NOTE: this isnt all the questions from each episode, just the ones I found really useful. Also, this is NOT a transcript word for word of what is said on the podcast. It is me cherry picking what I think is the useful information
Episode 1 Jocko Podcast #1 – With Echo Charles | Leadership, Ownership, Mental Toughness
Why do you wake up early in the morning? Isn’t it OK to get up late if you put the same amount of work in throughout the day? https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=438
If you are working late or on a different work schedule, then that is fine. As long as you are using discipline to get up when you do. But if you are just staying in bed and being lazy, then that is not ok. Having this discipline early in the morning will help you across the board. Getting out of bed is the foundation of this discipline.
What drives you? https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=957
Fear. Fear of Failure. Fear of being overtaken. Fear of what the enemy is doing (How hard are they training? What they are doing to prepare?). This fear caused me to work harder and always make sure I’m prepared. This causes me to get out of bed early in the morning.
How do you develop mental toughness? https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=1276
If you want to be more mentally tough, be tougher. The cool thing about mental toughness is it’s a simple choice you have to make. Are you going to go through this thing that is hard and sucks? Or are you going to quit? To be mentally tough you have to suffer through it.
If you are not mentally tough, you have to push yourself to that threshold regularly to develop it. You do mentally and physically challenging things and you push through. Keep going.
What are some key mental and physical steps or patterns, to stay on game? https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=1866
- Waking up early
- working out everyday
- taking ownership of what you do and responsibility for things within your life
- Making sure that periodically, through the day or throughout the hour, you detach yourself from the situation you are in and you look at yourself and you assess. When you are in a situation and bad things are happening, if you get sucked into it emotionally and mentally, you can’t look at the situation and assess it.
- Stay humble. You can’t ever think that you have got everything figured out. You have to constantly say to yourself “What can I do better? What can I fix?”
What advice would give to someone getting promoted to a leadership position for the first time? In the military or in the business world. https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=2503
I would tell both the same thing. The leadership principles do not change, whether you are in business or in battle. You come in and you be humble. You respect people. It doesn’t matter what rank they are or how much money they are earning, you treat everyone with respect and they will respect you.
You listen to them. When someone comes to talk to you, you listen to them and you take notes.
You need to building relationships with people. The people you have good relationships with are more likely to do what you need of them. And Vice-versa, you in return will do what the people you have a good relationship with need you to do.
How do you build relationships with people? By being humble, having respect, telling the truth and having integrity.
How do you deal with people who don’t take accountability? https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=3166
If I’m a leader and people are taking responsibility for their actions, that’s not their fault, it’s my fault. I haven’t shown them how to lead properly or I haven’t shown them how to take accountability. I need to take ownership of this situation.
How do I resolve this? I always try and understand the perspective other people have. I have to detach from my own head and see it from their perspective. Once I can see it from their perspective, I can adjust what I am doing and make sure I am leading them in the correct way.
If a sub ordinate messes up or doesn’t complete a task correctly, instead of shouting and balling them out, say “Its my fault, I obviously didn’t give you enough instructions on this. How can I help you understand this better?”
When do you see ego get in the way? https://youtu.be/dv-OqLsV2T8?t=4063
Ego is always getting in the way. An example is if you are working with someone and you are threatened by them (their success, athleticism, money, whatever it is), don’t resent them, that will just cause conflict and not be good for the team. Instead show them respect and openly admire what they have achieved. That way the barriers will come down between you.
