Article 05: Six (6) Phases of Leadership Part 1

We defined a Purposeful Accountable Leader (PAL) in the previous blog by providing 21 examples. This month's blog will be broken into two parts covering the Six Phases Of Leadership (POL). Before we begin, it's important to note that John C. Maxwell heavily inspired me in his book, Five Levels Of Leadership. My goal is to expand his work and share the leadership principles I learned throughout my 15 years of military service. One unique difference between military and civilian leadership is how often leaders transfer into new roles. For example, I have never been in a leadership role for longer than one year. However, I see it as a strength because it has developed a mindset that has allowed me to create a unified team in a short period.

Remember, leadership is a journey, not a destination. The reputation you build becomes the foundation for all future positions. The journey to becoming a PAL is similar to building a bridge. As you develop your leadership bridge, remember to take the time to complete each phase before progressing. Each leadership milestone is a section of the bridge you are building. Before the next step, ensure your leadership bridge is firmly secured. If you rush to progress, your leadership foundation will weaken. Below are the first three POL:

Leadership is similar to building a bridge. If you cut corners and try to advance too fast, your structure will weaken and collapse.

-Joshua K. McMillion

Self Leadership

Leaders are not naturally born; they are forged by life experiences and wisdom gained along the journey. The first phase of leadership is leading yourself well! Before you lead others, first learn how to lead yourself effectively. Here are four ways to develop Self Leadership.

First, learn to be a great listener and follower. You'll get your chance at leadership, but it is vital to soak up lessons from other leaders early in your career. Not all teachable moments will be positive. Instead, the greatest wisdom comes from observing poor leadership. Throughout my career, I continuously monitor other leaders, noting what works and doesn't and how to improve their performance. A personal example is my time working at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. I was tasked with being an observer, coach, and trainer for infantry companies, preparing them for deployment in operational theaters. I observed over 18 company commanders during this period, where I provided coaching and mentorship, impacting thousands of soldiers. During the same time, I was preparing to take my first company. I viewed the job with humility while seizing every opportunity to learn from others and improve myself for my next leadership position. Most lessons I learned were how NOT to act when given authority, which was invaluable for my leadership growth. To lead yourself well, understand what practices other leaders are implementing, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The second part of Self Leadership is establishing a routine. Great leaders have routines that allow them to maximize their time. Zig Ziegler said, "we all have 24 hours in a day." It's up to you to optimize that time. Developing a personal routine allows you to start off the day with wins. A great leader I used to work with said, "win small and often." Each morning is the first battle period and sets the tone for your day, week, and month. Each night we all determine the time most essential to wake up and achieve success. When the time comes to perform, do you follow through and start your day off with a win? Or, do you allow yourself to lose the day's first battle and sleep in? Leaders must be wary of not following a routine because it is a slippery slope. For example, your organization will emulate your actions. If you show up consistently late, that is the new standard. Think of it like this: how do you feel when you show up to work in a rush? Compare that to when you show up to work on time and have invested in yourself first. To lead well, you must have a routine that creates time to achieve personal and professional growth.

The third critical aspect of Self Leadership is discipline. To follow a routine, you must have internal discipline and the ability to push beyond your comfort zone. You must chase the hard things in life for personal and professional growth. Leaders will never see success unless they embrace discomfort and allow it to mold them into a better version of themselves. To do that, you must have discipline. Research shows it takes 30 days or more for your body to adapt to a routine. The entire time your body will fight against you. Why is that? Growth is painful and that is just a fact. Discipline is also critical to establishing routines in professional settings as a leader. An example of this in the military is morning physical fitness training. Every morning across the globe, young men and women conduct physical fitness training from 0630 to 0800. Sometimes mother nature gets a vote, and the conditions are less than ideal. Leaders adapt to the situations but do not deviate from routine. Finally, I bet your why/purpose is not big enough if you're having difficulty with discipline. If you have a burning desire to achieve your why and make your vision come true, you push past what is hard. Leaders with big dreams and powerful whys are not afraid to take action and understand that success is messy.

The fourth critical aspect of Self Leadership is defining the leader you want to be. Before you take over a position or gain authority, you must create time to think: What will your leadership philosophy be? What is the vision you are trying to move your team towards? What is your personal vision for your life? A great way to start this is by developing a House Of Leadership (HOL) created by J.R Flatter. The HOL is your leadership philosophy with a foundation, four walls (values), the components (principles), and the roof (the journey). Developing your HOL is a powerful way to visualize what type of leader you want to become. Use those lessons you have learned from other leaders to build the leader you choose to be. If you want to have my personal house of leadership, visit mcmillionleadershipcoaching.com and subscribe to our newsletter. You will automatically receive a copy.

2011 Ranger Graduation

At Fort Benning

One of the most challenging parts of my life was Ranger School. I still use the memories from this school to push me when times are tough, and excuses are easy. To lead others, you first need to master yourself!

