConnect Chat with Jocko Willink and Leif Babin to hear all of the fabulous questions submitted and answered—as well as learn why Jocko and Leif love having weak leaders and more details about their latest book, The Dichotomy of Leadership available now for purchase.