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Leadership Is Overrated: How the Navy SEALs (and Successful Businesses) Create Self-Leading Teams That Win
An award-winning pair of executive consultants reveal why to be successful, businesses need self-leading teams, not just good leadership.
“In a society so obsessed with leadership, why are we so bad at it?”
Despite the countless seminars, courses, and management books designed to hone good leaders, over 79% of employees leave their jobs due to poor leadership. Why is this happening? Award-winning executive consultant Chris Mefford and retired, high-ranking US Navy SEAL trainer Kyle Buckett argue that organizations need more than just leaders. They need successful teams.
Mefford and Buckett are passionate about how our leadership model has failed and spotlight a new work culture that actually works. In Leadership Is Overrated, they draw on the SEAL model and on their decades of knowledge and experience coaching industry leaders to answer the what makes a productive team? The surprising truth is that behind every successful team is a cadre of empowered, self-starting employees.
In this revolutionary guide, Mefford and Buckett share crucial leadership strategies to help organizations revamp their work culture, throw out stifling hierarchical leadership models, and embrace a dynamic, results-oriented, and successful self-led team-oriented model instead.
“In a society so obsessed with leadership, why are we so bad at it?”
Despite the countless seminars, courses, and management books designed to hone good leaders, over 79% of employees leave their jobs due to poor leadership. Why is this happening? Award-winning executive consultant Chris Mefford and retired, high-ranking US Navy SEAL trainer Kyle Buckett argue that organizations need more than just leaders. They need successful teams.
Mefford and Buckett are passionate about how our leadership model has failed and spotlight a new work culture that actually works. In Leadership Is Overrated, they draw on the SEAL model and on their decades of knowledge and experience coaching industry leaders to answer the what makes a productive team? The surprising truth is that behind every successful team is a cadre of empowered, self-starting employees.
In this revolutionary guide, Mefford and Buckett share crucial leadership strategies to help organizations revamp their work culture, throw out stifling hierarchical leadership models, and embrace a dynamic, results-oriented, and successful self-led team-oriented model instead.
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Published August 29, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 10, 2023
I feel the book is titled wrong based on the content. The authors don’t communicate that leadership is overrated, but that a single, central leader holds a team back more than if leadership is shared and shifts with circumstances. Great content that is well organized and will assist anyone working on a team improve themselves and their organization. Implementing their strategies will set you up for success whether you are leading from the top, the bottom, or anywhere in-between.
January 25, 2024
Buckett and Mefford take a distributed leadership approach to building and sustaining teams, in effect saying that traditional top-down leadership is overrated and self-led teams are the future. Marching through the process of defining, developing, and sustaining self-led teams that win, the authors provide many intuitive tips concerning team values, vision, rituals, culture, and emotional intelligence. However, they necessarily undermine the book’s more catchy than useful tagline by describing how singular leaders should structure environments for self-led teams to take hold. They don’t resolve the paradox of “if everyone’s a leader, no one’s a leader” but they rightly question the utility of blind authority/command/management falsely labeled as leadership.
One intuitive observation the authors make, for example, is the traditional focus on one’s SELF when improving one’s leadership skills which misses the greater point that leaders cannot be made in isolation…in their self-led teams approach, the act of getting to know the goals, preferences, strengths, etc.. of the people on the team is a far superior leadership development exercise than self-oriented classes/workshops done in isolation.
Overall, a worthwhile read for some baseline reflection for what good leadership should look like.
One intuitive observation the authors make, for example, is the traditional focus on one’s SELF when improving one’s leadership skills which misses the greater point that leaders cannot be made in isolation…in their self-led teams approach, the act of getting to know the goals, preferences, strengths, etc.. of the people on the team is a far superior leadership development exercise than self-oriented classes/workshops done in isolation.
Overall, a worthwhile read for some baseline reflection for what good leadership should look like.
May 14, 2025
Leadership Is Overrated hits all the right notes talking about self-lead teams. As a leader for 50 years from Boy Scouts to the highest levels of the Senior Executive Service, I still took notes and changed my way of leading as I read this quick paced hard hitting book. A great gift for leaders of any age or gender, this book can give a head start to aspiring leaders; or to quote Stephen Covey (mentioned in the book) for experienced leaders to sharpen their swords. This book has so many “hot takes” but my favorite was to listen and empower. Did I know this? Yes. Was I doing this in the past? Yes. Did this “schedule what’s important” [Covey] fall off my schedule? Yes!!! Thanks to Leadership Is Overrated”, what I call Two-Way Feedback for all of my direct reports is back on my schedule. Looking for ways to praise my team is forefront in my mind and already brought smiles to my key leaders. Finally, Leadership Is Overrated is not a book about Navy SEALs, but a book about driving fear out of the workplace and leading in the mid 2020s. The SEAL stories are fun, and they help anchor the recommended techniques, but the book can help anyone trying to make a difference wherever they are. Not in the book but a good summary of the book: The power of the pack is the wolf, and the power of the wolf is the pack! Self-lead teams rule!
October 17, 2023
This book is for everyone!
First, it describes the need for small self-led teams across all sizes of organizations. Small is the source of flexibility, speed, and responsiveness. But know that to build that self-led skill takes time and training to get to full stride.
