#98 Joshua McMillion - How to Avoid Transitional Leadership Pitfalls

Transitional leaders view people as objects to be used for selfish gain. If you choose this easy path, you may see temporary success, but you can also cause devastating effects in both your life and your organization. Below are ten habits to avoid to prevent becoming a transitional leader.

✅ LIKE, SHARE, & SUBCRIBE 
✅ GIVE A 5-STAR REVIEW
✅ SUPPORT BY DONATING
✅ BECOME A SHOW SPONSOR

🫡 My Why: I’ve seen the cost of poor leadership — how it can destroy morale, break trust, and in the worst cases, lead to lives lost, including through suicide. That’s why I’ve committed my life to helping others lead with purpose. Through Tales of Leadership, I share real stories and actionable insights on how to overcome adversity and become the kind of leader people remember for the right reasons.

👉🏽Leadership Resources: https://linktr.ee/talesofleadership

✅ SHARE THIS PODCAST
✅ GIVE A 5-STAR REVIEW
✅ SUPPORT

Together, we will impact 1 MILLION lives!!!

Every day is a gift, don't waste yours!
- Joshua K. McMillion

Visit Tale of Leadership 

Support 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits 

Transcript

Copy

Introduction to Transitional Leadership

Speaker 1 0:50

You're listening to the Tales of Leadership podcast . This podcast is for leaders at any phase on their leadership journey to become a more purposeful and accountable leader what I like to call a pal . Join me on our journey together towards transformational leadership .

Speaker 2 1:08

All right team . Welcome back to the Tales of Leadership podcast . I'm your host , josh McMillian . I'm an active duty army officer . I'm an army leadership coach . I run my own coaching company called McMillian Leadership Coaching , and I'm the host of this podcast , tales of Leadership , and I'm on a journey to become the best leader that I possibly can , and I plan to do that through bringing on other transformational leaders and then learning from them , having them share their stories with you , sharing their wisdom with us , and then doing self-study , reading books , reading different leadership topics , reflecting on my journey and then sharing that with you . And then today that's exactly what we're going to be doing . I'm going to be sharing another transformational leadership practice with you , but specifically I'm calling this one TNT . So we're still on a house of leadership and we've talked about that before and again . Credit goes to JR Flatter of Flatter Inc and Two Roads Leadership created this methodology when I was going through the army leadership coaching program of a metaphorical house that we build our leadership philosophy on . We all have a bedrock , we all have four walls , we all have the individual components that go into a home and we all have our roof . I've went through most of all that . We're on our final segment of a house of leadership , where I'm sharing my house of leadership with you , with the goal of inspiring you to take the time to actuallyianLeadershipCoachingcom and you can look at all the different blog articles that I've written to include this very one , and you can go listen to other podcast episodes on that URL and you can summarize each one of those podcast episodes with a very short blog underneath them . And I do all this because I know your time is valuable and I want to help you become a more purposeful and accountable leader what I call a pal . But on today's episode , this is part two of our final series and today we're going to be going over a toxic leadership style , or what I like to call transitional leadership , and the next episode we'll be doing a deep dive and what I believe transformational leadership is . But today we're focusing on transitional leadership and before we start , let's kind of paint that mental picture for you .

Speaker 2 3:42

How I view transitional leadership is someone who's crossing a metaphorical stream or creek . So I grew up in rural West Virginia . I spent a lot of time out in the woods , and I still do , and one of my most favorite memories , especially with my father , is going to the Monongahela National Forest and trout fishing . If you've never done that up through the Cranberry Glades that's where I grew up you need to go . Do that because it's one of the most peaceful things that you can possibly do . But I would always jump across rocks to get across the creek or the stream . Why ? Because I didn't want to get my feet wet . I didn't want to get dirty , right , I just wanted to get to my target destination . I think that is what transitional leadership is . It's using people as objects , so you don't have to get dirty but you can continue to progress on wherever you're trying to go . That is the mental picture that I've kind of built in my head when I'm talking about transitional leadership . But today let's do a deep dive in this and I have 10 different examples , but let's frame it and kind of make sure we're all oriented on the same picture .

