5-Star Leadership: Lessons from the Frontlines of the Battlefield to the Frontlines of the Sports Field and Business
John O'Grady
Advisor to executives, startups, and sports coaches and athletes on the intersection of culture, leadership, and teamwork. Defense and Aerospace advisor. Highly sought after keynote speaker.
Over the course of my 30-plus years of leading as a decorated combat veteran, former Division I athlete, and now founder of my own company, I have had the opportunity to witness a multitude of leaders. Some were highly effective, some downright toxic (which is why nearly 1 out of every 3 employees state they do not trust their management), and many ended up falling somewhere in between those two extremes. But the ones I want to highlight in this article are the great ones. After all, these are the leaders that instill motivation, positive culture, drive, and integrity in others. They are the ones who inspire other executive leadership to foster that much needed innovative mindset and utilize their skills to achieve optimal growth within people and in organizations.
Now, when I say, “utilize their skills," this is a loaded phrase. Excellent leadership personnel within any industry host a diverse range of individualized features that have shaped them into who they have become today. But based on my own observations and experiences, I have gathered a handful of key high-human skills that each of these extra-ordinary leaders possessed. And I want to share that with you today.
First, a quick diversion. As a leader, do you have a desire to help and assist those you lead? As a leader do you have an expectation of wanting to blow through the obstacles in the way of those you lead? Do you want to unlock the potential of those you lead? I am sure you are committed to this as a leader. I rarely find a leader that I advise that responds in the negative to any of the above questions. In fact, most if not all, leaders view themselves as fixers and solvers. A large part of why you attained the leadership position you are in is likely because of your fixing skills. You are a problem solver, you routinely had answers to any number of questions well before anyone else. This skill was recognized and rewarded. Now, as the leader, you are the final authority responsible for the difficult task of answering the toughest of questions. You seek to enable and empower those you lead. The challenge I observe is how leaders attempt to lead. By attempting to be a great leader you paradoxically create more work for yourself. Do you ever wish you had less problems coming to your inbox, or door, so that you had more time for longer range, over the horizon vision and thinking? Most leaders I speak to wish they had more time for the tasks and thinking that they view as important yet struggle with getting pulled into the day to day fight versus the strategic, impactful, and meaningful priorities.
This is because leaders unwittingly create the deadly triad of:
1. A leader-dependent environment that becomes a vicious cycle of over-reliance on the leader and a critical drain on the leader’s time and energy.
2. Feeling overwhelmed by the current environment (tasks, emails, complexity, meetings, travel, decisions, etc). This results in lack or loss of focus.
3. Become dangerously disconnected from the most meaningful work by becoming bogged down in minutia and burned out.
If you see yourself in this deadly triad then this article offers the key to breaking free becoming from it, becoming an extra-ordinary leader, and unlock the full potential of your team.
From this point forward the predominance of your job as a leader is no longer to answer the questions, but rather to understand, and ask the right questions. This is a major paradigm shift and the 5-Star Leadership approach will enable you to make this shift.
1. Vision. First, vision provides the anchor for everything you do. Vision was the first, common, executive leadership skill that I noticed right away in extra-ordinary leaders. These leaders were able to leverage their ability to see situations, outcomes, and the potential in others even before they could see it themselves. In addition, they were able to craft and convey a compelling idea of how people will move from where they are to a more compelling future. Overall, they could do this in two different contexts:
-Context One: The organization or team is already in a good place. The past six quarterly earnings finished as expected or a bit above, and the current quarter is trending similarly. In this context, the message is, “It is not about how good we are, but rather how great we can become.”
-Context Two: The organization is in a poor, or completely awful place. In this context, the leader focuses on discovering why this is the case, why it is worth fixing, what is required to remediate it, and establishing the steps to make it better.
To give you a bit more perspective here, I want to jump into what is called the Stockdale paradox because all great leaders know how to expertly balance this. It was first put forward in Jim Collin’s book Good to Great, a seminal corporate self-help and leadership book and was named after Admiral (Ret) James Stockdale, who was a former vice-presidential candidate, a naval officer, and a Vietnam prisoner of war. Stockdale explained it in his words, "You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."
In simpler terms, this paradox is the idea that you should hope for the best, but understand, acknowledge, and be prepared for the worst. In relation to leaders today, those who have too much confidence that overshadows the harsh reality are the ones who will not "survive." The balance between this and vision is the key to prevailing.
2. Assertive Humility. Far too often, leaders get caught up in their own success, a paradigm-shifting trap that causes them to become arrogant. Their egos grow, and they often let it get the best of them. As a result, they become more and more resistant to learning and growth. They begin to take on an I have arrived mentality right up until they find themselves on unsure footing and then they quickly convert to imposter syndrome and focusing on not revealing what they do not know. But the truth is that great leaders are not based on ego and directing; they manage through humility and serving. It is easy to ignore humility because it equates to you having to become vulnerable, and that is hard for many people to face. But it is also why it is number two on my list.
