💪A powerful quote, a simple action, and a spark to ensure your continued progress…

Welcome to Wise Words Weekly!

A MindRev Media production

🤔Every week, we disect, investigate, and unpack Powerful Life Quotes from a wise, successful, and inspirational person. We explore many different topics such as your Personal Growth, Mindset, Well-Being, Relationships, Leadership, and Gratitude. The Wise Words Weekly newsletter is designed to spark your continued progress, one small step at a time. 📈 None of this content should be construed as any type of investment or other professional advice.

Does this sound familiar? You’ve got killer mission statements on the wall and you’re preaching excellence every Monday… yet the same sloppy deliverables, missed deadlines, and “good enough” attitudes keep showing up. Jocko Willink cuts straight through the noise: “It’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate. There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.”

This week we’re unpacking the Jocko Willink standards vs expectations deep dive that separates average leaders from the ones who build unstoppable organizations. Whether you run a digital marketing agency, manage SEO teams, or just want higher performance in 2026, the fix starts with what you’re willing to accept. Let’s get into it.

This week, we’re diving into LEADERSHIP.

It’s human nature to blame the team when results fall short. Yet the moment you pause and look in the mirror, everything shifts. Your people are simply reflecting the standards you’ve quietly allowed to settle in. Adopting a growth mindset here is game-changing: instead of seeing “bad” performance as permanent, you recognize it as your invitation to lead better and lift everyone higher.

That single pivot, from blame to ownership, creates space for real transformation and sets the perfect stage for the high-stakes lessons you’ve lived firsthand.

When I was on the U.S. Marshal’s Service Violent Offender Task Force, we were hunting a fugitive wanted for a gang-related homicide. The stakes couldn't have been higher. Fresh intel put him in a "fleabag" motel one state over. We geared up and "ran hot" to the location, expecting a tight, tactical operation.

When we arrived, the scene was crowded. A SWAT team was already on the ground, alongside dozens of officers from three different states. I asked for the suspect's specific location, and a team member pointed to a room directly in front of us.

There he was. A man wanted for cold-blooded murder was on the other side of a thin glass window and a stained, stinky motel curtain. Not much protection if he had decided to start squeezing off rounds again!

Here is the problem: Every single person standing there had been through extensive training on cover and concealment. They knew the physics of a bullet through glass. They knew the tactical disadvantage of standing in the "fatal funnel." Yet, in that moment, no one was practicing what they had been taught.

The SWAT team leader had full command of the scene, but he was tolerating the unacceptable. Because he didn't correct the positioning, the "standard" for that mission wasn't the training manual, it was the lazy, dangerous posture of the men on the sidewalk.

I didn't wait for a briefing to tell me what I already knew. I immediately took cover, refusing to be exposed to the obvious danger. Fortunately, the situation ended without any shots being fired. The suspect responded to the verbal commands of the bullhorn, stepped out of the room, and was immediately taken into custody without incident.

I transported him back for his interview myself. Today, that individual sits on the cold, hard bunk of a prison cell, where he will remain for many years to come for taking the life of another human being.

The mission was a success, but the leadership was a failure. In business, digital marketing, or on a Task Force, the "outcome" doesn't always justify the "process." If that leader had continued to tolerate substandard tactics, there was a real possibility of eventually, some of the good guys not going home that day.

Your team culture is not what you preach; it is exactly what you tolerate. If you see a "glass window" in your organization, a place where standards are slipping or safety is being ignored, and you say nothing, you have just set a new, lower standard.

Once you truly internalize this principle, leadership stops being reactive and becomes your unfair advantage. You stop tolerating substandard performance in business and start building strong cultures where excellence is the only option. Team growth will begin happening automatically. Peoople respond extremely well to leaders who have strong leadership skills. Exactly the opposite of how they respond to managers who were mistakenly placed in leadership roles but have absolutely no idea what in the hell they are doing.

For additional reading on leadership, you may want to check this out: Simon Sinek's Wise Words On What Leadership Truly Is

2025-2026 organizational psychology research is crystal clear: culture isn’t what you print on posters, it’s the accumulation of behaviors leaders repeatedly tolerate. Teams’ brains literally encode those signals; when accountability is preached but underperformance is allowed, the entire group adapts to the lower bar. Check out NeuroLeadership Institute - “Latest From the Lab: Creating Psychological Safety for Improved Performance” (published March 2025).

The winning combo? High standards paired with psychological safety. Leaders who model ownership (while believing in their team’s ability to grow) see higher engagement, better retention, and measurable performance jumps. Add a growth mindset and the effect multiplies. People don’t just comply, they step up because they know their leader is invested in their development. Another great article on this topic can be found here: In Tough Times, Psychological Safety Is a Requirement, Not a Luxury

Captain L. David Marquet took command of the USS Santa Fe, the worst-performing submarine in the fleet. Instead of tightening control, he flipped the entire model: he gave his crew real authority and trained them to own every decision with “I intend to…” statements. Within months they became the #1 sub in the Navy. No bad team, just a leader who refused to tolerate the old standard.

The same principle powered one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in modern business. When Alan Mulally stepped in as CEO of Ford in 2006, the company was hemorrhaging nearly $17 billion a year and crippled by a toxic culture of silos and blame avoidance.

Mulally didn’t fire the team, he stopped tolerating low standards and hidden problems. He rolled out weekly Business Plan Review meetings with a simple color-coding system that forced honest reporting. By personally modeling extreme ownership and raising the bar, he transformed performance dramatically. Ford became the only major U.S. automaker to skip bankruptcy and bailouts, delivering one of the most impressive turnarounds in history. Clear proof that there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.

You don’t need a massive overhaul, just consistent action. Here’s your simple 2026 playbook:

Start with just one area this week. Maybe your content calendar or SEO reporting needs attenion? You’ll feel the shift immediately. Taking ownership of team failure as a founder is the fastest path to the results (and peace) you’ve been chasing.

Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders by L. David Marquet. This page-turner shows exactly how one leader transformed the worst crew into the best by giving away control and demanding ownership at every level. Perfect follow-up to Jocko’s wisdom and loaded with tactics you can use Monday morning.

If you would like a list of other excellent books to read, check out the MindRev Media Recommended Reading List.

Pro Tip: Don’t have time to read books? Try an Audible subscription!

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Love this edition of Wise Words Weekly? You may really like this one, too! How To Choose to Be Extraordinary🚀: Elon Musk's Bold Blueprint For Your Personal Effectiveness

You now own the single highest-ROI asset on the planet… YOU! Start compounding it today. Here’s to your ever-growing future!

Your friend,

Grant

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