This is the Jocko podcast number 535 with Echo Charles and me, Jocko Willink.

Good evening, Echo.

Good evening.

I heard this story, and I can't, I'm not 100% sure where I heard it for the first time,

but the link was to the British SAS and it was some version that it was mandatory for anyone in the SAS to have a good

sense of humor. The reason being because if people take themselves too seriously, then they

begin to believe their own hype and when you start to believe their own hype.

And when you start to believe your own hype,

you lose your humility.

And when you lose your humility, you get complacent.

And when you get complacent, people get killed.

So that's a long connection to your sense of humor.

If you want to maintain your humility, you have to maintain your sense of humor. If you want to maintain your humility,

you have to maintain your sense of humor.

And you may have heard me say many times over the years

that humility is the most important characteristic of a leader.

And I agree with that story,

that humor is a good way to stay humble and in the SEAL teams it is a very

real thing those digs from your platoon mate they keep you humble and they're meant to keep you

humble the ribbing from your platoon chief that keeps you humble the jibe that you get from your shooting buddy

when you blow a shot keeps you humble and that is what the teams is like every day

it's verbal combat all day every day and if you have a little chink in your armor by the way

...