Jocko Podcast 28: “Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts, BJJ SOP’s, Going Back to College, Leadership, Who’s Standard to Follow
Jun 22, 2016
This podcast covers topics such as leadership in the Vietnam War, the importance of effective leadership, the detrimental effects of bad teams and ineffective leadership, military leadership strategies used during the Vietnam War, instilling a culture of learning and adaptation, the parallels between standard operating procedures and grappling, adopting a winning mindset in college, approaching tasks with a focus on winning, perception and relationships, measuring oneself against the standard of greatness, and supporting the podcast through supplementation and merchandise.
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Arrival To A Broken Battalion
- David Hackworth arrived at a rotten, demoralized battalion in Vietnam and described the base as smelling of raw shit and rotting morale.
- Hackworth found soldiers unkempt, weapons rusted, and rear-echelon comforts a stark contrast to frontline misery.
Shock Therapy And Incremental Change
- Hackworth used shock therapy: fired key incompetent officers, replaced senior NCOs, then implemented incremental rule changes.
- He introduced a two-rule plan, tightened standards, and personally talked to every leader and soldier to set expectations.
Prioritize Small, Sustainable Changes
- Start change by prioritizing and introducing only a few rules at a time so leaders and troops absorb them.
- Progress from crawl to walk to run, adding rules after mastery to avoid overload.