My husband and I listen to audiobooks on leadership together and then like to have discussions about them: how we can implement strategies, what our biggest weaknesses are, what might be difficult about the strategy we are listening to, etc. One of the leadership books we listened to was Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin who are both former Navy Seals. Well, those two incredible gentlemen took what they learned from the military and their book and started their own leadership consulting business called Echelon Front.
Last week I had the opportunity to attend their MUSTER conference in Dallas, Texas. It is a two-and-a-half-day leadership conference where you are immersed in extreme ownership and get to meet other leaders from various industries around the country. In my honest opinion, this was the best leadership seminar/conference I have ever been to. Their principles of extreme ownership are impactful and one of the parts that really made me think was "tactical victory, but strategic loss".
When we are thinking strategically, we are thinking big picture: the purpose, goal, or mission that you have in your work or home. When we are thinking tactically, we are thinking about the little things that pop up and cause chaos in our lives, and they are not necessarily key in advancing the overall mission/purpose. They even gave an example of this happening in your personal life: when you bring work home and focus on it so much, that it is at your family's expense: hard work pays for a good and solid lifestyle, but if you are doing that at the expense of missing out on your kids' life, is it a strategic or tactical win?
For some reason, that just hit home for me and it made me analyze what I do and work on that help propel me to the goal (graduate with my doctorate and take over the world...kidding on that last part) and what are things that are white noise and distractions.
Overall it was so empowering and I made not only great connections but great friends! Below are a few photos from the event; I normally do not post photos, but when you take pictures with former Navy Seals, it is worth sharing.
Me with Jocko Willink
Me with Leif Babin
*They look super intimidating but were some of the nicest people I have ever met*
