Article 13: Seven (7) Ways To Lose At Succeeding Together
In this month's blog, I outline seven ways leaders can lose at the 4th Phase Of Leadership (POL), Succeed Together. The 4th POL begins when the organization collects a series of wins. Those wins could be small tactical victories or even large strategic targets. However, the results are the same, and that is building momentum. Achieving success as a team takes three characteristics, valid throughout your leadership journey regardless of the phase. Those characteristics are Routine, Accountability, and Discipline (RAD). Leaders must consistently do routine things well, have accountability systems/processes, and be disciplined to avoid shortcuts. Another truth is for your team to experience success, you must continuously lead yourself well, 1st POL. The third truth is that you must continue to build strong relationships to earn your team's trust and gain their respect, 2nd POL. Deviating from these truths and trying to get results immediately will cause your leadership bridge to weaken and risk collapse. Remember, leadership is a call to action; where are you taking your team? To start creating the path, you must build your leadership bridge one phase at a time. Here are seven ways leaders can lose at the 4th POL.
Great organizations do routine things well and build momentum
-Joshua K. McMillion
Move To Problems First
The first way leaders fail at the 2nd POL is by moving towards problems in the organization first. If you immediately take a position of authority, "2nd POL," and try to push for results, you will meet a wall. You must move to your people first to build your leadership bridge with strong foundations. Begin to inspire others with your Big, Bold Vision and enthusiasm to take on complex problems. Creating buy-in from your teams helps establish the path for them to begin the journey together. Once you have set a clear path, you can move as a unified force to solve complex problems. Moving together will strengthen the organization by empowering your team to act. An inspiring vision demands a response and is the best way to build traction in any formation authentically. If you move towards problems first, your team will quickly develop walls, and the quality of work will significantly drop. Why? You have immediately pointed out the flaws in your organization, and your team perceives that as attacks before establishing trust. What culture, climate, and values do you want in your organization?
Failing Yourself
No matter how successful an organization becomes, the team will notice if the leader stops leading themselves well. RAD is essential for leading yourself; once you allow easy decisions to influence the hard rights, so will your team. Those values will begin to erode and spread like cancer within your formation. For example, if a leader does not wake up on time and is consistently late for work, that is the new standard. Purposeful Accountable Leaders (PALs) are consistently above the bar and challenge their organizations to match their effort. As a leader, you do not have to be the best at any one thing. However, you must consistently do your best each day and give 100% effort. Leaders that always show up for themselves demand a response equal from their team.
Failed Mindset
We all have leaders that make decisions based on policies and textbooks. There is a time and place to follow a detailed instruction manual. However, leadership is inherently messy, and "by the book" is rarely the correct way. Do you know what separates a toxic leader who rules from authority from a transformational leader who empowers and inspires? Its intuition! It's not following bureaucratic processes or systems that tell you how to act, feel, and think. PALs must balance being proficient in their craft but be willing to throw the book out. Why do American forces do so well in conflict? Because war is chaos. In the Army, we empower our leaders to make decisions based on the present threats. The bottom line is that leadership is chaotic and messy. Sometimes, as a leader, you must throw the book out and follow your gut.
Albert Einstein
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Relying On The Past
We've all heard the expression; this is how we have always done it. If you embrace that mantra, your organization will fail to move forward. According to Mark J. Perry of the American Enterprise Institute, only 60 of the original 500 companies in the S&P 500 have remained from 1955 to 2017. These companies were the embodiments of success in their chosen fields. He also states that future companies will have only 14 years of average in the S&P 500 by 2026. Why do successful companies fail? They are doomed by how they think. For example, what has made them successful in the past will make them successful in the future. Every problem leaders encounter will be different and unique. You have to remain flexible. It's easy to develop standard operating procedures or tactics and techniques, but fighting one enemy is different than another. PALs harnessed the collective strength of the organization to find new solutions to complex problems.
Failing To Empower
As you grow on your leadership journey, understand there is such a thing as leadership intelligence (LI). For example, as I grew and progressed through the Army, I quickly learned to succeed at higher levels of responsibility, I must rely on others. This lesson took me years to grasp. As leaders progress, their responsibilities increase. We all have 24 hours in the day, but our problems become more extensive, dynamic, and frequent as we grow. To succeed, you must empower your organization at the lowest level possible. In the military, we call this concept mission command, which gives your subordinate leaders the authority to make tactical decisions. Doing others ' work is unfair to yourself, your family, and your team. Instead, you are demonstrating to your organization there is no accountability and that you will ultimately do the work anyway.
Avoiding Tough Calls
To progress beyond the 4th POL, leaders must make tough decisions. Leadership is messy and emotionally challenging, but your responsibility is to make those tough calls. You do one of two things every time you avoid making a tough call. First, you are kicking a problem down the road for someone else to solve, allowing that problem to only magnify its intensity. Second, you are delegating that responsibility to others. Both of which are an attack on your reputation as a leader and the position you hold. Remember, leaders must be proficient, have a strong reputation, and produce output (PRO) if they want to inspire others. I challenge you to confront difficult situations. It only takes 60 seconds of courage to begin to solve a problem. If you delay that 60 seconds, a tough conversation could turn into 60 hours and take countless resources to resolve it. As a leader, you will always regret those decisions you did not make.
Joshua K. McMillion
A universal truth about leadership is everyone is looking at you when times get tough. Are you willing and able to make the call when needed?
The Easy Button
The final way to lose in the 4th POL is to rely on your team as the easy button. Stop dumping tasks and your individual responsibilities on your team. Being a leader does not mean you are void of doing work. Being a leader requires you to delegate tasks well. Align critical jobs with your team members' strengths, clearly define what you're asking for, and set definitive suspense dates. Most importantly, help them complete the task. One of the fastest ways to slow down and seize momentum is to allow bureaucracy to flood your organization. Trust me, I am in the Army! This will only lead to individual team burnout. As a leader, your time is just as valuable as your team's. You must do everything in your power to protect their time ruthlessly.
Final Thoughts
If you want success in any POL, it always starts and stops with you. Never forget leadership is a journey. You must have a clear path established before others will join. Second, you have to take the time and cultivate relationships. Do not make the mistake of moving towards problems first. Start with relationships and then branch out. Third, you lose enthusiasm to grow if you believe you have arrived. The position you hold is just a title and warrants temporary authority. A PAL's objective is to strengthen the position they hold by reinforcing the reputation and leaving the organization better than when they found it. Leaders who fail to empower fail to inspire and create limited ownership. When you are the leader, own it! Never ask others to take on decisions and responsibilities because of fear and indecision. Avoid these 7 ways leaders fail at the 4th POL to become a more PAL. We all have greatness inside, but it's up to us to forge those abilities. Become the leader your team needs!
After Action Review
Do you view a new position as an endpoint or a starting point?
How do you delegate responsibilities and decisions?
What is your process when assigning tasks to your team?
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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