‘Leaders must be close with their people, but not so close that it becomes a problem. They must hold the line with discipline but not become tyrannical.’

‘A good leader builds powerful, strong relationships with his or her subordinates.’

‘Micromanagement fails because no one person can control multiple people executing a vast numbers of actions in a dynamic environment, where changes in the situation occur rapidly and with unpredictability.’

‘… Leaders must carefully evaluate when and where to hold the line and when to allow some slack.’

‘Leadership capital is the recognition that there is a finite amount of power that any leader possesses.’

‘Leaders are responsible for the output of the individual on their team. The goal of any leader is to get the most out of every individual- to push each individual to reach his or her maximum potential so that the team itself can reach its maximum potential.’

‘A leader must be loyal to his individual team members and take care of them, but at the same time he must be loyal to the team itself and ensure that very member of the team has a net positive impact and doesn’t detract from mission execution.’

‘Leadership- at every level- is the critical factor in whether a team succeeds or fails.’

‘Training must stimulate realistic challenges and apply pressure to decision-makers. If training doesn’t push the team beyond the limits of what’s easy, the team, and particularly leaders within the team, will never develop the capacity to take on greater challenges.’

‘As aggressive as leaders must be, leaders must be cautious that they are not ‘running to their death’ simply because their instinct is to take action.’

Source:

Jocko Willink & Leif Babin (2018). The Dichotomy of Leadership