Carnivore Leadership: Taking Charge Instead of Taking Shit

by Ramón Colón-López

If you want to lead in today’s world, you have to be a meat-eater. Take it from someone who knows from having been on the front lines. Ramón “CZ” Colón-López rose from special ops to become the highest-ranking enlisted member in the U.S. military (SEAC). In Carnivore Leadership, he lays out an action-first philosophy and twenty “Silver Bullets” forged under pressure—lessons that hit hard and translate from battlefield to boardroom. Praised for integrity, humility, and a warrior spirit, CZ shows leaders how to leave their comfort zone, build accountable teams, and act decisively when it counts.

200 pages, Hardcover

Published January 27, 2026

Reviews

[Matt]

Dude is a beast! I would expect nothing less from a highly decorated operator with 2 decades of experience serving as a PJ and all the way up to being one of the highest enlisted leaders in the military.

All his silver bullets of effective leadership are common sense, no bullshit, ways to lead from the front. We all can take something from the book if we use these principles to take ownership and control of our personal vision.

My only critic is his choice of using the carnivore analogy as an overarching behavior of effective leaders. Put a carnivore in a room with only herbivores, and guess who gets eaten. In my own experience, very far removed from the combat operations he faced, I saw the Air Force as far less aggressive in its posture then what he saw. While top leaders preached warrior ethos and called for war fighters, we laxed physical fitness standards, we became complacent with military professional image, and we grew a forest of plants for herbivores to thrive. When I think of carnivore, in this environment, I do not think of loyalty, discipline, and dependable. I think of cut throats who look to get ahead. I understand the heart of his premise, but got wrapped up in his veloceraptor metaphor.

Still, great leadership book to pull quotes from.

[Alani R.]

9/10

Amazing book for outward and specially personal leadership. Exemplifying the importance of humility, values, ownership and accountability.

[Myinstabookblog]

“To become the highest-ranking enlisted member in the most powerful military in the world is a byproduct of a consistent and honest approach to proving your worth in life. It has nothing to do with luck.”
- Carnivore Leadership 📖
- Ramon Colon Lopez ✍️
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In this short and effective book Ramon Colon Lopez retired officer and pararescueman who served in US military for 33 years shares his hardcore philosophy of discipline, courage and effective leadership. Author shares 20 bullet points breaking down his philosophy of leadership in 20 small chapters lessons learnt from his own experience at the front. Author lived this lessons throughout his life, tested them during his active service and build a philosophy around it called Carnivore Leadership.
🎖️
Carnivore Leadership - might sound a little controversial but author puts it this way. A leader should have a carnivore mentality- attacking, decisive and judging the impending danger before it arrives. Contrary to the slow, passive Approach of the herbivores. (No disrespect to non meat eaters - including me☺️). By this author simply means that for being an effective leader you can’t sit and wait for things to happen, you need to be quick, sharp, attacking. It teaches us discipline, decisiveness and accountability. Author writes about importance of team work, punctuality, hard work, physical fitness and humility. From his personal and professional life author has compiled a manual for effective leadership.
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Author has served in combat zone and tested his theories on leadership successfully, this alone is proof that these silver bullets for competent, effective and visionary leadership work. Author insists on believing in your might more than in luck and chance. The more you explore the potential of become better at different things the luckier you become. These silver bullet are inspiring, motivating and encouraging also they are needed more than ever before, today when we are getting weaker due to distractions around me we need more people like CZ colon Lopez who speak faces on your face and don’t comfort you with sweet words. This is a highly motivating and effectively implementable book.

[Tim Hughes]

Carnivore Leadership: Taking Charge Instead of Taking S**t is a fierce, refreshing, and badly needed antidote to the passive, overly cautious management styles that plague modern organizations. Drawing from a legendary career in special operations and as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC), Ramon "Ray" Colon-Lopez delivers a masterclass in unapologetic authority. He strips away the fluff of typical corporate self-help books and replaces it with battle-tested "Silver Bullets" of leadership. By contrasting the aggressive, mission-focused "carnivore" mindset with the complacent "herbivore" approach, Ray lays down a raw and deeply practical blueprint for anyone looking to eliminate excuses, establish unshakeable boundaries, and drive their team toward peak execution.

What makes this book truly stand out is its perfect balance of high-stakes military principles and real-world application. Ray doesn’t just demand excellence; he teaches you exactly how to build a culture of radical accountability and command respect without sacrificing empathy or integrity. The writing is punchy, direct, and incredibly motivating, filled with gripping firsthand insights from the absolute apex of the U.S. Armed Forces. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a corporate executive, or someone looking to take total ownership of your personal life, Carnivore Leadership is an essential read that will challenge you to stop settling for mediocrity and start leading from the front.

[Heather W]

Carnivore Leadership is a direct, unapologetic leadership manifesto forged under real pressure not theory, not corporate jargon, but lived experience. Ramón “CZ” Colón López draws from his rise through special operations to the highest enlisted position in the U.S. military to deliver an action first philosophy built on accountability, decisiveness, and moral courage. This is leadership stripped down to essentials: responsibility, discipline, and execution.

