Former Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin are bringing military leadership skills from their time overseas back home to the business world with their company Echelon Front. Staff photo by Ty Corley.

By Ty Corley

In 2006, the streets of Ramadi, Iraq were some of the most dangerous in the world. American Navy SEALs were tasked with taking back the capital amidst sheer pandemonium. Through the chaos, the two Navy SEALs were able to perfect their leadership skills so they could apply them back home.

Former Navy SEALs and New York Times best-selling authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin have committed to teaching essential leadership and discipline skills through their company, Echelon Front. Echelon Front offers leadership training for companies to help improve their leadership infrastructure. At a technology conference in Deer Valley, Utah, Willink and Babin spoke to potential clients about their expertise in applying the principles of their military training to leadership in the business world.

According to Willink, step one for success is working hard. “If you want to excel you have to work hard, you have to study hard, you have to be disciplined and you have to create the goals that will get you where you want to be.”

It’s difficult to commit to working hard, but Jocko emphasizes that it will pay off in the long run. “What you are doing right now, in high school, will affect you for the rest of your life,” Jocko said. “Sacrifice now.”

Willink also spoke of the strategies he used to deal with stress and how that can be applied to the high school setting. He recommends physical activity to help students release their stress. However, it is not beneficial to use stress or skill level as an excuse. “Some people are smarter than other people, some people are more athletic than other people.” But, according to Willink there is no excuse to not have a good work ethic. “The best skill to have is work ethic,” Willink said. “In life you can overcome [being less gifted] if you are willing to work hard.”

Babin also preaches the values of their book, Extreme Ownership. Many of the values in their book are highly applicable to one’s high school experience. One of key values discussed in the book is taking responsibility for one’s own actions. “The reality is that it is so easy to make excuses and to cast blame,” Babin said. “To say they got lucky and make excuses for yourself. Taking extreme ownership takes all that away. There are no excuses to make and you own everything you do.”

Babin said his experiences in combat helped him figure out what it means to have extreme ownership. “You have take ownership of your mistakes,” Babin said. “[This] requires a brutally honest self-assessment.”

Both Willink and Babin believe that this concept is extremely hard to achieve but once you do achieve it, it can set you up for success. “If you understand this concept you are going to run circles around most of humanity who can’t,” Babin said.

Another message Babin has for students is to practice gratitude for what they have in their everyday lives.“The freedom and opportunity you have in America is unique and you can never take that for granted,” Babin said. “There are thousands and thousands of men and women who have gave their lives in order to give us those freedoms and opportunities.”