Jocko Podcast 125 - How can Discipline fail you?

[mynewunit]

125: How Can Discipline Fail You? Excuses, Playing The Game, Good Decision Making, Jiu Jitsu


Podcast 125 Page

0:00:00 - Opening

0:00:19 - A "Reason" VS an Excuse".

0:10:03 - Questioning your leadership.

0:16:11 - Arrogant Jerks in Jiu Jitsu.

0:28:04 - Do Leadership principles change with major growth of a company?

0:34:35 - "Playing the Game" for success, contrasted with "Agreeableness".

0:51:01 - Good decision making VS Good outcome.

1:03:44 - Getting better at Jiu jItsu

1:16:04 - Does Discipline ever fail you?

1:18:40 - Support.

1:43:05 - Closing Gratitude.

Read more at jockopodcast.libsyn.com/#FmS5zQbkvgbk8oAM.99

[JC]

Love the newest podcast.
My High School Wrestling Coach explained the difference between a reason and an excuse for missing class.
A reason comes before class, and excuse comes after.

[Steven Hines]

Jocko,

When talking about a reason vs an excuse my question is: why is it that we must control all outcomes. Are you saying that is what ownership is?

Thanks.

Steven S. Hines

[mynewunit]

Good question Steven.
  I think the concept got a little muddled with some of Echo's derivations. 
Go back to Jocko's example. You have a 20 minute drive and you give yourself 80 minutes.
  Taking ownership of the "journey" what are the contingencies?
    Do you have enough gas? Is the car in working order? Do I know where I am going? How hard is parking? What are the procedures once I get there?
There are a million things that could cost you an extra half hour. Traffic, flat tire, parking issues, not knowing who to ask for upon arrival. 
If you are 30 minutes late due to any of these things, it is an excuse. While you can't specifically predict these things, anticipating a problem should have been part of this.   

The reason depends on the scope of the task. If you buy a house in Florida, it should be Hurricane prepared. If you are going on vacation and you buy tickets 6 months in advance, and you have issues due to a Hurricane, that is a reason. I always think of excuses as Ferris Bueller's day off. Everyone is told a lie. A grocery store trip can be stopped by a sink hole. Your Dream house shouldn't be. You didn't go to the gym because you were up late working on the house is a reason. But it is an excuse for why you aren't in shape. The washing machine breaks so the laundry isn't done. It is not a reason to not go to work. Maybe a 2 hour lunch to hit the laundry mat or pick up a new washer at the store. The report is late because . . . . Feels like an excuse unless you are in a coma. You don't have the numbers so you couldn't do your part of the report.  Did you send a weekly reminder to the people who were supposed to get you information. Did you let the entire team know there were issues? If the rest of the team doesn't know about the production issues it is an excuse. If the entire team knows what the issues are and have been specifically asked for assistance, support, and course of action, it is a reason.

The slogan in my house is "prioritize normal and you will be oblivious to chaos".  When things go wrong, you can throw everything and focus on the chaos. It is a little bit of the victim mentality. I have walked away from broken appliances and a crying wife to go give a guitar lesson I don't get paid for. We send our kids to school if they "don't feel good" in the morning. 90% of the time they have a normal day. Once in a while, they yak at school and we have to bring them home. Focusing on the normal keeps you moving forward. The breakdown gets attention, but it doesn't stop the mission.

[Steven Hines]

Thanks! I dig it.
V/r
Steven S. Hines