Speaker 2 4:53

So the roof is the final element of the McMillian house of leadership . The roof is the most visible part and must inspire others . It must be a beacon of light for you and everyone around you . For me , my roof is transformational leadership . Understanding that an organization's success hinges on the people is absolutely critical to make a great organization . Without transformational leadership , people will not push themselves personally or professionally . So I see two paths that we can take as a leader . First is that we choose to become a transformational leader . Second , they can allow the world to harden their hearts and begin practicing transitional leadership styles . So my goal in this podcast episode is to clearly define what I believe transitional leadership is and in the next episode and or the next blog if you want to go read that on McMillianLeadershipCoachingcom I'll explain to you what transformational leadership is .

Speaker 2 5:54

So let's quickly overview transitional leadership . Transitional leadership is the first path a leader can choose . It's the easy way out . When a leader adopts this approach , they place profits over people . They value the organization's growth over individuals' growth . It is increasingly countercultural for leaders to prioritize people over the bottom line . Trust me , I see it every single day , especially working now in acquisitions as a military green suitor in the army . Transitional leaders view people as objects like how I talked about that before for selfish gains . People as objects like how I talked about that before for selfish gains . If you choose the easy path , you may see temporary success , but I will tell you , I will promise you , it'll cause devastating effects to both your life and your organization and your long-term growth .

Speaker 2 6:46

So here are 10 habits to avoid to prevent you from becoming a transformational leadership . And let's start off with a quote in this one I pulled from scripture Let us not become wary in doing good , for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up . So that's Galatians 6-9 . So the first one is a top-down leadership . So , ho , when I say that , I mean a hierarchical organization , they often think they're less effective . And when I think of those types of organizations , I think of the military , right ? Well , why is that ? Because great organizations do not value rank or title . Instead , they focus on results and sharing power or title . Instead they focus on results and sharing power . So , instead of going to a hierarchical organization , focus on a non-hierarchical organization , meaning that you're sharing power , and I will tell you that the military could be either one of those , depending on the leaders that you find yourself under . When you think of the military , you might assume that it's more of a strict HO , right ? However , that's absolutely false . While the United States military has a clear chain of command and there's a reason for that it excels in what we call mission dash , mission command or 6-1 . I think it's ADRP 6-1 . Don't quote me on that , but I'm pretty confident that's what it is At a tactical level , where soldiers are led , power is pushed to the lowest possible levels and this is where the battles are actually fought , where the meat meets the grinder , so to speak .

Speaker 2 8:25

Work is performed and critical decisions have to be made without hesitation . Why ? Because it's usually life , limb or eyesight right . It's very severe if we have a delayed response . If leaders at this level must constantly seek permission from higher-ups , efficiency is reduced and transitional leaders do not want to share power with their teams . Instead , they want to hoard the power and try to control situations . As a result , they lose the battle and eventually they'll lose the war . So a top-down leadership that is the first habit that you should prevent when you're on your leadership journey .

Speaker 2 9:03

Number two is separating yourself . So what do I mean by that ? One of the worst things a leader can do is separate themselves from their team or their organization . A leader can do is separate themselves from their team or their organization . When leaders create distance , they allow transitional habits to take root into their leadership philosophy or , again , a house of leadership . What I've went through with you guys and I'm sharing mine to hopefully inspire you to build yours . As you progress on your leadership journey , it becomes easier to make decisions based solely on numbers .

Speaker 2 9:34

Think about it like this what happens if you spend most of your time behind a computer or on an email , or in endless meetings ? You lose connection with yourself , you lose connection with your team or you lose connection with your family . Trust me , I've had cycles of that , where I come home and I don't feel that my family is my family . Why ? Because I've spent so much time behind a computer just staring at Excel documents and focusing on other people's problems and when I get home , right , I don't want to hear my family's problems , which is almost selfish in a way . When I've reflected on that , thought that it's true Because I've separated myself from my family's problems , which is almost selfish in a way . When I've reflected on that thought . But it's true because I've separated myself from my family . Leading behind in an email is super easy we can all lead by emails but that's not leadership . It's about sacrificing and making sure that we spend time to actually develop those relationships , and especially doing it when it's challenging .

