What You Can Learn from Military Leadership in Business

Some of the best leaders in the world are men and women who commanded troops through chaos and uncertainty in unspeakable evil places—where failure could mean lives lost. While we might not face life-and-death scenarios in our everyday business life, there’s a thing or two we can learn from the principles that guide military leadership. Here are three key lessons that can transform how you lead in the corporate world.

1. Prioritize and Execute

In the heat of battle, chaos is a given. Leaders can't afford to juggle too many priorities at once—they must simplify, focus, and act decisively. The same applies in business.

When you’re overwhelmed by multiple demands and distractions, resist the urge to multitask or overcomplicate things. Identify the single most important task that will move the needle, and focus all your energy on getting it done. In business, just like in the military, there are countless things vying for your attention—emails, meetings, client demands, and employee concerns. But spreading yourself too thin dilutes your effectiveness.

Actionable Tip: When faced with a barrage of tasks, pause and ask yourself: What is the one thing I can do right now that will have the greatest impact? Once you identify that priority, execute relentlessly until it's done. Then, move on to the next.

2. Be Default Aggressive

In combat, hesitation can be deadly. Military leaders train their teams to be proactive, make quick decisions, and adapt on the fly. In business, while the stakes may differ, the principle of aggressive action still holds true.

As an entrepreneur or business leader, it’s easy to fall into analysis paralysis, overthinking every move. But success favors those who are willing to take bold action, even when all the information isn't available. The world of business is evolving at a breakneck pace, and inaction or indecision will leave you behind.

Don’t wait for the perfect moment; it may never come. Instead, take decisive steps forward, gather feedback from the results, and adjust as needed.

Being "default aggressive" doesn’t mean being reckless. It means being bold enough to move forward, confident that you'll learn and adapt as you go.

Actionable Tip: When faced with a decision, ask yourself: What’s the quickest way to move forward? Then take immediate action, and learn from the outcome, good or bad.

3. Extreme Ownership – The Navy SEAL Way

In military teams like the Navy SEALs, every individual is taught to take ownership of the mission. If a plan fails or a mistake is made, there’s no finger-pointing—it’s always on the leader to take full responsibility. This "extreme ownership" principle, popularized by former Navy SEALs like Jocko Willink, is one of the most powerful concepts you can adopt in business.

When something goes wrong in your company—whether it’s a missed deadline, a failed product launch, or a team member underperforming—it’s easy to place blame on others. But as a leader, you must hold yourself accountable. If your team isn’t hitting their targets, it’s on you to reassess your approach: Did you set clear expectations? Did you provide the right tools, training, or guidance? Did you foster an environment where success was possible?

By taking ownership, you shift the focus from blame to solutions. You take control of what you can change and lead by example.

Actionable Tip: The next time something goes wrong, resist the urge to blame external factors. Instead, ask yourself: What could I have done differently? Own the problem, fix it, and move forward with a clear plan.