#55 - Jocko Willink, retired Navy SEAL, Part I of II: objective, strategy & tactics, leadership, protocols, dealing with death, and applying the many lessons learned from war

In part 1 of this 2 part series, Jocko Willink, retired Navy SEAL, discusses some of his most important lessons learned from his time commanding some of the world’s most expert special forces operators including the importance of understanding the objective and strategy (and then tactics) of a mission, why humility is the greatest trait a leader can have (and certain times when it’s not), as well as the necessity of having proper protocols in place to deal with whatever comes your way. We also talk about how Jocko prioritizes his military and family obligations with his love for jiu-jitsu, as well as how to decipher what really matters in life. Finally, we go through the US history with respect to various wars from World War I, all the way forward, and much much more. 

We discuss:

• Objective, strategy, and tactics [6:00];
• Training compared to actual combat [20:30];
• The importance of humility in leadership, business, and life [33:00];
• The dichotomy of human traits: Can you be too humble? [49:00];
• Why many leaders lack humility [52:30];
• Why Jocko wanted to be a Navy SEAL [55:00];
• Jocko’s attitude toward death, and dealing with the death of a soldier [58:45];
• The vital importance of protocols [1:03:45];
• Protocol for losing a child (or anyone close to you) [1:15:00];
• Protocol for getting dumped, and some relationship advice [1:18:00];
• How to differentiate between things that matter and things that don’t [1:24:30];
• Jocko shares his experience during BUD/S [1:35:45];
• How Jocko prioritizes his family and SEALs obligations: Would Jocko come out of retirement and go back to war? [1:48:30];
• America’s lost sense of connectedness and purpose since WWII [1:59:00];
• How warfare has evolved over the decades since WWI [2:05:40];
• Obeying orders and the obligation to dissent [2:09:00];
• WWI and WWII, the beginnings of “decentralized command” [2:15:00];
• The American warrior mentality, and the impact of freedom on a society [2:20:45];
• What impact can an individual president really have? [2:25:00];
• The Korean war [2:29:15];
• Lessons learned from Vietnam [2:31:10];
• First Gulf War, Iraq War, and The War in Afghanistan [2:35:45]; and
• More.

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In part 1 of this 2 part series, Jocko Willink, retired Navy SEAL, discusses some of his most important lessons learned from his time commanding some of the world’s most expert special forces operators including the importance of understanding the objective and strategy (and then tactics) of a mission, why humility is the greatest trait a leader can have (and certain times when it’s not), as well as the necessity of having proper protocols in place to deal with whatever comes your way. We also talk about how Jocko prioritizes his military and family obligations with his love for jiu-jitsu, as well as how to decipher what really matters in life. Finally, we go through the US history with respect to various wars from World War I, all the way forward, and much much more.