Speaker 2 10:37

It's not easy to take time out of the day to go have a candid conversation with someone . It's uncomfortable oftentimes , but I'm telling you right now that's how you actually build trust in your organization . Once you separate yourself enough , people become statistics instead of numbers . Remember this people first and mission always . There's a quote out there by Joseph Stalin , right ? Why am I quoting Joseph Stalin ? Here's why . What's the difference between one casualty and a million ? It's a statistic . So I mean that's pretty powerful and that's a great way of looking at it . Eventually , we just see people as numbers and you have to spend time with them and keep that emotional connection All right . So number three of transitional habits to avoid this one I like to call a false image . So what do I mean by that ? We've all heard the phrase fake it till you make it right .

Speaker 2 11:34

When a leader takes a new role with unknown challenges , it can be difficult to admit that sometimes you do not know what you're doing . But oftentimes I believe that's some of the best leaders , because they ask inquisitive questions to try to orient themselves into the new role and new challenges that they face . Believing you understand what is best for your team without gathering insights is just naive . This false image is a common trait of toxic leaders .

Speaker 2 13:01

Instead of pretending to know everything , move towards your people and ask powerful questions , a strong leader admits when they need help . You cannot have the solution for every single problem . If you did , then why would you need a team ? As your leadership responsibilities increase , you must understand that you do not have all the answers , and that's okay and I'm here to tell you that it's taken me a long time to realize this that your team doesn't expect you to have all the answers . What they expect you to do is to come to them , understand individual strengths on the team , align those strengths to problem sets that you face and have their strengths cover your weaknesses and that's what a team does . Think of it as a sphere or a shield wall right . Cover your weaknesses , and that's what a team does . Think of it as a sphere or a shield wall right , we all have weaknesses within the shield wall , but we use our resources to our ability to , as best as possible , to achieve an overwhelming superiority of the enemy on the battlefield right . So you can think of it however you want , but you have to understand that if you have that false image of yourself and you go in thinking that you have to know all the answers , then you're wrong .

Speaker 2 14:14

And that feeds us into the next one , number four showing no weakness At the core of who I am as a leader . I like to think of that as meekness , and meekness I define simply as strength under control At my core . I'm a combat arms infantry officer from rural West Virginia , right ? So I have descended from Scotch Irish people . So I have descended from Scotch-Irish people . If you ever read the book Born Fighting , my heritage , as long as I could probably search it back , for the last thousand years has been at war . So I will tell you right now I have the capacity for violence . But that's not what I mean by meekness . It means strength under control . Yes , I can be a hammer and world could be my nail , but I don't do that because I try to be kind . I try to solve problems with a level of ethical morality , and that is meekness Understanding that you have the power to absolutely crush people if you wanted to , but don't do that . Restrain yourself . So , showing no weakness , right . Understand that no one's perfect .

Speaker 2 15:27

Leaders who always display an overly confident or dominant personality will create distance from their people . And why is that ? Because leadership's messy , right ? It's always a problem . And if you're listening to this . I guarantee you , how many problems did you have last week ? How many problems are you facing right now , this week ? Are they different ? Probably , and that's okay , and even the best team members will endure challenging times . If you are unwilling to be open and approachable with everyone , your team will stop approaching you and bringing you problems , and that's one of the worst things that can happen . When your team stops bringing you issues , you're no longer the leader . And who said that ? It was Colin Powell ? Leaders who refuse to show weakness often have a scarcity mindset . They want to hoard power instead of sharing it , and it's all things that we've shared before .