You see, great leaders’ practice what I refer to as assertive humility. They stay humble, admit what they do not know, showcase that it is okay not to be perfect, and assertively let their people know that they desire and need their help to routinely come to the best solutions in an increasingly complex world. It sets the precedence that employees and other leaders can make mistakes, and if you learn from them, you will achieve personal and professional growth. This skill also makes leaders much more relatable, approachable and is the foundational bedrock for an environment of psychological safety in the work culture that makes employees feel safe to learn, then contribute, and then innovative.
3. Curiosity. Curiosity is a vital part of leadership success, no matter what style or industry you may be in. All great leaders possess a palpable, unquenching thirst for knowledge and wisdom, and they will get it from anywhere they can. In this regard, they are like junkies. They actively open their minds, connect with others, and raise innovations to close the gap between what they think they know and what they actually know. They seek to multiply their own experience. When they gain new knowledge, they crave more, and they get it by continuously reading, watching movies, attending guided experiential developmental events, hiring a coach/advisor, and any other way that stimulates their minds – constantly striving to learn and grow.
· Curiosity = innovation.
· Innovation = growth.
· Growth = prosperity.
4. Courage. For any leader, it is no secret that they are in a formal role that requires risk, challenging decisions, and being able to admit to themselves and others when they are wrong. In fact, the very act of accepting you need support is not a sign of weakness; It is a strength. Additionally, in the context of this article extra-ordinary leaders display the courage to be humble and curious and as important, demonstrate both to those they lead.
Overall, having courage is the secret ingredient to act, despite your fears. It allows leaders to put aside their fear of failure, do what is right (even when it terrifies them), and take their team to new levels that could not have been achieved otherwise. But most of all, as said before, it may be terrifying to muster up the courage to ask for help, and that is okay. All extra-ordinary leaders do it, and that is why they are great.
Additionally, extra-ordinary leaders will make the difficult decision even at the risk of their own detriment. They will be the leader that can both stand-up to those they lead and stand-up for those they lead. Furthermore, they can discern when it’s appropriate to do one or the other and in rare cases both.
5. Imprint. For this final skill, I am using a metaphor. When I say imprint, I am referring to the impact that you, as a leader, can and will have on those you lead. Now the kicker is this can be both positive or negative. Because your imprint can sway either way, step back and see what you are doing and how you act is impacting those around you. In addition to this, how much of an imprint are you leaving? Just like a piece of clay, when you push lightly, there will be a slight print; harder equates to deeper ones.
So, with that being said, great leaders leave profound, positive imprints on others, and every notable leader who has embraced this concept saw it as a responsibility and a passion. They cared as much about themselves as they did for those they led.
Final Thoughts
Some people possess natural leadership traits, having that ego-less confidence and futuristic vision that entice others to follow and respect them. And then there are others who are also impressive but had to invest in several leadership resources to cultivate the right mindset to become successful in their role. If you are the latter, do not beat yourself up. According to Inc.com, only 10% of people are “natural-born” leaders. Great leaders understand they never quite have it all figured out; they seek growth via intentional means. All leaders desire to grow and extra-ordinary leaders routinely take pragmatic steps to doing so.
However you achieved your leadership position, if you possess the traits above, chances are you are doing well at leading your team and developing a prospering culture, and you should be proud of that. Regardless, always remember that you can improve yourself and strengthen these necessary skills to become the best leader that you can be. It might take some perseverance, practice, development, and dedication to alter your way of thinking, but it will certainly be worth it in the end when you see the positive transformation within your team and the professional and personal rewards you gain as well.
About John O’Grady
John O’Grady is the founder and CEO of O’Grady Leadership Consulting. He has a passion for leaving the world a better place than he found it and does so by helping leaders and teams be GREAT. He supports them with the intersection of culture, teamwork, and leadership to ensure they can unlock their full potential, perform optimally, and in a sustainable manner. As a former Division I athlete, West Point Graduate, and proven combat leader having earned two Bronze Star and Legion of Merit Awards, John shares his invaluable 30+ years of leadership experience that was cultivated from his time within the military, sports, and in business. His content is aimed to guide and influence high-performing and high-potential leaders and teams as they pursue to become the best versions of themselves. John proudly serves on the Board of Directors for, Soldiers to Sidelines, a non-profit whose mission is to develop veteran’s leadership skills and place them in sports coaching roles across the United States.
He can be reached at [email protected].
Visit his website at OGLeadership for additional information about John and the services he offers to corporate executives, sports coaches, and their teams.
References
https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0616/pages/0616-trust-in-leaders.aspx
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/best-leadership-books-4156971
https://blog.taskque.com/characteristics-good-leaders/
https://innovationandcreativityinstitute.com/stockdale-paradox/