What makes this book stand out is its clarity and transferability. The twenty “Silver Bullets” are sharp, memorable, and practical, translating seamlessly from battlefield environments to boardrooms, startups, and high stakes organizations. CZ’s emphasis on humility, integrity, and service balances the book’s hard edge, making it as much about character as command. Carnivore Leadership is not about dominance it’s about ownership, standards, and doing the hard thing when it matters most.

[David Hardy]

Incredible book! Very practical advice and also a lot of common sense we need to be reminded about. The personal situations CZ adds will speak to people in ways a philosophical treatise on leadership wishes it could. I’ll be rereading this periodically, referencing it often, and hopefully practicing as many of the 20 Silver Bullets that opportunities offer on the daily!

As an Airman myself, I bought an extra copy to keep in my office and give to a squadron- or higher-level leader who isn’t “doing their time” to fulfill HYT or an ADSC before they retire. I’m sure these principles will be instructive to anyone, regardless of their position. I want to put them in the hands of someone who is around for the long haul and will model the Silver Bullets many years, providing the example for their Airmen to emulate. Just as iron sharpens iron, Silver forges Silver!

[Anne Fox]

As a management skills trainer with 25 years experience, I was interested to see if this book had anything new to say about leadership. In my opinion, Carnivore Leadership has its origins in ACL (action centred leadership) a well established model. Leadership is about taking action not sitting in endless meetings talking about action. As an American soldier, CZ has definite ideas about military leadership. Whether that transfers to managing and leading teams in various industries remains to be seen. I would add this book to a library of leadership models to give potential managers different options.

[Albert]

Over-hyped book unfortunately. CZ writes about 20 "silver bullets" aka rules to live and succeed by. The majority of these concepts are backed by anecdotal data from his time in the Air Force and Special Forces community. Most of the book felt like common sense explanations for the silver bullets and I found myself skimming through everything to find some sort of golden nugget of wisdom.

Save yourself a read and just look at the Appendix of the book where he outlines all 20 bullets in an annotated version.

[Cat]

I think ANY one in a leadership position should read this book. Especially if they serve or have served in the military. It is a great reminder to be humble, surround yourself with like minded people, treat others with dignity and respect, remain physically and mentally healthy, follow through on your promises and tasks, AND know when to shut the hell up.

Having met CZ before I can tell you this book is definitely a representation of who he is as a person. He is every bit of these 21 Silver Bullets, and I interacted with him for only a few short hours.

[Arielle DeFile]

And I’m not just giving it a 5-star rating just because I look up to Chief CZ. And, granted, some of his silver bullets are things that I’ve already known as a leader. However, despite common leadership beliefs such as, “in order to be a leader, one must be a follower”, almost seems like a lost art now-a-days. Definitely pick up this book and learn a thing or two from one of the humble giants that served in the Air Force. ✈️🫡

[Susan Cotten]

When I pre-ordered Carnivore Leadership, I didn’t expect it to arrive so quickly! CZ is the epitome of a humble badass, and his collection of 20 Silver Bullets is excellent and easily digestible for leaders at all levels.

I am a better person for knowing CZ and Janet. Through this book, you can get to know them as well.

[Ty And]

Clear and Concise Theory on Leadership

Chief CZ lays out his “Silver Bullets” of leadership in a clear and concise manner. Each “Silver Bullet” is backed up with short vignettes to illustrate the point in question. Formed over a long and distinguished career in the military and special operations community Chief CZ gives everyone a lesson in Carnivore Leadership.

[Book Bench]

A former special operator lays out twenty hard-won leadership lessons meant to travel from the battlefield to the boardroom. I liked the plainspoken tone and the practical focus on accountability and decisive action. It's a short read that lands best if you're drawn to no-nonsense military leadership.

[Kathleen McCool]

This is book is exactly what Service Members need to hear, but it also applies to any organization that wants to succeed. It’s a quick read with advice and stories that can shape your own journey through tackling hard stuff.

[Christopher Pokorny]

If you’ve ever had the honor of working with wise Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, you have likely benefited from some of their “pearls of wisdom.” CZ distills the wisdom of SNCOs and delivers them with leadership vignettes that illustrate their value and impact.

[Deondra Parks]

I love a read that I can grab and jump right into! This book is digestible by anyone open to being fed a raw and credible perspective. I sure turned away from it each time more and more committed to being better on all fronts.

[Victor Lugo]

Good book to read if you’re an enlisted leader in the Air Force. The book is bit short but the lessons in it are valuable.

[Patrick McHenry]

Great book

Listen carefully and you will learn many valuable lessons that will make you a better leader, colleague and co worker

[A Military Nerd]

This is one of the best leadership books I’ve read.

Carnivore Leadership is built around 20 “Silver Bullets” of leadership, and every one of them offers a practical lesson that you can apply immediately. There isn’t any fluff or filler. Just straightforward leadership advice backed by decades of real experience.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting CZ, and after talking with people who served alongside him, one thing became very clear: he practices what he preaches. The humility, professionalism, and leadership you see throughout this book are exactly what people describe when they talk about him.

Whether you’re in the military, leading a business, coaching a team, or simply trying to become a better leader, this book has something to offer.