Speaker 2 16:20

I have always led with emotions , and I do not think that that's a bad thing . I've led in some of the most challenging organizations that you possibly think of and some of the most stressful environments you can possibly think of , and I'm an emotional guy . I've cried in front of my men more than one occasion because I genuinely care for them , and that's okay . Leadership is an emotional thing . It does not need to be black and white , zeros and ones , but there's a balance Remember , balanced with strength and emotion . That's the key there to build strong relationships , relationships , create trust which leads to respect . Remember this be vulnerable , be authentic but , above all , lead with confidence .

Speaker 2 17:06

Team , let's take a quick break from this episode and I want to share an additional leadership resource with you , and that is one-on-one leadership coaching through McMillian Leadership Coaching . So what do I do ? I help leaders discover their purpose , create a long-term growth plan and take inspired action . I believe everything rises and falls on leadership and , regardless of where you are in life , one fact is true you are a leader of others , you are a leader of your family and , most importantly , you are a leader

Defining Transitional vs. Transformational Leadership

Speaker 2 17:37

of yourself . To lead others well , that starts by leading yourself well . If you want to learn more , you can go to mcmillianleadershipcoachingcom and schedule a free call today . Back to the episode .

Speaker 2 17:50

So , number five if leaders do not master themselves remember the first phase of leadership , which is self-leadership they will fall into this entitlement trap . Leadership positions come with perks . Oftentimes . I've never really used those , other than parking when I was a company commander , but those benefits are intended to keep you motivated during tough times not to be selfish and to hoard those types of perks and use them for your own personal benefit . Leaders who assume positions of authority without embracing humility , understanding , gratitude and selfless service , which I like to call hugs . You're welcome . Fall into this temptation .

Speaker 2 18:36

Instead of choosing the role for pay or location or benefits , choose a position that aligns with number one head , heart , hand . Do you understand cognitively what you need to do ? Is there some type of an emotional response there that makes you want to do that and are you excited to do the work ? Number two mission over money . Money will come right , like it will come one day , but do you have an absolute , urgent , compelling emotional feeling to actually do the mission ? If not , then you're not going to work hard . That's just simple as that . And making a real impact . If you go do this job and you do it well , will you enjoy it ? Remember leadership perks should be shared . Be willing to share your benefits with your team and give them away freely . You work for your people . Always remember that they do not work for you .

Speaker 2 19:34

Number six is control . Control leads to blind spots , often called dead space . That's a military term . When leaders hoard all the power and stop actively seeking advice for others , it becomes easy to overlook critical issues . So what is dead space ? Dead space is a military term that refers to an area that is invisible to you . The enemy often freely operates in these , because they know that you can't see that area or you can't control that or dominate that area . Right ? The same applies to leadership . When leaders control everything and surround themselves with those who reinforce their viewpoints , they're creating dead space in their life , and a perfect example of this is the Russian-Ukraine evasion right . Think of it through this lens .

Speaker 2 20:23

Vladimir Putin consolidated political and military power , I don't care who you are . He did , prioritizing loyalty over honesty and yes , men within his circle , and , as a result , he was given poor intelligence . He believed that the Ukrainian people would embrace a Russian occupation , and he is tragically wrong . Hundreds of thousands of men and women have died in that conflict because of someone who wanted to have control . You create dead space when you base leadership on loyalty alone and suppress dissenting opinions . People will not tell you the truth if it's contradictive to your narrative . Right , instead , share power with your team , select diverse members based on merit and encourage open discussions . So number seven fear-based leadership .

Speaker 2 21:28

Fear is one of the most damaging behaviors that can take a hold in an organization or any type of leadership style . Right ? Fear leads to inaction within any organization that I've ever seen . It's like a paralysis . We all have heard the term analysis paralysis . If you allow fear to take control , it will prevent you from making decisions because you physically feel seized . And why is that ? Because you're afraid to fail . What many fail to understand is that failure is essential to success . It's a building block . It doesn't mean you failed . It means you've learned something and you're going to continue to move forward .

