As a team leader, who is responsible for a mistake on your team? Some notes on team accountability and extreme ownership from the Episode 170 of the Jocko Podcast.
Extreme ownership means that you recognize and accept your share of responsibility for a mistake from anyone on your team.
- Why did the team member make a mistake?
- Why didn't the team member have back up?
- Why didn't the rest of the members of the team...?
- Why didn't I (the leader) actually go through with this team member and make sure the team member knows how to do that procedure properly?
The team member is part of my team. We are responsible for this taking place.
If my co-worker fails, I ask myself: What mistake did I make that my co-worker dropped the ball? Did I not show it to him? Did I not ask him if he knew how to do it? Did I not ask him if he needed some help? Did I not confirm that he knew the procedures correctly? All of these things are my fault.
When you get a good team you have everyone taking ownership of the problems and that is the way it's supposed to be.
Each person on a team always has some role to fill in solving a problem.
Unfortunately, every engineering professional has been on a team which misses this point. We need to take "pre-emptive ownership" together in our teams to reduce our chances of something going wrong. And, when anything still goes wrong, taking ownership after the mistake will conquer trouble.
What kind of person feels good about letting one member of your team take ownership alone?
Listen to the discussion:
- the specific 15 minute segment on Fault
- the whole 2 hour question and answer podcast (#170) - It's about How to Be The Person Who Executes. Standing Up VS Avoiding Conflict. Extreme Ownership When it’s Not Your Fault. How to Lead as a Subordinate.
Willink, Jocko. Babin, Leif. Extreme Ownership. St. Martin's Press. New York. 2015.
Willink, Jocko. Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual. St. Martin's Press. New York. 2017.
Willink, Jocko. Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win. St. Martin's Press. New York. 2018.