Lead up the chain by supporting your boss

Every leadership principle taught by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin in their book Extreme Ownership can be traced back to one singular idea:

A leader must take responsibility for everything in his or her world.

This means that every mistake, failure or shortfall – committed directly by you, or indirectly by somebody who works for you – is ultimately your fault.

It’s a hard pill to swallow. But great leaders never pass blame. They don’t make excuses.

Rather, they look at every problem through an objective lens of reality, without emotional attachments to agendas or plans. They focus their energy on being proactive, instead of wishful thinking and playing victim.

Young professionals, and people in non-managerial roles, are not exempt from this rule. Leadership flows in both directions: up and down the chain of command.

And one of the most important jobs of any leader is to support your own boss.

Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

“If your boss isn’t making a decision in a timely manner or providing necessary support for you and your team, don’t blame the boss. First, blame yourself. Examine what you can do to better convey the critical information for decisions to be made and support allocated.”

Extreme Ownership

It’s easy to complain about your situation and feel like there’s nothing you can do to change your circumstances. Especially when you’re the low man on the totem pole.

“If only I was in charge, then things would be different around here.” Have you ever caught yourself thinking this way? I certainly have.

When you do, remember the principle of extreme ownership. A leader always takes responsibility, regardless of their position within the organization.

If you take the initiative to lead up the chain of command today, you’ll be better prepared to lead down the chain of command tomorrow.