Want More Praise At Work? Do This.

Update: 2025-10-17

Description

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How do you get people truly on board with Extreme Ownership? You praise the behaviors you want repeated—specifically, visibly, and in balance with KPIs. In this episode, we break down why “false cheerleading” backfires, how to define and show what “good” looks like, and how a relentless debrief culture raises standards fast. We share SEAL Team lessons on recognizing decisive action, Cover & Move across departments, keeping plans Simple, Prioritize & Execute under pressure, and enabling Decentralized Command at the front line. You’ll also hear practical ways to align promotions and performance reviews to your real values—so you’re not paying lip service while rewarding the opposite.

► Try this week’s Immediate Action Drill: catch someone doing it right—ownership, teamwork, clarity—and praise it publicly and specifically.

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Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Hook: “How do we get people to take ownership?”

00:21 Topic: Praise the behavior you want to see

00:55 Values on the wall vs. numbers in meetings

01:39 Avoid “false cheerleading”; make praise scarce & meaningful

03:45 Show what “good” looks like (SEAL mission brief example)

06:41 Define success beyond tactics—behavioral standards

08:24 Balancing KPIs with values (parenting & team examples)

11:00 Debrief culture: nightly, short, brutal, and positive

13:10 Normalize debriefs—don’t wait for failure

14:26 Jocko’s debrief model: candid + earned recognition

16:44 Leaders’ words: praise frontline publicly, fix privately