Rookie Leaders Podcast

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