Roles of Leadership

More than 20 years ago, a small torn piece of paper significantly impacted my leadership views more than any other moment in my career. I was 22 years old and a newly promoted sergeant at the time, and I was starting to get to know our new platoon sergeant. He gave me a small task of creating a list of gear or, maybe, platoon weapons or some other information. To be honest, I don't remember what the list was for because the items weren't what was important. After receiving that order, I quickly went out and executed the task. I was jotting everything down, making the list on a small spiral notepad. I quickly ripped the sheet from the pad to turn it in when I returned. In doing so, I tore the corner off a bit and left the small pieces of paper from the spiral notebook dangling from the opposite edge. As I reached out to hand it to him, he looked up at me with a straight face and said, "Absolutely not." He wasn't loud or aggressive, just stern in how he said it and as a matter of fact. I just paused with my hand extended. He asked me to look at it. He asked if I saw anything wrong with it. I admitted it wasn't pretty, but it was just a list. He agreed and said, "If that's who you are, if that's all you capable of, if that piece of paper represents who you want to be, then hand it to me, and I'll accept it." That alone made me pull it back. I looked down at that paper and realized that leadership, being a professional, was all the time or none of the time. There was no on-again-off-again. What I was holding represented everything. I was either setting the example, or I wasn't. I was holding myself to a standard, or I wasn't. That the details always matter. In that same moment, I was also given a great example of how to see the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and mentorship through something so small but so impactful. I was able to see how to speak to someone and how to challenge them positively. That you can be demanding without being demeaning. As a young leader, I learned so much from just a tiny piece of paper.

Corporals Course - U.S. Marine Corps 2018

Now, the Marine Corps often poses the question to young leaders, "What is the most important element of being a leader: mission accomplishment or troop welfare?" Essentially, making a two-sided coin, with one side accomplishing the task that's been directed and the other taking care of the men and women in your charge. And to be honest, I never really liked how it was presented in this pick-one or the other kind of debate. Because even though they are two sides of a coin, they are two sides of the same coin. I didn't understand the emphasis on the question so much. Because although they aren't exclusive, they aren't contingent upon one another. Just because you make mission accomplishment your main focus doesn't mean you have to neglect the team you're leading or vice versa. One can make the same argument for the debate of an authoritative or persuasive style of leadership — two sides, same coin. So, I pushed back on those questions. Often, I felt they were thought-provoking, designed to make you think, which I did a lot and still do. And I came to the realization that for me, the most important thing to a leader in the Marine Corps, to a leader period, should be developing NEW leaders.

Developing subordinates and building up those entrusted in your care was the epitome of leadership, or at least at the heart of what I perceived it to be. I would learn later in life that my early perceptions of leadership were pretty accurate. Still, I would have some great mentors provide valuable context and guide me into understanding different roles encompassing a leader's true essence, one that would shape my entire future and mindset on leadership. It was about something other than this singular approach to effective leadership.

Leadership is not a solitary method. Three separate but individual roles are required to encompass the full spectrum of leadership. And when each is executed in unison, true leadership is achieved. The Director, The Manager, The Mentor. These three are the foundation. Each has its place and purpose, and how you implement each role will define you as a leader.

The Director

Sometimes, we must simply tell our team what needs to be done—a clear directive, a simple order, or assigning a task. Now, teams need strong direction with clear and decisive orders. They need a person with the ability to make decisions and act on them, someone with the capacity to delegate tasks, plan, and lead. You must have a command presence about you.

The MANAGER

This is managing the team, instructing, and refining skills. Managers understand what needs to be present for their team to win. You must be able to manage the day-to-day, manage the team, and manage the game so that each team member can be their absolute best. Whether it’s on the field, on the sales floor, or in battle, everyone needs to be operating at peak performance. 

The Mentor

The Mentor is the least understood and the most critical element of the Triad. We empower our team through their personal development. Let me say that again—it's their individual personal development. We invest in them, listen, guide, support, set goals, and assign tasks, all to help our best people reach their full potential, not for us, not for the team, but for the individual.

