Are Your Leaders Ready for the Next Level?
Welcome back to Toolkit Tuesday! Each week, we share a leadership tool designed to help you grow, lead, and empower those around you.
The Challenge
So there I (Matt) was in Afghanistan participating in a mission back brief. A Staff Sergeant (SSG) in the Ranger element was explaining how his team would establish a blocking position along a key road connecting the target location to a nearby Pakistani military post.
As the SSG was explaining how they planned to use concertina wire to block the road, the Task Force Commander, a one star Admiral, stopped him mid-sentence.
“You just got shot by an approaching vehicle,” he said. Then, turning to the next-ranking Ranger, a young soldier barely 20 years old, he asked, “What do you do?”
Without hesitation, the young Ranger stepped up and delivered a flawless, confident response. No hesitation. No confusion. He was ready to step in and continue the mission.
That’s because in Special Operations, we live by SOF Truth #1:
Humans are more important than hardware.
People—not equipment—make the critical difference. The right people, highly trained and working as a team, will accomplish the mission with the equipment available. On the other hand, the best equipment in the world cannot compensate for a lack of the right people.
Rangers of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, board a MH-47G aircraft to go into the night and take the fight to the enemy, U.S. Army photo by Spc. Justin English, Sep 21, 2013.
The Leadership Gap That Will Sink Your Business
In Special Operations, if we ever found ourselves dependent on a single individual for mission success, we had already failed. Every operator was trained to do their job—and, if needed, step into the role above or below them.
But in business, many leaders make the mistake of allowing their organization to depend on just a few key people.
You might already see it happening— If one or two key leaders left tomorrow, your business would struggle. The same people always carry the weight, while others never get developed. Leadership transitions feel like fire drills instead of smooth handoffs. You don’t have a structured way to develop next-level leaders. If you don’t change this, you’ll always be stuck in reaction mode when someone leaves.
The Tool: Getting Others to the Next Level
Think of leadership development like climbing Mt. Everest—there are levels to it, and people don’t start at the summit. Your job is to assess where your leaders are and help them move up.
Here’s the framework:
Level 1 – Just getting started, needs guidance and direction
Level 2 – Developing skills, gaining confidence, but still learning
Level 3 – Taking ownership, making decisions, preparing for the summit
Level 4 – Fully capable, leading others, ready for high-level responsibility
To develop your leaders, ask yourself three key questions:
What level are your leaders at?
Do they know the expectations of their role?
Are you committed to helping them get there?
Why This Matters
It creates clarity – Your team needs to know where they are and what’s expected at each level. If they don’t know how to “win,” motivation suffers.
It forces you to communicate – Clearly setting expectations prevents frustration and failure.
It requires commitment – Leadership development is a two-way street. Are you truly willing to help them grow?
The Result: Crisis or Confidence?
If you do nothing – Leadership stays reactive, people leave, and you keep putting out fires.
If you take action – Your team levels up, transitions become seamless, and you build a strong leadership pipeline that keeps your business moving forward.
How to Take Action This Week
Identify one team member’s “level” on the leadership mountain and discuss expectations with them.
Sign up to get the Tuesday Toolkit every week – If someone forwarded you this, go here to sign up.
Discover Your Leadership Voice – Start by understanding your leadership style. Take the free assessment.
Book a strategy session – Ready to stop reacting and start developing a strong leadership bench? Let’s talk.
Closing the Loop
That young Ranger was ready because SOF leadership development is intentional and disciplined.
The question is: Are you developing your leaders the same way?
At Khaki Consulting, we help organizations build their leadership pipeline through structured, intentional development. Whether it’s establishing a Leadership Academy within your company or bringing your high-potential leaders into a cohort-based program, we provide a clear, actionable roadmap to teach how to lead and develop others into leaders.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s build a deep bench of leaders—so your business thrives, no matter what happens next.
