Rookie Leaders Podcast Michael Tanner

What is your perception of military leadership?

Military leadership doesn’t come from rank. It also isn’t about barking orders or command & control type of authority.

Stephen Morris joins us on the podcast today to share his experience in Army Ranger School and his time training leadership in armies around the world.

I’m certain he will clear up some of your misconceptions about military leadership.

Having retired now from the Army, Stephen is teaching leadership through his company, Renowned Leadership. You can find out more about Stephen at renownedleadership.com.

And you just have to check out Stephen’s new podcast. He started the podcast with his dad soon after we recorded this episode. Stephen told me about how he considers his dad a great leader and how you have the opportunity to learn from both of them.

Episode Outline:

Ranger school

Differing ranks, but everyone serves as a leader
Success isn’t just about accomplishing the mission
Focus on maintaining accountability
Leaders must listen to those on the team
Extreme conditions demonstrate true leadership characteristics

Training leadership around the world

Divided power - commissioned officers & non-commissioned officers
Decentralized command
Commissioned officers actually rely on the experience and knowledge of non-commissioned officers

Leaders must listen to those in the team

Team members must be trained in leadership before they will accept responsibility
Leadership is about relationships


 
Resources Mentioned:
Renowned Leadership

Stephen and his Dad’s Podcast

The Leadership Calculator

The Leadership Accelerator

What does it mean to you to positively impact the lives of those you lead?

You’ve heard me mention before my mission to help you positively impact business results and the lives of those you lead. What does that last part of my mission mean? Do you have a strong desire to make a real difference with your leadership?

A recent podcast guest, Aaron Walker, mentioned leading not just for success, but also leading for significance. He defines significance by the impact his leadership has on other people. Like Aaron, I want my leadership impact to reach far beyond business results.

I want those on my team to win at home, excel in life, and perform well at work. I want team members to go home each day feeling empowered and encouraged. I hope they will even talk about their great team at home and while hanging out with friends on the weekend.

I’m guessing you want to lead in this way also. In this podcast episode, I’ll tell you how to make such an impact in the lives of those you lead.

Episode Outline:

Article - I Want You To Win At Home

https://www.credibleleaders.com/blog/win-at-home
Attitude
Confidence
Winning

Can’t control how team members behave at home

Can send them home prepared for success at home

Can’t separate work from the rest of life

Trouble at home = struggles at work
Worries in life = stress at work

Benefits of helping the team win at home and in life

More engaged team member
More positive team member
More empowered team member
More encouraged team member
Better business results

How to positively impact the lives of those you lead

Make it a leadership priority

Adopt the mindset

Build better relationships
Serve, serve, serve
Recognize and appreciate efforts and successes


Resources Mentioned:
The Leadership Calculator

The Leadership Accelerator

Do you have concerns about the future of your team? Does your company utilize succession planning that seems ineffective? Or maybe you’re feeling to need for additional leaders in your team, but uncertain how to develop new leaders.

Succession planning is often neglected, maybe even ignored. In cases where succession planning exists, it seems to be ineffective.

The success of a team rises and falls on leadership, so the future of your team is dependent upon succession planning. You can set your team up for success in the future with effective planning.

Effective succession planning isn’t an event, meeting, or document to complete. You may have a meeting scheduled with your leadership to review succession plans, but don’t fall victim to the illusion that a meeting represents effective succession planning.

You have to view succession planning as a daily activity. In this podcast episode, I’ll share with you activities that will ensure the future success of your team.

Show Outline

“Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.” -Tom Peters

Maintain the mindset of creating more leaders

Should be a part of leadership job description


Avoid feeling threatened by the growth of others


“Do for some what you wish you could do for all.” -Andy Stanley

You may have too many team members to mentor them all
Define two layers of inner-circle


What to be looking for inner-circles

Self-starters, self-improvers
Team members already going the extra mile
Attitude over skill set or even performance
Humble, hungry, & smart


Mentor, Coach, & Delegate

Mentor to inner-circle
Coach and delegate to inner-inner-circle



 
Resources Mentioned:
The Leadership Calculator

The Leadership Accelerator

Do you struggle with negativity in your team? Do you often hear comments like “that won’t work because…” from team members? Or maybe you feel a real struggle to energize or excite your team about the goal you're working to achieve.

Negativity can be a cancer that robs your team of productivity, efficiency, and success. You can minimize, even eliminate, negativity in your team. You can remove this obstacle that prevents your team from achieving goals.

The key to doing so is focus. Focus is a simple concept. The difficult aspect of focus is identifying what to focus on. In this episode, I’ll identify exactly what you need to focus on in order to minimize, even eliminate, negativity in your team.

Show Outline

Why Negativity Must Be Removed

If you say you can or can’t, you’re right
Contagious
Often grounded in fear, not reality


Focus

Not on what you don’t have
Focus on what you have


How to shift focus

Not a covert operation
Acknowledge what you don’t have, but don’t dwell on it
List everything you do have


Benefits

Shift to positive mindset
More efficient plans
Justifications for more


Why not just fire negative team members?

Negativity will persist
New hires will also turn negative if negativity isn’t addressed properly



Resources Mentioned
The Leadership Calculator

The Leadership Accelerator

 

Have you ever tried to take a family vacation, but your vacation turned into a frustrating repeat of you responding to office emails, answering urgent phone calls, or trying to pull away from your laptop to spend time with your family?

I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’ve had family vacations that I worried would end in divorce because I just couldn’t seem to devote my attention to my family while on vacation.

I understand the pressures of being a leader and the struggles of taking some time “actually” away from your team.

Your vacation time doesn’t have to follow the pattern of my past vacations. You can take a vacation of complete rest and relaxation. You can leave the laptop and phone at home, and enjoy a vacation worry-free with your family. Most importantly, you can do this without your team or business suffering from your absence. I’m going to tell you how in this episode.

Show Outline:

Prepare ahead of time

Delegate
Define escalations
Out of office message (email & phone)


Maintain normal disciplines

Morning routines
Exercise
Keeps mind active


Have fun

Say yes philosophy
Do new things
Fun rejuvenates you


Properly plan your return

No meetings first day back
New out-of-office responder
Visit your team members 



Resources Mentioned:
The Leadership Calculator

The Leadership Accelerator

Every leader wants to be an excellent leader. But the loneliness and isolation of being at the “top” can make excellence feel like mission impossible.

Aaron Walker has been in small business and community leadership for over 42 years. Aaron joins me on the podcast to share the secret to defeating isolation and loneliness as a leader.

It doesn’t have to feel lonely at the top.

Aaron says isolation is the enemy of excellence. In this podcast episode, he will share the secret to leadership excellence.

Hello Friend. This is the Rookie Leaders podcast. It’s the podcast offering leadership lessons to newbies.

My name is Michael Tanner, and with 30 years of leadership experience, it is my mission is to help YOU become the leader everyone loves and wants to follow. So YOU can positively impact business results and the lives of those you lead.



Personal Takeaways


I’d rather fail in front of a few than everyone
Vulnerability is key to success
No one pushes through a ceiling alone
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with someone.
Get into a group now, not when a crisis hits


Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind Group
https://www.viewfromthetop.com/

 

Resources Mentioned:
The Leadership Calculator

The Leadership Accelerator