“Extreme ownership” sounds like something we should all strive for... until you find yourself exhausted, controlling, and doing everyone else’s work.

This week, in the Think Like Amazon podcast, I spoke with Kristiana Corona from Worthy to Lead, and she offered a different take. Ownership isn’t about taking it all on. It’s about clarity. It’s about focus. And most of all, it’s about empowering others to lead alongside you. [Side note: If this concept resonated, you can support my work by downloading the episode on your favorite podcast app, or subscribing to the (still early-stage!) YouTube channel to follow along.]

Tip of the Week: Extreme ownership doesn’t mean owning everything. It means owning what matters, and creating space for others to step up too.

The Theory Behind

Extreme ownership is about outcomes, not effort. Jocko Willink coined the term in Extreme Ownership, arguing that leaders are responsible for everything in their world... full stop. The problem with this concept? You probably guessed it... it gets misapplied. Instead of building systems that run without them, leaders tend to over-function. They confuse being in control with being effective. But real ownership isn’t necessarily about doing all the work, it’s about creating conditions where the work gets done well without you. Ownership means you stay accountable for results, even when others are executing the play.

Essentialism is a leadership filter for everything. Greg McKeown’s Essentialism is about making tradeoffs on purpose. Not just saying no, but saying yes to less. Most of us aren’t overwhelmed because we lack time. We’re overwhelmed because we’re still saying yes to everything that’s technically doable. Essentialism reminds us: if you don’t prioritize your own time, someone else will. In leadership, that usually means trading your focus for someone else’s urgency. The core idea is: Doing less is actually a strategy that leads to accomplishing more. If you want to own something fully, you have to protect your energy to go deep.

Greatness happens when you stop giving orders. In our podcast episode, Kristiana mentioned a video that defines ownership for her. This video called "Greatness" describes David Marquet taking command of the USS Santa Fe, and finding a problem: he didn’t know how the submarine worked. He was trained on a different one. The crew expected commands, but he couldn’t safely give them. So he built a new system: instead of asking for orders, crew members would say, “I intend to…” and explain their plan. That subtle shift (from compliance to initiative) turned a struggling crew into one of the best-performing in the Navy. You don’t need all the answers. You need a team trained to think and act with intent.

What I’ve Learned

The E-Myth Revisited is one of the best books with the worst titles. The “E” stands for entrepreneur, but the book is really about systems. Michael Gerber breaks down why so many businesses (and careers) get stuck: we confuse doing the work with building something that works. It’s the trap of being the technician. Being the one who knows the most, cares the most, and gets relied on the most. Until you burn out. The big idea behind this amazing book: If you don’t build systems that replace you, you become the system - and that’s a trap worth avoiding.

Side note: Extreme ownership is great, until it turns into owning everything. If you’re buried in Slack pings, meetings, and last-minute requests, it’s not a time problem… it’s a system problem.

My Effective Workload Management Systems course is built for this. It teaches you how to stop over-functioning, build clear guardrails, and create systems that help your work run without you constantly babysitting it. Plus, it’s been battle-tested by over 70k Amazonians, so check out the latest and fullest version yet:

Make It Happen

These 7 steps draw from the theory above to reminds us: if you don’t build systems, you become the system.

1. Name the work that owns you. Make a quick list: What are you doing that someone else could do if a system were in place?

2. Write it down, once. Take one of those tasks and document how you do it. Even messy bullets are a system in progress.

3. Define what “done well” looks like. Most delegation fails from vague expectations. Write 2–3 lines: what does great look like?

4. Assign the role, not just the task. E-Myth 101: don’t just hand off work, hand off ownership. Give someone the full loop. make it ownable.

5. Coach the process, not the result. When something goes sideways, don’t just fix it. Ask, “What part of the system didn’t hold up?”

6. Design your replacement, even if you’re staying. If someone else had to run your role for a month, could they? If not, what’s missing?

7. Protect your few, essential responsibilities. Essentialism reminds us: you can’t scale impact if you’re reactive all day. Block time for the 1–3 things only you can do.

You don’t need to do it all. You just need to make space for others to become great.

Let it go.... let it go,

Jorge Luis Pando

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PS: Wow, you made it all the way down here? You must really care about your personal development! Here are 3 ways I can help you grow even faster:

1. Get My Most Popular Course: Learn the exact system I’ve taught to 70,000+ professionals to take control of emails, meetings, and DMs, and reclaim 150+ hours in your year.

2. Join The Effective Collective: Our private membership is opening soon as invite-only. Get access to two best-seller courses, weekly coaching, and support to level up your performance without burning out.

3. Book Me for Coaching or a Workshop: Need help scaling yourself or your team? I offer 1:1 coaching and custom team sessions to help you work better, not harder.

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