At a glance
- Age
- 55
- Born
- September 8, 1971
- From
- New England
- Nationality
- United States
Biography
Most people meet him through the podcast — a long-form show that turned a retired Navy officer into one of the more recognisable voices in the discipline-and-leadership corner of the internet. The full name is John Gretton Willink Jr., but almost nobody uses it.
Before the microphone, the record is military. He served in the United States Navy as a SEAL, including time with SEAL Team 3, and retired from the service as an officer. That background is the source of most of the material he works with as an author and broadcaster, and it is the reason listeners tend to treat what he says about command and responsibility as coming from somewhere specific rather than from theory.
He was born in September 1971 and comes from New England. Alongside the writing and podcasting, he sits on the board of directors of San Diego FC, a Major League Soccer club — a role that sits a little outside the rest of the CV, and a reminder that the public version of a person is rarely the whole of what they do.
Before the microphone, the record is military. He served in the United States Navy as a SEAL, including time with SEAL Team 3, and retired from the service as an officer. That background is the source of most of the material he works with as an author and broadcaster, and it is the reason listeners tend to treat what he says about command and responsibility as coming from somewhere specific rather than from theory.
He was born in September 1971 and comes from New England. Alongside the writing and podcasting, he sits on the board of directors of San Diego FC, a Major League Soccer club — a role that sits a little outside the rest of the CV, and a reminder that the public version of a person is rarely the whole of what they do.
Quotes 15
“Don't expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen.”
“The only person you're competing against is yourself.”
“It's not about being great. It's about being better than you were yesterday.”
“Luck isn't some mystical force. It's the product of hard work meeting preparation.”
“You're going to fail. So fail quickly. Make it cheap. Learn and move on.”
“The more you train under tough, physically demanding conditions, the more you are prepared to tackle whatever comes your way.”
“There is no one path to follow. You have to figure that out yourself.”
“Standards are the actions that I take every day.”
“Don't count on motivation. Count on discipline.”
“Leadership isn't one person leading a team. It is a group of leaders working together.”
“Discipline starts every day when the first alarm clock goes off in the morning.”
“If you want to be tougher mentally, it's simple: be tougher. Don't meditate on it.”
“Good.”
“Extreme ownership. The leader is truly and ultimately responsible for everything.”
“Discipline equals freedom.”
