Extreme ownership includes taking absolute ownership for:

• A. Those things that they were responsible for
• B. Everything that impacted their mission
• C. Developing solutions and solving problems
• D. Those things that they were responsible for; Everything that impacted their mission; developing solutions and solving problems

Answer: (D)

Extreme ownership means taking absolute ownership for all factors that affect mission success. It’s not enough to own only what you’re directly responsible for; you also own everything that can influence the outcome and you take action to solve problems that arise. The best answer captures all three elements: you own the tasks you’re assigned, you own the broader factors that impact the mission, and you proactively develop solutions to keep the mission moving forward.

Focusing only on your duties misses the larger ripple effects on success; focusing only on what impacts the mission misses accountability for your own assigned work; and focusing only on solving problems misses the responsibility part. In practice, this mindset drives accountability and decisive action to achieve the goal.