Speaker 2 22:08

Another way transitional leaders use fear is by enforcing authority to drive outcomes . They're using their own influence to pressure you to do things . When your team fears you , you diminish your leadership potential . Once people begin avoiding you , relationships erode and trust destroys and you have no more respect . And when you have that , you're no longer the leader . Leading through fear also leads to communication breakdowns . Once people are afraid to approach you , dead space begins to build . And remember that quote from Colin Powell when an organization stops bringing you problems , you're no longer their leader . That's true and that's dangerous . People follow people . They do not follow titles , do not lead by fear .

Speaker 2 22:57

Number eight , leading by the book , and this one is so true in the world I currently find myself in , have you ever heard a leader who tries to solve every single problem by strictly following some type of textbook , manual or policy ? If so , you've probably noticed the lack of innovation and their inability to actually be critical problem solvers . And their inability to actually be critical problem solvers Each day presents a new challenge . Like I said before , you're probably facing your own challenges right now , and no book will provide a clear path to victory . A perfect example of this is a military battle drill . There's several of them , but a battle drill is just an SOP , a standard operating procedure . It's designed to enable quick reactions to the enemy of what they're presenting you . But what happens when you face a hybrid enemy or an unforeseen challenge ? You have to adapt . So a battle drill is just an SOP . It doesn't mean it's going to play out like that every single time . You're going to have to potentially mix them and you're going to have to be creative .

Speaker 2 24:01

Remember you only need a 70% solution to move out . You really do . A 70% solution is better than 100% solution , because 100% solution is impossible . Get to that and then continue to move forward . Fail fast , fail small , iterate , continue , and leading by the book does not allow you to do that . When new obstacles arrive , leaders must understand the tools at their disposal and how to apply them . There is never a single predefined path to success . Textbook problems do not exist in the real world . Leaders must be adaptive thinkers . We can analyze solutions , develop strategies and empower their teams to overcome challenges when we see problems as creative , problem-solving organizations , not problem-making organizations . Nothing's going to fit perfect into a textbook . And when we try to fight the enemy as fighting the plan , then you're never going to win . The beautiful thing about leadership is that there's no absolute right or wrong approach . Leadership's dynamic . What matters is your proficiency and your ability and your persistence to solve problems . What capacity do you have ? Number nine outcome-driven leadership .

Speaker 2 25:25

In the book Atomic Habits , james Clear discusses behavioral change and the importance of shifting focus from what truly matters . Many people abandon new habits or goals when they do not see immediate results , and the same applies to leadership . When leaders focus only on numbers , performance metrics and KPIs or key performance indicators , they lose sight of the bigger picture . The most important element of any team is culture . Culture is the most important thing . Culture defines how your organization operates and how your people feel . How does your organization make your team feel ? How does your business make customers feel ? Answering these questions can help shape the culture and your identity that you want . For example , mcmillian Leadership Coaching MLC , the company that I have . I aim to inspire leaders to become the best versions of themselves and reach their full potential .

Speaker 2 26:24

Transitional leaders are outside-in thinkers , meaning they prioritize outcomes over people . When organizations adopt this mindset , they experience high turnover , low morale and stagnant growth . You're never going to have people stay on your team . Instead , focus on people first , and then outcomes will follow . Think of it like this who do you want to be ? Figure that out . What habits , then , do you need to have to become that person ? Second number three what are the desired outcomes ? A lot of people focus on the outcomes . They want those quick wins . Well , you need to know who you want to be first , and you have to understand the habits and you have to consistently do those habits .

Speaker 2 27:09

So number 10 is a hidden agenda . Have you ever worked for a leader who withheld information or seemed to be pursuing their own interests ? I'm sure we have . It happens all the time . Leaders with hidden agendas often erode trust and create division in their organizations or their teams . Every leader has personal goals , and that's perfectly fine . However , when leaders fail to communicate their intentions with a team , they become doubtful , and doubt breeds a scarcity mindset , leading to a breakdown of collaboration and trust .

Speaker 2 27:44

A leader's goal should be to tear down barriers , not build walls , hidden agendas , cloud transparency and create uncertainty within an organization . You don't want that . Instead , lead with windows . Do not build silos . Windows provide a barrier , but they allow people to see inside . Right , that's that's true , true transparency . And you can use the term open door policy , it doesn't matter . I love the term leading with windows , because there's always a barrier there . Transparency fosters trust , collaboration and alignment .