Now, I want you to look at this as the depth of leadership, with most people ending up, on the surface, as a director, an authoritative leader bred to believe that barking orders is the equivalent of leadership. Unfortunately, this is commonly found in the military as well. And in the Marine Corps, there are times and places where it is necessary, but it shouldn't be often - military or not. See, that is typically someone focused on their appearance as a leader. But as your attention shifts from you to your team, and you become more interested in who you are as a leader, not what you look like as one, you'll start going deeper. You'll begin to build the skills within your team; you'll want to help them understand the elements that make up a championship organization. You'll guide individuals and aid in their development, genuinely want each person to be the best version of themselves, and want to do whatever you can to support that. Because if you're leading with purpose and the team is responding, you should be spending the majority of your time mentoring. 

Another common misstep is with leaders who fall into the depths of management to never resurface. Too often, I have been confronted by someone who struggles with being a Director, whether it be a lack of confidence, struggles with effective communication, or the more common and selfish behavior of avoiding conflict (read more about that here). The reality is that as a leader, we must be able to seize every opportunity to do so. That will require you to step into each role of leadership with confidence. You control those opportunities to be a leader through three main areas of focus: Education, Experience, and Empathy. 

Education. Experience. Empathy.

The more knowledge you have, the more knowledge you can share, the more experience you gain, the more experiences you can share, and the more empathy you have, the more you will be willing to share - education, experience, and empathy. These three are also at the heart of personal growth. Every step you take in developing your education, enhancing your experience, and deepening your empathy directly increases your ability to lead while simultaneously expanding your opportunity to do so.

So, what do you need to do on a personal level? Education - Do I mean go back to college or enroll in a trade school? Maybe, but that's not the focus. Education is personal. It should be something you pursue indefinitely. Adopt a growth mindset and have a passion for knowledge and a hunger for information, skills, and understanding - in the workforce and in life. In the Marine Corps, we say know above, know below, know adjacent. Simply meaning you must know your job, yes, but you also need to know the position above you, your direct supervisor. What are his roles, responsibilities, and the skills required? Can you fill those shoes? What do you need to learn to do so? Know the job below you. If you're in a position or title of authority, do you know the jobs below you? Do you possess the same skills and understand the inner workings? Could you perform or advise someone on performing those duties in their absence? And, know adjacent. Know and understand the roles and responsibilities of the teammates to your right and left.

See, on the battlefield, I may not be a heavy machine gunner, but if that individual goes down, I better know how to get that gun up, get it up quickly, and get it back in the fight. You may not find yourself on the battlefield, but what if the person giving the sales pitch gets stuck in traffic? Are they the only person that can deliver? Will you blow an entire presentation because Todd was the only one who knew how to set up the projector, and he just called out sick? Will the whole factory shut down if Sarah just up and quits? Knowledge is power, and in every one of those scenarios, you can step up and lead. You have the opportunity to coach someone, to set the example, and be a solid teammate.

Education can be so freeing; being a perpetual student, always learning, and seeking a higher level of understanding is liberating. Not only will it expand your opportunities, but it can also protect you and prevent you from being led astray or even, dare I say, manipulated. That's why we say, "The more you know." And when you feel this need for growth, for understanding, you will often find that the education you seek is accompanied by experience. You'll begin to see the learning potential in countless different scenarios.

