ATTITUDE & TOTAL OWNERSHIP

Somebody told Tom Brady in college that he had a bad attitude. He agreed. But he said the attitude was about all the right things - the mental part, the competitive stamina, the leadership. He was getting good at the emotional game. His physical body started to catch up. By 2003, he started to turn into what he would become. It was a process. Built by a lot of people who supported him, and by one thing: he was open to learning. Curious about everything. Committed to being his very best.

Travis Kelce on attitude and accountability: when you lose, the fingerpointing starts. "It wasn't my fault. It was the defense. The coach. The refs." And that helps for about five seconds. But in the end, it doesn't change any of the outcomes. If you really want to grow up - in sports, in business, in life - just take it all on yourself. Say "I got to do better." Not as a form of punishment. As a spark. Because once you dissect it and commit to being more prepared, more accountable, you'll feel better about the next opportunity. You attack yourself aggressively. And it makes you better.

Every brick you put in a wall is an excuse that blocks your path. Every brick you put in the road is an opportunity to travel that road to success. The best of the best choose the road.

Tom Brady on Wemby after the Knicks series: "They were better than we were. We got to do better. Simple." That is what it takes to win championships. Not "we dominated every game." Not "it wasn't our fault." They were better. We need to be better. That is actually very motivating. That is the only thing that moves the needle.

The transfer to every other domain is exact. The great entrepreneurs Brady has been around approach it the same way: "I got to motivate him more. I got to get on the floor. I got to understand that better. I got to make that decision." Total accountability. All inward. Because that's actually the only way it works. Football. Hockey. Relationships. Business. Everyone works hard, has humility, has self-awareness, knows they could do better.

There is no game, no deal, no day where you walked out and thought "I was perfect today." There is always more. The G.O.A.T.s know this better than anyone. We all had the opportunity to be better. That is not a burden. That is the gift.

GOOD. - Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink - Navy SEAL commander, author of Extreme Ownership - has the same answer as Brady and Kelce, forged on the battlefield. One of his subordinates came to him with a problem once. Before Jocko could speak, the soldier said: "I already know what you're going to say." "What am I going to say?" "You're going to say good. That's what you always say when something is going wrong."

Because when things are going bad, there's going to be some good that comes from it.

Didn't get promoted? Good. Mission got cancelled? Good. Got injured? Good. Got tapped out? Good. Didn't get funded? Didn't get the job? Unexpected problems? Good. Good. Good.

If you can say the word "good" - it means you're still alive. Still breathing. Still got some fight left in you. So get up. Dust off. Reload. Recalibrate. Re-engage. Go out on the attack.

TOTAL OWNERSHIP - Jocko Willink TED Talk

After an incident in Ramadi where his own men were shot by friendly fire - a devastating outcome that had multiple contributing factors across multiple units - Jocko did something almost no one does. He stood up in front of everyone: his commanding officers, the investigating officials, the families. And he said: it was my fault. Completely my fault. Not partially. Not mostly. Completely.

His men didn't lose respect for him. They gained it. They realized he would never shirk responsibility. Would never pass the heavy burden of command down the chain onto them. And because of that - they had the same attitude.

Unlike a team where no one takes ownership of the problems - and therefore the problems never get solved - with us, everyone took ownership of their mistakes. Everyone took ownership of the problems. And when a team takes ownership of its problems, the problems get solved.

That is true on the battlefield. It is true in business. It is true in life.

Take ownership. Take extreme ownership. Don't make excuses. Don't blame any other person or any other thing. Get control of your ego. Don't hide your delicate pride from the truth. Take ownership of everything in your world - the good and the bad. Take ownership of your mistakes, your shortfalls, your problems - and then take ownership of the solutions that will get those problems solved. Take ownership of your mission. Your job. Your team. Your future. Your life. And lead.