Speaker 2 28:20

All right , so we've went through the 10 examples and let's just quickly summarize these right ? So , again , this is focused on transitional leadership . In the next article I'm going to talk about transformational leadership . But number one we covered top-down leadership . Number two separating yourself . Number three a false image . Number four no weakness . Number five entitlement . Number six is control . Number seven fear-based leadership . Number eight leading by the book . Number nine outcome-driven leadership . And number 10 , a hidden agenda . So let's get into my final thoughts and then a quick after action review , where I'm going to leave you three powerful questions that you should spend some time reflecting on .

Speaker 2 29:13

So the easiest path a leader can take is a transitional leadership , like in the Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickinson . A leader has the power to make or break an organization . The power to make or break an organization At the core of a transitional leader is self-sabotaging behaviors such as fear , anger , jealousy , a lack of trust and ego , which is probably the biggest one . Remember what leadership is truly about it's about people . That's what leaders do . They lead people . A leader's job is to leave an organization better than they found it , not worse . Transitional leaders rule through fear . They rule through selfishness , they hoard power and , in a world dominated by profit-driven agendas , I challenge you to choose people , be countercultural , trust me .

Speaker 2 30:04

I've seen success in my personal career because I gravitate towards people and I truly give a damn . And here's here is a unscripted , perfect example . A couple of days ago , I replied to an email and I didn't really think through it when I apply reply to that email and it was very cold and one of my teammates called me up and he called me out on it . It was very cold and one of my teammates called me up and he called me out on it . He's like hey , like all you did was just erode our team's authority in the eyes of the users and I really reflected on it I was like , yeah , he's right , he's 100% right Goes against everything I stand for . So at seven o'clock at night , in my flip flops , in the rain , I go back to work and I work in a skiff , so I had to unlock the building and I go back in there to shoot an email . That took me one minute , but it was worth it , and it was eating at me because it was going against who I was .

Speaker 2 30:56

Why do I share that story ? Because it was a hard path to choose . I could have said , yeah , no , you're right , I didn't mean to do that . I'm sorry , but deeds , not words . Right , act . Do that . I'm sorry , but deeds , not words . Right Actions speak louder than words . Choose to bring light into your organization . Choose to be a leader who brings the world together .

Speaker 2 31:16

Use these 10 principles that I've shared with you to avoid becoming that transitional , toxic leader . And that's all that I've ever wanted with this episode , with this podcast , with my coaching company , is to end toxic , transitional leadership . That is the mission that I'm on . This is probably one of the most important episodes , because this is everything that I'm trying to do , these 10 things I'm trying to prevent . One day , my son and my daughter . They're going to go into the workforce , they may even join the military , and I want them to be inspired by leaders that are transformational , that build them up , that inspire them to be more , become more , do more . We all have the potential for greatness , but it's up to us to forge it and to become the leader this world deserves .

Speaker 2 32:04

So here are the top three takeaways , or the top three questions , rather , that I want you to focus on . The first one is

10 Habits to Avoid as a Leader

Speaker 2 32:12

how do you empower your team ? Number two , what leadership entitlements are you taking advantage of and can you share them with your team ? And number three do you have a personal agenda that you're not sharing , and why is that ? All right team ? Do me a favor If you like this podcast it would mean the world to me .

Speaker 2 32:37

If you like it , if you subscribe , if you share on whatever platform you listen to , leave a five-star review , go to Tales of Leadership , slash Buzzsprout and support this channel . And if you're listening to this and you own a company , I'm always looking for a show sponsor to help out financially , and all the money that I make for my show goes directly back into producing powerful content . Trust me , none of this stuff is free , but I spend my own personal money because I'm dedicated to becoming the best personal and best leader that I can be and to share those tools with you on my journey . As always , I'm your host , josh McMillian , saying every day is a gift . Don't waste yours . I'll see you next time you .