For me, that was the game-changer! Beginning to see challenges and adversity for simply what they are - Life's Lessons. These teachable moments are opportunities to grow and strengthen your resiliency. And with each experience comes a broader opportunity to step up and lead. Experience can be personal as well. I often run into the individual who explains they need experience to get a specific role but need to be in that role to gain the experience—essentially waiting to act as a manager until they've become a manager. When working with college athletic teams, they don't wait till post-season play to start acting like a championship team. That starts in the offseason before a single game has been played, before the first practice even begins. A championship mindset, work ethic, and standards are all implemented before the season even starts. You think like a champion, act like a champion, play like a champion, and you'll win like a champion. Let's take that previous scenario about the sales pitch. Let's put you on that team, maybe doing data collection, running numbers, or gathering information on the client. Regardless of the role, you're on the team but not the lead. Remember to know above, know below, and know adjacent. What is preventing you from creating and preparing to give your own pitch? You're on the calls and in the meetings, you have access to the data, and you know the client. Why aren't you creating a pitch? In the best-case scenario, you go to your team lead and say, "Hey, I would love to get some experience in delivering a pitch. Could I assist you in preparing yours so I could have the opportunity to learn from you?" I don't know too many leaders that would shut you down. But if so, in the worst-case scenario, you create your pitch on your own, fully prepare to present it, and then can have a real-life comparison of the actual pitch to evaluate for yourself. What went right? What went wrong? Was there something you missed? Was the approach or dialogue similar or different to your own? NOW, in a best-worst-case scenario, the team lead has an emergency, and everyone scrambles, but there you are - primed, ready to step up and lead at a moment's notice. Because you adopted to think, act, and execute before the season even started. You are in control of your opportunities!

That brings us to empathy. This can be the most challenging but the most rewarding part of leadership - understanding how to understand people. To effectively step into the mentor role, you have to learn to be preemptive and receptive to your team's challenges and, more importantly, the individual team members. Mentoring is about taking your best people and guiding them to their best. Let me say that again. You are supporting your best people in becoming the best versions of themselves. I have often seen leaders blindly sending subordinates down an identical track as their own. Making mini versions of yourself or blanketed recommendations based on what worked for you is not mentorship. In the simplest of forms, a great mentor provides individual guidance.

Now, it doesn't matter if that's the GPS in your iPhone or the guidance system in a rocket from an F35; you must know at least one of two things: the current path or the intended target. Showing someone how you got to where you are is the lowest form of mentorship. That's not guidance; that's a "how-to video." You can put that out on YouTube or save it for your memoir. Genuine guidance comes from a place of empathy, understanding the challenges the person before you is facing today. We need to be listening to where and what they want to achieve, and yes, even when that means leaving our team or organization. In fact, it's one of the most critical times to step into a mentoring role. When someone has goals and dreams that grow outside the capabilities of the team or organization, you, the leader, are presented with an opportunity to lead from a completely selfless position. You are sewing into someone you know will someday up and leave your team or organization. We often fear that scenario as a lost investment, which can't be further from the truth. Remember, we're making our best people their best selves! Even if that person leaves, the residuals on that investment will spill over to everyone on the team and within that organization. The culture will create itself. And I've found that the ones who aimed to leave often end up sticking around. See, people love a place that builds them up, one that invests in them and understands their challenges, both professionally and personally.

So, I want to challenge you - don't lead from the surface; make the effort, dig deeper, and add some depth to your leadership. This is where you want to build your legacy, not for clout or vanity, but for a genuine felt purpose. This is where the fulfillment lies. Leading can be a great feeling, and being a leader can be a remarkable journey to lead from the front, in battle, in business, and in sport; it's an incredible experience. But this can be self-serving unless you lead with intention. And leading with purpose is imperative. You must lead with the best interest of the team. What is the best course of action for the TEAM? When you lead to serve something higher than yourself, put the needs of the mission and the team above your own, well above your own, you'll begin diving deeper. Just below the surface, you will find service.

So, if it's in you, if you feel a calling, and you have the desire. Be a Director, a Manager, and a Mentor. When you master the ability to seamlessly and effortlessly morph in and out of each role, you will have achieved a level of leadership most cannot even comprehend, let alone aspire to. Because that aspiration, along with action, will separate you so far from the pack. You will begin to find yourself in opportunities to step up, set the example, and lead. Never underestimate the power a small but teachable moment can have on someone. No matter what the mission is - to complete a project hit a sales goal, or win a championship. You Can Be Fearless! You Can Be Selfless! You Can Be a Leader!