This One Habit Creates a Culture of Ownership

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How do you get people truly on board with Extreme Ownership? You praise the behaviors you want repeated—specifically, visibly, and in balance with KPIs. In this episode, we break down why “false cheerleading” backfires, how to define and show what “good” looks like, and how a relentless debrief culture raises standards fast. We share SEAL Team lessons on recognizing decisive action, Cover & Move across departments, keeping plans Simple, Prioritize & Execute under pressure, and enabling Decentralized Command at the front line. You’ll also hear practical ways to align promotions and performance reviews to your real values—so you’re not paying lip service while rewarding the opposite.

► Try this week’s Immediate Action Drill: catch someone doing it right—ownership, teamwork, clarity—and praise it publicly and specifically.

If this helped, like, subscribe, and share. Drop your leadership challenges in the comments so we can target the next episode. Explore free resources at EchelonFront.com and go deeper inside Extreme Ownership Academy.

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Hook: “How do we get people to take ownership?”
00:21 Topic: Praise the behavior you want to see
00:55 Values on the wall vs. numbers in meetings
01:39 Avoid “false cheerleading”; make praise scarce & meaningful
03:45 Show what “good” looks like (SEAL mission brief example)
06:41 Define success beyond tactics—behavioral standards
08:24 Balancing KPIs with values (parenting & team examples)
11:00 Debrief culture: nightly, short, brutal, and positive
13:10 Normalize debriefs—don’t wait for failure
14:26 Jocko’s debrief model: candid + earned recognition
16:44 Leaders’ words: praise frontline publicly, fix privately
17:34 Recognition systems: stickers, patches, peer kudos
20:38 EF peer-nominated awards (aligning praise to principles)
22:01 Promotions & reviews tied to values (not lip service)
24:00 Not participation trophies—praise specific behaviors
26:16 Immediate Action Drill & how to build ownership culture
27:15 Outro + resources & Academy



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