Books & Literature

Book Review: Leadership Strategy and Tactics, by Jocko Willink

SELF-HELP: Hard-won leadership principles that have been tested and proven on the battlefield, in business and in life.

Leadership learning, the military way, delivered it in a clear, concise package for anyone to read.
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Leadership Strategy and Tactics by Jocko Willink takes the theory of leadership and delivers it in a clear, concise package that can be read by anyone regardless of their background.

Willink presents his experience as a US Navy Seal and lays out the hard-earned learnings he made on the job. This is a field-manual that seeks to lay out those lessons in a clear way for anyone to read. It’s positioned as a how-to guide that aims to answer the complex questions that come from being a new leader, particularly in relation to managing people above and below in a professional and sincere manner that maintains respect and dignity all the time.

Whilst quite an easy read for those who are familiar with ‘military speak’, it can be quite jarring to those who have not come across it before. Thankfully, Willink manages to offset the patter with good storytelling that is strengthened by the straight-to-the-point method he uses to convey his lessons. It adds to the authenticity of the instructions that would otherwise be lost.

Willink takes the basics of army leadership and turns it into an in-depth analysis of his experiences with the lens of hindsight and experience. He doesn’t seek to justify or explain, simply reflect on what he went through with the added lessons he has learned.

I would recommend that anyone looking for reading on leadership pick up this book, though it is highly tailored to the military way of doing things. If nothing else, it provides a perspective not often given day-to-day, and Willink has some incredible tales to tell on his experiences as a SEAL. It makes it a worthy read regardless of whether you are looking to better your leadership skills or not. And for lovers of all things army, learning to be a better leader and reading a well-told army story is an excellent read.

Reviewed by Zoe Butler
Twitter: @ Zoe_Rambles

Distributed by: Pan Macmillan Australia
Released: January 2020
RRP: $32.99 trade paperback, $16.99 eBook, $40 audiobook

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