HOW AND WHY EXTREME OWNERSHIP CAN BE LIFE CHANGING?

• General
• October 3, 2022
• 1 Comment
• Dr K Jayanth Murali admin

Extreme ownership means owning everything in your world to an extreme degree. It means you are accountable for not just those tasks you directly control but all those that happen in your reality for which you may not think you are responsible. It may be a road accident while on your way to work. The fault may not be yours but taking ownership of events and happenings for the error of the person who rammed his vehicle into yours despite there being absolutely no wrong on your part is extreme ownership. Extreme Ownership is freeing because when you stop blaming the outer world and take ownership, you take back control of your life and stop being a victim.

For instance the Hollywood movie, The Shawshank Redemption catalogues the experiences of a formerly successful banker as a convict in the gloomy jailhouse of Shawshank after being found guilty of an offence he did not commit. Bank Merchant Andy Dufresne, an innocent man after getting a conviction for slaughtering his wife and
her lover – Takes full responsibility for it and eventually earns the respect of his fellow inmates, especially longtime convict “Red” Redding, a black marketeer, and comes to be influential within the jail. Ultimately, Andrew achieves the end on his terms. What shifted things in his favour was taking full responsibility for the crime he did not commit, which eventually earned prisoner Andy Dufresne a reprieve.

Leadership skills are vital in almost every position. Any job, whether small or menial, requires you to step up and take ownership of your responsibilities. The thing is that most of us tend to struggle when the pressure’s on because we feel like we have so much to lose. Fear of failure, an unwillingness to put ourselves out there, and other limiting beliefs often hold us back from developing our true potential as a leader. But that can change if you understand the concept of extreme ownership. If you haven’t heard about it before, “extreme ownership” is a leadership philosophy that has been gaining more attention in recent years thanks to its ability to help people succeed in all areas of life—not just at work but also outside the office.

Further, Extreme ownership is a simple but powerful principle that every leader and team member should understand. It’s a simple idea with a complex meaning; as leaders, we can take ownership of everything in our organization, club, team or business. Anything that goes wrong is the result of leadership at some level. If you are reading this, you are probably already an effective leader who can lift the performance of your team members. The next step is moving from being an excellent leader to becoming exceptional by taking extreme ownership of your responsibilities and actions as a leader. Extreme ownership is significant because it involves trusting others to be just as accountable as you are. It is a safety net against stress and overwork. It supports tremendous efficiency because everyone figures out what they’re singly and collectively supposed to do.

What Does Extreme Ownership Mean?

Extreme ownership is a concept popularized by Jocko Willink, a former navy seal and current CEO of the military training company Echelon Front. Many recommend you take ownership of your life and share responsibility, but what does that mean? For starters, extreme ownership differs from simple “owning your mistakes.” Some use this phrase to forgive someone for their mistakes and get back on track without judgment, but it’s not necessarily a good thing. When you own your mistakes, you don’t just accept that you committed an error; you also acknowledge that in the process, you also got caught in, which is the same thing as taking extreme ownership, as this suggests that you accept responsibility for your mistakes and learn from them.

How Can Extreme Ownership Help You?

The ultimate goal of extreme ownership is to let go of your fear and anxiety so you can excel both as a leader and in life. If you can confront your fears, own your mistakes, and step up to share your opinions without hesitation, then there’s no obstacle you can’t overcome. Extreme ownership will help you walk the walk and lead by example if you’re leading a team at work. Let’s say one of your employees makes a mistake. If you’re a powerful owner, you’ll immediately own up to that mistake and communicate the steps you’re taking to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Three steps to help you take extreme ownership of your life

For many, extreme ownership may seem far-fetched or like something too difficult to achieve. But by following these steps, you can take ownership of your life and walk away a better leader—no matter your challenges. These three steps can help you take extreme ownership of your life: – Define What “Success” Means To You – Success doesn’t have to mean climbing the corporate ladder. It can mean anything you want—even if it’s something small, like finishing a project on time. Once you know what you want to achieve, you can focus your energy on those goals instead of worrying about what might go wrong. – Take 100% Responsibility For Everything In Your Life – Let’s face it: we’re all human and bound to make mistakes. But instead of letting your mistakes hold you back and keep you stuck, take ownership of them and use them as a learning experience. That doesn’t mean you should beat yourself up for making a mistake, but you should accept responsibility for it and decide not to repeat it. – Decide What’s Most Important To You – Let’s say you’re in a relationship, and your significant other is pushing you to move in together. You’re not ready for that step, but they want to take it now. If you decide what’s most important to you, you can say “no” to that decision and be happy with your choice. – Commit Fully To Your Decisions And Don’t Waiver – When you make a decision, don’t change your mind just because something new comes along. If you’ve decided to take on a project, for example, and it’s going to take longer than you expected, don’t give up and start looking for an excuse to quit.

Bottom line

Now, these are just a few of the benefits of extreme ownership, but by now, you should have a better understanding of why the concept can be life-changing. If you want to be a better leader, take ownership of your life and let go of your fears so you can excel regardless of the pressure on you. In summary, a true leader takes 100% ownership of everything in his environment, including the result and everything that affects it. This is the essential building block of leadership that cuts across all other principles. It applies to leadership at any tier, in any organisation.

 

Dr. K.Jayanth Murali is an IPS Officer belonging to 1991 batch. He is borne on Tamil Nadu cadre. He lives with his family in Chennai, India. He is currently serving the Government of Tamil Nadu as Director General of Police, Idol Wing CID