Situational Authority

Situational authority is the second phase of leadership in our journey to becoming a PAL. This phase of leadership is the easiest to achieve. However, leaders should aggressively work towards phase three as quickly as possible. You have to remember leadership is a journey, not a destination. Once you have been selected by your organization for a position of authority, you have not arrived; you have begun. However, it is also true that a formal title is not needed to be a leader in your organization. There may be specific situations where you are placed in a leadership role or given a position or rank.

Situational authority is a critical point in a leader's journey. To be successful in this phase, you have to understand you only have authority which lasts for a short time. A rule of thumb is 90 days. I say this because a leader in the military setting has 90 days to assess the formation when taking over before making significant changes. Use this 90-day rule to benchmark how long your situational authority will last. A leader's goal is to inspire others in their formation, and situational authority will not cut it. You must begin to inspire others through your actions.

Be cautious with the situational leadership trap and having your title define you as a leader. New leaders gaining situational authority choose one of two paths. First, you can choose to be a transitional leader with a hidden agenda and focus on yourself. Or, you can select the path of transformational leadership by investing relentlessly in your team. PALs create a professional climate and a winning culture that practices disciplined disobedience. I first heard of disciplined disobedience from General Mark A. Milley, the 20th Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman. The term means that winning organizations empower the lower levels of leadership to make time-sensitive decisions. Remember to succeed at any POL, you must master yourself. Second, you need to quickly transition to phase three and not allow the position to define you.

2021 Promotion

Ceremony Major

I had the honor to have my new rank pinned on by my daughter and son. Celebrating those moments is important, but a new rank or position does not mean you have arrived. Leadership is a journey; always remain committed, coachable, and curious.

Strengthen Relationships

The third POL is strengthening relationships, which means caring personally for members of your organization to earn trust and gain respect. The strengthen relationships phase of your leadership journey is the decisive point. The decisive point is a military term found in ADP 1-02 that states, "A geographic place, specific key event, critical factor, or function that, when acted upon, allows commanders to gain a marked advantage over an adversary or contribute materially to achieving success." At every point in a battle, there is a moment that chooses who will become victorious. In leadership, the decisive point is creating authentic relationships that allow leaders to inspire. Remember, you must quickly remove yourself from situational authority and maneuver toward making personal connections at the individual and team levels.

Take the time to foster relationships with your team to establish trust and respect. If you skip the 3rd POL, you will fail to build trust, earn respect, and inspire others to achieve results. If you do not personally invest your time building connections, your team will meet the standard, not exceed it. Your team members will do what you say without being empowered or taking ownership. Leaders often feel a scarcity mindset that they need to produce results immediately. It is critical to spend time cultivating strong relationships because that is how trust is created. Trust comes in two forms: personal interactions centered around your core values or crucible events that push beyond what is possible. But at the core, how you show up and what values you hold are most essential to establish trust. Respect takes time and is given when leaders have earned it. The leader's goal is not to gain friends but to build respect. Remember, PALs make decisions for the team, not individuals.

Here is a way to quickly begin developing authentic relationships within your organization. First, start off with a "Who I Am" brief. The goal of this meeting is to share your authentic self, what you expect, and what your team can expect from you. The "Who I Am" brief is the first opportunity to share your mission, vision and, most importantly, set the organization's standard. Second, isolate groups in your team by position or rank and have a deeper conversation. These meetings aim to create a safe environment that highlights what your team does well, where you can improve, and what you need to jettison immediately. Use these meetings to reinforce the most important values you are trying to build (e.g., mission command and constructive candor). Third, individually counsel your top-level leaders on what is expected. If you do not clearly define the roles and responsibilities, you cannot hold people to a standard. What if you do not know their roles and responsibilities? I suggest you allow them to define their roles and responsibilities on a blank sheet of paper and provide it to you. Use these individual counselings to dig deeper into what you can improve immediately in the organization.

Fourth, take the time to write thank-you letters. I take the time to hand-write letters to my team's family in every leadership position I'm in. This simple gesture immediately changes your organization's culture and shows you care personally. If you run a large organization, try writing 10 letters a week. I had over 200 soldiers in my second company command and wrote 10 letters weekly. Finally, quickly develop a team event that brings together the whole person in a low-stress professional environment. There are other ways to build relationships quickly. Still, this method will allow you to develop authentic relationships and move to the fourth POL rapidly

2017 Truck Or Treat

At Folk Polk

Leadership is not just a 9 to 5 job. If you are willing to take the position, you must be willing to lead the whole person. To develop relationships create events that allow you to spend authentic time with your team.

After Action Review

1. How are you developing routine, accountability, and discipline in your life?

2. What does your House of Leadership look like?

3. Have you developed a Who I Am brief?

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My Mission: I will end toxic leadership practices by equipping leaders with transformational leadership skills. 

Together, we will impact 1 MILLION lives!!!

Every day is a gift, don't waste yours!

Joshua K. McMillion | Founder MLC | Founder MLC

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