In this episode of the Lead. Win. podcast, we explore how strong relationships can either drive teamwork or unintentionally create silos within an organization. Learn how to build trust, listen with intent, and lead with respect—without letting personal bonds undermine team unity. We break down the five elements of effective relationships—trust, listen, respect, influence, and care—and explain how ego and assumptions can be major barriers to collaboration. Packed with leadership insights, tactical stories, and real-world examples, this episode helps leaders at every level strengthen relationships, build leadership capital, and break down internal silos.

⏱️ Episode Breakdown: When Relationships Create Silos

• 0:00 – Intro: Why Relationships Matter
• Why relationship-building is foundational to leadership and teamwork.

• 1:30 – The Four Laws of Combat: Cover and Move
• How strong relationships enable teamwork, and what happens when they’re missing.

• 4:30 – What Is a Relationship?
• A practical definition: Trust, Listen, Respect, Influence, and Care.

• 7:30 – Building Relationships Without Friendship
• You don’t have to like someone to have a productive relationship with them.

• 9:00 – The Ego Barrier
• How ego kills influence, creates conflict, and prevents effective communication.

• 12:30 – Influence Is Earned, Not Demanded
• Real-world leadership story: how one leader gained buy-in by listening first.

• 13:30 – The Flat Earth Story
• Dave Burke’s perfect example of subordinating ego to preserve a relationship.

• 15:00 – Every Interaction Is a Deposit or Withdrawal
• The concept of leadership capital and how to build it daily.

• 20:00 – When Relationships Become Silos
• The dangers of cliques and tight inner circles creating division in teams.

• 22:30 – Real Client Example: Sales vs IT Friction
• How one conversation could’ve saved weeks of conflict and frustration.

• 25:00 – Assuming Sinister Intent
• How assumptions erode trust—and how to check in with curiosity instead.

• 26:30 – Don’t Neglect Relationships at Home
• A reminder that the most important relationships often get overlooked.

• 27:00 – Immediate Action Drill
• Identify one relationship that needs work and commit to a 30-day plan.

• 28:00 – Closing & Resources
• How to connect with Echelon Front and dive deeper into leadership development.

📚 Books On Amazon: Purchase books by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on Amazon.

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There’s one battlefield-tested mindset that turns chaos into clarity. In this episode, Leif Babin and Jamie Cochran reveal the simple drill that kept SEALs alive—and can rescue your toughest business, family, and life moments. Hear a near-fatal household accident, a braces blow-up, and real-world tactics that let you pull order from disorder and lead your team to victory. Stick around for the Immediate Action Drill you’ll want ready before your next crisis.

Takeaways:

00:00 Chaos vs. Calm — why most leaders stumble

04:30 The Invisible First Step behind “Prioritize & Execute”

10:00 Battlefield Drill: “Relax, look around, make a call”

17:45 Household Crisis Story — turning panic into action

26:30 Everyday Practice: braces, parenting, and reply-all emails

36:00 Crafting Your 3-Step Action Plan (red flags & tactics)

49:30 Immediate Action Drill + ways to level up with EO Academy

📚 Books On Amazon:

Purchase books by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on Amazon.

https://echelonfront.com/links/

➕ Follow Us On Social:

https://www.instagram.com/echelonfront

https://twitter.com/EchelonFront

https://www.facebook.com/echelonfront/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/echelon-front-llc/

Are you allergic to negative feedback?

Discover why feedback is the ultimate leadership gift—and how to turn every “ouch” moment into unstoppable growth. Former Navy SEAL Leif Babin and leadership instructor Jamie Cochran unpack the Extreme Ownership approach to receiving criticism without letting ego hijack progress. Walk away with clear, actionable steps to detach emotionally, run brutally honest self-assessments, and transform even the harshest comments into fuel for improvement.

⏱️ Episode Highlights

• 00:58 Why we instinctively resist critique
• 02:30 The ego-check questions that change everything
• 05:22 Leveraging 360° feedback surveys to reveal blind spots
• 11:50 How humility accelerates team performance
• 18:05 A real-world refund story that proves Extreme Ownership in action
• 24:40 The indirect approach to giving feedback without triggering defenses
• 28:10 Two immediate-action drills you can try this week

📚 Books On Amazon:

Purchase books by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on Amazon.

https://echelonfront.com/links/

➕ Follow Us On Social:

https://www.instagram.com/echelonfront

https://twitter.com/EchelonFront

https://www.facebook.com/echelonfront/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/echelon-front-llc/