![]() The new system designates SEALs to draw a layout of the building, assign a number label for each room, take photos and videos of evidence, and assign “room owners,” who are responsible for overseeing the searching and evidence collection in their particular room. His plan seems complex at first glance, but it breaks down into simple, individual roles and responsibilities. The assistant commander develops a system that assigns some SEALs to systematically search the building and others to collect evidence. Willink assigns the task to his assistant platoon commander (Decentralized Command). Forced by the court’s ruling, the SEALs have to create a more disciplined searching procedure. The helter-skelter method also takes a long time, creating more opportunity for nearby enemies to attack.Īfter the SEALs conduct several missions this way, the Iraqi courts impose stricter guidelines for collecting and documenting evidence. But this method creates chaos and confusion: They don’t have a system assigning people to search certain rooms or collect evidence, so they sometimes miss a room by accident or leave evidence behind because no one is designated to gather it. The SEALs did not train specifically on how to search buildings and collect evidence, so they typically ransack them. During these missions, he receives intelligence information about the location of a terrorist or group of terrorists, then leads his platoon on an operation to break into the building, detain the terrorists, and gather information from them and from the building (such as evidence of bomb-making material). Willink is leading a SEAL platoon on a targeted raid during his first deployment to Iraq. Leaders and teams need to be able to look at disciplined structures as a framework, while maintaining their adaptability.īattle Story of Discipline Equals Freedom: Creating Order Out of Chaos However, leaders must be careful that their teams don’t become so rigid and stuck on the SOP that they lose that flexibility. This is “discipline equals freedom” on a team level. And when things get confusing and chaotic - whether on the battlefield or in a business operation - everyone can fall back on the SOP. If the team needs to adjust a plan, disciplined SOPs make it possible to change that aspect of the plan without throwing the entire operation out of whack when everyone knows the procedure inside and out, it’s easy to explain which piece of it is changing and what is staying the same. ![]() When each team member knows her role and duties as well as the goal of the mission, she can quickly and easily adapt to changing circumstances without having to constantly get leaders’ approval (this is critical for Decentralized Command, as we talked about in Chapter 8). This also translates to a team setting: When a team implements disciplined SOPs, they have more freedom within those parameters. Willink explains that this was the only way to carve out time for anything - whether to study, clean, or stretch his muscles - in the tightly structured schedule of SEAL training. This is “discipline equals freedom” on a simple level. ![]() If you are strategic and deliberate, you can create a regimented approach that ultimately gives you more freedom.įor example, setting your alarm early (and having the discipline to get out of bed when it goes off) gives you more time and freedom to do the things you want to fit in your day. It seems counterintuitive that exercising discipline in turn gives you freedom, but, as with all of the dichotomies described above, this requires balance. Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
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