The authors thoroughly develop their argument, showing example proofs ranging from the military and major corporations, to recording artists and startups. Then they show how they have built those teams throughout the decades.
If learning about building successful operations in any environment is not a good enough reason to get this book, get it for the stories of those folks getting things done. Or maybe for all the great quotes. In any case, there is something here for you.
To hear from the authors, see readtolead.com/437
First, it describes the need for small self-led teams across all sizes of organizations. Small is the source of flexibility, speed, and responsiveness. But know that to build that self-led skill takes time and training to get to full stride.
The authors thoroughly develop their argument, showing example proofs ranging from the military and major corporations, to recording artists and startups. Then they show how they have built those teams throughout the decades.
If learning about building successful operations in any environment is not a good enough reason to get this book, get it for the stories of those folks getting things done. Or maybe for all the great quotes. In any case, there is something here for you.
To hear from the authors, see readtolead.com/437
October 27, 2023
Great book with an interesting take on leadership, teams and culture.
I enjoyed the way Kyle and Chris examined the extensive focus on leadership training versus the lack of culture and team development.
I really feel like the authors value leadership, but know that we all have leadership potential and can execute at a high level, lead ourselves and each other.
Bravo, Job well done. Now let’s keep going!
I enjoyed the way Kyle and Chris examined the extensive focus on leadership training versus the lack of culture and team development.
I really feel like the authors value leadership, but know that we all have leadership potential and can execute at a high level, lead ourselves and each other.
Bravo, Job well done. Now let’s keep going!
March 13, 2025
The book challenges the conventional obsession with leadership as the cornerstone of success. Instead, Buckett (a retired Navy SEAL trainer) and Mefford (an executive consultant) argue that self-leading teams—small, empowered groups that operate with autonomy and shared accountability—are the true drivers of achievement in both military and business contexts. They provide examples in the military world and business world and the effect. The authors provide important facts and figures on the success of self leading teams
October 17, 2023
It’s one of the best leadership books I have read. Many leadership books focus on what to do when leading others. Without effective self-leadership you will never achieve the leadership level you desire. An excellent read with compelling stories throughout.
December 27, 2024
Reading this book felt like being trapped in a conversation with someone who keeps telling you the same story because they forgot they already told it three times. I was looking forward to reading more on the core idea but the book kept bouncing between random SEAL stories and corporate examples that often did not contribute much to the original point in the chapter. I just got the same insights recycled every few pages.
January 29, 2025
A quick and easy read; longer is you want to use the info to structure your life and work. I think a lot of us can feel the intuitive truth and effectiveness of what is written in this book. We succeed together and we fail together. I’d you’re a manger/supervisor in any sense… please read this.
June 27, 2025
Props to the authors. I started this book thinking it was part of the Extreme Ownership series. At first I was disappointed, but I wanted to give it a shot. Boy am I glad I did. Incredible leadership book. It’s all about empowering your team and creating a team that has ownership in the business. Great principles. Well written. 10/10.
November 18, 2023
Interesting book. Good analagies to military leadership techniques. Boring in some spots...
February 6, 2024
There are some good and interesting thoughts in it, but nothing groundbreaking. Too much fluff and repetition, and personally I don't care for all the SEAL references and glorifying warfare.
March 17, 2024
A good resource to help learn leadership skills. The book is an easy read with great pointers and bullet point takeaways. I will use these principles in my daily work life.
July 31, 2024
Nice book, and a lot of practical helps in leading.
September 17, 2024
Actionable items throughout this text. Well worth the read.
October 18, 2023
This is not only a great book for leaders of teams throughout an organization but also the individual team members. The authors provide numerous and practical examples that would help any team build the culture they want to achieve success. Definitely worth a read for anyone who is on a team!
November 9, 2023
If you’re tired of top-down leadership and looking for something better, you need to read this book!
Top-down leadership was an important part of the Industrial Revolution. It allowed companies to grow quickly because leaders didn’t have to spend a lot of time training people, but could tell them what needed to be done and oversee the progress.
In today’s world, however, people are much more interested in knowing WHY they are doing something and what the values are behind that action. Additionally, the average employee these days is far more educated and well-trained than our parents and grandparents were. That education and training means we can rely on those individuals to do more on their own without someone micromanaging their every action.
This is where the self-led team comes into play. Every member of the team can lead depending on the project, task, mission, etc. based on their experience and expertise.
Take some time and learn what it takes to create and be a part of self-led teams. Loving this book!
To hear directly from the authors, check out readtolead.com/437.
Top-down leadership was an important part of the Industrial Revolution. It allowed companies to grow quickly because leaders didn’t have to spend a lot of time training people, but could tell them what needed to be done and oversee the progress.
In today’s world, however, people are much more interested in knowing WHY they are doing something and what the values are behind that action. Additionally, the average employee these days is far more educated and well-trained than our parents and grandparents were. That education and training means we can rely on those individuals to do more on their own without someone micromanaging their every action.
This is where the self-led team comes into play. Every member of the team can lead depending on the project, task, mission, etc. based on their experience and expertise.
Take some time and learn what it takes to create and be a part of self-led teams. Loving this book!
To hear directly from the authors, check out readtolead.com/437.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews