Page 62 - October Newsletter

Taking (extreme) ownership
I recently read an excellent book titled “Ex- treme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win” by Jonko Willink and Leif Babin. The authors explain lessons learned in combat that they adapted for teaching corporate clients in their leadership-consultancy firm, Eche-
lon Front.
Willink tackles war, leadership, busi-
would be an out-of-shape slob! There are many days when I do not want to eat right, go to the gym, or get up at the crack of dawn, but I am disciplined.”
People who are enormously successful push through, with no excuses. The benefit of discipline is getting things
BRIAN MCVEY
ness, jujitsu and life. One thing I took
away from the book is that Navy SEALs are all
about discipline. He explains some of the many pitfalls that soldiers deal with, and many of these battles mirror the battles in which law enforcement is en- gaged today.
Jocko says one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is not being lazy and instead executing little daily tasks, citing this lesson as a big part of his success. Get up, show up, and do.
He explains, “If I worked out only when I felt good, I
done and programming your body, mind and spirit. Discipline is a path to creativity. Many officers I know are masters of exercising creativity. Being part of a three-ring circus inspires creativity. You become comfortable with chaos, familiar with the disorder of drug addicts, accustomed to continu- ous lies from criminals. People lie to you daily. Offi-
Health and Wellness
cers become very creative in how they do their job. Artists and athletes need discipline to succeed; officers are no different. Everyday they are on a stage, every en-
counter recorded. d
Brian McVey worked as a Chicago Police Officer for more than 10 years. He has a master’s degree in police psycholo- gy. He can be reached at btmcvey@comcast.net.
62 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2017