#55–Jocko Willink Part 1 of 2: objective, strategy & tactics, leadership, protocols & lessons of war

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  Objective first, then strategy, then tactics

  Attia borrows a framework from Dennis Calabrese: define the objective clearly (most people skip this step), build a strategy as the scaffolding, and only then hang tactics on it. People who even get the objective right tend to jump straight to tactics. Willink says he learned the same thing as a leader: unless frontline troops understand the strategic level, they can't make good decisions on their own.

• 02

  A tactical mistake can do strategic damage

  Willink's example is Abu Ghraib. Soldiers aged 18 to 20 guarding detainees they believed were terrorists did things Americans shouldn't do, which he describes as closer to hazing than torture, though out of bounds either way. They also photographed it. Once the images reached al-Qaeda and Al Jazeera, they fuelled the insurgency. Small acts by junior people can undo the larger mission.

• 03

  Decentralized command only works if everyone understands the strategy

  When a unit is cut off from headquarters and has to improvise, troops who don't know the 'why' are lost. Willink traces decentralized command to Prussian and German reforms after their defeats by Napoleon. Germany adopted it and maneuver warfare only at the end of World War I, too late, and 20 years later it had transformed how World War II was fought.

• 04

  Humility is the most important trait in a leader

  Willink saw it in his first SEAL platoon. The enlisted men effectively mutinied against an arrogant, inexperienced officer, 'a horrible combination', and loved his experienced, humble successor. When subordinates despise a leader they start hoping the leader fails, which Willink calls the worst morale imaginable. Because people usually reach leadership through confidence, too little humility is the more common problem.

• 05

  You can also be too humble

  Every trait has a dichotomy, the theme of Willink's book The Dichotomy of Leadership. Talking with bright, underprivileged kids aged 8 to 13 in LA, he had to coach them to sit up, stand and speak louder. A too-humble subordinate who defers to a boss they disagree with fails the team. Even poise taken too far makes a leader look like a detached robot; people need to see that the leader is devastated too.

• 06

  Following orders isn't absolute

  Willink rejects 'just follow orders'. He wouldn't obey a plan he believed would get his platoon killed, but he acknowledges the dilemma: refuse and get replaced by a yes-man, or argue for an alternative and then carry out the plan as well as possible. He points to World War I generals who sent men into trenches day after day without any senior leader refusing, and to British soldiers with PTSD and brain injuries who were executed for refusing to fight.

• 07

  A protocol for when you don't know what's happening

  Step back, assess everything, list your possible moves and their likely outcomes, then take a small step you can reverse rather than fully committing. Willink says no list of 20 planned scenarios covers everything, so this general protocol is the one that saves you. Attia sees parallels with Jordan Peterson's writing.

• 08

  Americans lack protocols for grief

  Willink argues that by blending so many cultures, Americans have lost the clear rituals other traditions follow after a death. In combat there was no option to retreat for months; teams were back in their gear within 48 hours. He believes families and high-risk businesses such as construction firms should have protocols ready before something bad happens.

• 09

  Default to aggressive

  Willink was wary of nervous operators because nervous people hesitate. Under fire, hiding gives the enemy time to maneuver on you; attacking keeps you alive. He applies the same attitude in civilian life: confront problems head-on, because the more defensive your mindset, the worse things turn out.