Leadership Beyond the Titles: Principles That Define Influence at Every Level

Nearly 60% of leaders report feeling “used up” at the end of the workday. Dr. Burl Randolph Jr., a military veteran and founder of the leadership consulting firm MyWingman, LLC, approaches this challenge with a practical lens shaped by experience.

Burnout, in his view, is rarely about workload. It is about how responsibility is managed and distributed. “People think burnout comes from doing too much,” he explains. “A lot of the time, it comes from confusion. Who owns what? Who is responsible for what? What happens when that’s not clear? And who ends up doing the work?” 

Dr. Burl notes that the strain of leadership is visible across industries. “Entry-level professionals face higher expectations, but often with little or no guidance. Mid-level managers are caught between strategy and execution and feel burned out. Executives deal with constant decision pressure, complex cultures, and responsibility for results,” says Dr. Burl. The issue, he adds, is a lack of clarity around what leadership actually demands.

In Dr. Burl’s opinion, there are certain key principles to leadership that leaders across any level in any organization can apply to maximize their performance and, in turn, their team’s effectiveness. “Leadership is the art and science of influencing people in such a way as to obtain the willing obedience, confidence, respect, and loyal cooperation for professional success,” he explains.

The first key principle is owning a personal leadership style appropriate for the level of responsibility. “If you don’t have a leadership style, you need to get one. Approach is key,” he says. “If you walk into a room like you know everything, people will treat you accordingly. And that means every problem comes to you. What begins as a demonstration of competence quickly turns into dependency. Over time, it slows teams down and places unsustainable pressure on the individual at the center. If everything depends on you, you’re not leading. You’re carrying.”

The second key principle is that of accountability. According to Dr. Burl, some leaders delegate everything, believing that leadership means stepping away from execution entirely. Others hold onto everything, convinced that no one else can meet their standards. “In my opinion, both approaches create problems. If you delegate everything, you lose control of the outcome,” he says. “If you delegate nothing, you lose yourself in the process.”

The balance lies in understanding the difference between direct responsibility and supportive tasks. “Never delegate your direct responsibilities,” he advises. “If it’s yours, it’s yours. At the same time, not everything requires the leader’s direct involvement. Knowing what to hold and what to release is what defines effective leadership.”

Even then, delegation does not remove ownership, he emphasizes. “You can delegate the task, but you can’t delegate the responsibility,” he says. “At the end of the day, it still comes back to you.”

The third principle, according to Dr. Burl, is leadership development. The decision to promote from within or hire externally is one many companies struggle with, often without recognizing the underlying issue. “If you want to promote from within, you have to prepare people,” he explains. “You can’t wait until the role is open and then hope someone is ready.”

Without intentional development, Dr. Burl says, internal promotions can set individuals up for roles they are not fully equipped to handle. At the same time, bringing in external leaders introduces its own challenges. “Someone from the outside might have the experience, but they don’t know your people. They don’t know your culture. That takes time,” he states.

The solution, he adds, is not choosing one approach over the other, but committing to a system that supports both. “Leadership development has to be intentional,” he emphasizes. “You have to plant the seeds early if you expect people to grow into the role.”

The fourth principle is that a competent leader understands their worth. Too often, Dr. Burl notes, increased responsibility is presented as an opportunity, even when it is not matched with appropriate recognition or compensation. “A promotion is not a promotion if you are not paid for the extra responsibility and the extra work,” he says. “At some point, people recognize the difference between growth and being taken advantage of. True leadership is understanding this balance for oneself, one’s team, and the organization, so that every area impacted by your decisions leads to sustainable execution and better morale.”

Ultimately, Dr. Burl returns to a principle that underscores all the others: there is no single model for leadership, and there is no perfect template that guarantees success in every situation. “There’s no one way to be a leader,” he says. “Everyone does it differently. The key is understanding what works, what doesn’t, and being willing to adjust. You’re not going to get it right every time, but if you’re paying attention and you’re learning, you’re moving in the right direction.”