Episode 34 Succeed Together: 7 Ways Leaders Can Lose with Joshua K. McMillion
When Success Starts to Slip
Tales of Leadership | Joshua McMillion | Episode 34
In this solo episode of Tales of Leadership, Joshua McMillion continues his breakdown of the six phases of leadership by focusing on Phase 4: succeeding together. This phase begins when a team starts to stack wins, build momentum, and see real progress. But Joshua makes it clear that success is not something leaders can take for granted. Once momentum begins, there is a real danger of weakening the very bridge that helped create it. Success does not sustain itself—leaders must protect it through routine, accountability, and discipline.
Joshua frames this phase around a simple truth: leaders are no longer judged by their own individual output, but by their team’s ability to execute. To succeed together, a leader must continue doing the foundational work from the earlier phases of leadership—leading themselves well, building trust, and strengthening relationships. If those pillars are ignored in the pursuit of faster results, the organization may still move forward for a season, but eventually the bridge will weaken and collapse.
The first leadership trap he highlights is moving toward problems before moving toward people. Joshua explains that when leaders enter a new team and immediately start pointing out flaws, they often trigger resistance instead of buy-in. People perceive correction without trust as an attack. Before a leader can solve complex problems, they must build relationships, clarify the path, and create shared understanding. Teams will not fully move toward a vision until they believe the leader is moving toward them first.
He then shifts to a second major failure point: failing to lead yourself. Joshua emphasizes that no matter how successful a team becomes, the organization will always feel it when the leader starts slipping. If the leader becomes inconsistent, undisciplined, or casual with standards, the team will absorb that as the new normal. Standards in an organization are not maintained by words alone. They are set by the leader’s daily behavior, habits, and willingness to remain above the bar. The team will rise or fall to the level of leadership it sees.
Another key theme in the episode is mindset. Joshua warns against believing you have arrived just because you now hold a title or a leadership position. The moment a leader believes they have made it, they stop growing. That loss of humility and curiosity eventually turns into stagnation. Leadership requires an ongoing commitment to stay coachable, curious, and committed. If leaders stop learning, they stop inspiring. A leadership position is never proof that you have arrived—it is proof that more growth is now required.
Joshua also challenges leaders not to rely on the past. The phrase “this is how we have always done it” is one of the fastest ways to lose momentum in an organization. Past success can become a trap when leaders assume that what worked before will always work again. Every challenge is different. Every environment changes. Great leaders remain flexible and resilient enough to respond to the moment instead of being chained to old methods. He uses this point to remind listeners that leadership is chaotic, dynamic, and always evolving.
One of the strongest sections in the episode centers on empowerment. Joshua explains that as responsibilities increase, leaders must rely more on others, not less. He connects this to leadership intelligence and the need to operate with mission command—allowing subordinate leaders to make decisions at the lowest level possible. Leaders who refuse to empower their teams eventually create bottlenecks, frustration, and limited ownership. In trying to control everything, they actually weaken the organization. Succeeding together requires trust, delegation, and the humility to let others do meaningful work.
He also addresses a difficult but necessary part of leadership: making tough calls. Avoiding hard decisions does not make problems disappear. It only delays them and usually makes them worse. Joshua explains that when leaders refuse to confront issues, they are either passing the burden to someone else or allowing the problem to spread. Tough calls are not comfortable, but leadership is not a popularity contest. It is a responsibility. Leaders must be willing to step into uncomfortable conversations, confront issues quickly, and protect the health of the organization.
Finally, Joshua warns against using the team as an easy button. Delegation is essential, but dumping work on others without clarity, support, or ownership is not leadership. Leaders still carry responsibility for the tasks they assign. They must align tasks with strengths, provide a clear purpose, define suspense dates, and then stay involved enough to help their people succeed. Protecting the team’s time and energy is part of leading them well. When leaders use people to absorb their own chaos, burnout and frustration follow quickly.
Throughout the episode, Joshua returns to a central leadership principle: Phase 4 is not just about winning. It is about learning how to win together without eroding the trust, standards, and momentum that success requires.
Final Thoughts
Succeeding together sounds like a phase of momentum, but it is also a phase of vulnerability. When teams begin to win, leaders can become distracted by problems, titles, shortcuts, or control. That is where momentum starts to slip. Joshua’s message is clear: if you want sustained success, you have to keep building the bridge. Move toward people before problems. Lead yourself well. Stay humble enough to grow. Empower others. Make tough calls. And never use leadership as an excuse to avoid your own responsibility. The teams that sustain success are led by people who keep doing the hard, routine things well—long after the first wins arrive.
After Action Review (AAR)
When you enter a new position, do you move toward people first or problems first?
In what ways are your current habits setting the standard for your team?
Are you truly empowering others, or are you still trying to control what should be delegated?
Tales of Leadership Mission: To develop Purposeful Accountable Leaders (PAL)
by arming you with the tools required to lead with purpose, integrity, and accountability.
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