Why Your Default State Should Be Internal Aggression

Jocko once arrived at a corporate headquarters in Chicago before sunrise, the city lights still flickering in the river’s reflection. His brief was to advise on leadership culture. Instead of waiting for introductions, he strode into the empty conference room, flipped on the projector, and began laying out proposals on the blank screen.

By the time the executive team trickled in, Jocko had sketched the first slide. They exchanged stunned glances—he’d taken the initiative where they expected caution. That single move shifted the dynamic. From then on, every suggestion felt like the natural next step from someone already in motion.

He calls this default aggressive. It doesn’t mean head-first recklessness—it means leading from the inside out. When you believe you can win, you don’t wait for permission. You sketch the first draft of the plan, you train before dawn, you reach out first.

This approach aligns with the concept of “agentic orientation” in psychology—the sense that you are the primary driver of outcomes. When you maintain internal aggression, you create opportunities instead of reacting to them.

Pick one area where you can lead and jot it down. Sketch three concrete moves you can take tomorrow morning, then strike the first blow—send that email, hit the training mat, or call that meeting. Finally, log each small win in a notebook so you see how your initiative compounds. Give it a try at your next project kick-off.