Rethinking Leadership for the Modern Age

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Listen to this week’s podcast episode, Ep.193: Beyond Command and Control: How to Lead with Purpose, Meaning, & Empower People, with Marc Koehler, using the player below, or click here.

From Submarines to the Boardroom

What does a nuclear submarine have in common with a small business or a start-up team? Maybe more than you think...

When this week’s guest, Marc Koehler, swapped life beneath the waves for a career in corporate leadership as a consultant, turnaround specialist and beyond, he realised that most organisations, from boardrooms to frontline teams, share one dangerous habit: they rely on out-of-date, command and control styles of leadership.

It’s a mindset that might get short-term results but leaves people disengaged, unmotivated, and eventually burnt out. Marc’s mission since has been to teach leaders how to flip that script to replace command with connection, and control with clarity: “The big myth or thing that people continue to try to use is that they feel that they have to be involved in every single decision. And that's not your role as the leader anymore.”

In our conversation, we explored how purpose-driven leadership creates stronger teams, what leaders can learn from the Navy’s focus on intent and communication, and why meaning, not metrics, is what ultimately drives performance.

Ownership Not Orders

Marc’s background as a former U.S. Navy Submarine Officer gives him a unique view of leadership. On a submarine, every crew member must be ready to act independently because in critical moments, there’s no time to wait for permission.

That environment taught Marc the importance of empowerment/autonomy. A successful leader doesn’t just give orders; they build capability and trust so others can make smart decisions on their own.

After leaving the Navy, Marc noticed that many organisations still operated like old-school hierarchies: leaders at the top making all the decisions, while the people doing the work had little voice or agency.

The best leaders give people the authority and the tools to succeed, and then they get out of the way.

It’s a deceptively simple principle, but one that many struggle to apply, even in the our high-tech, high-speed world. Empowerment means releasing control, which can feel risky. Yet Marc insists the real risk is holding on too tightly, because when leaders micromanage, they destroy initiative.

Purpose, Meaning, and the Human Factor

At the heart of Marc’s leadership philosophy is one word: Purpose.

Every person wants to feel that what they’re doing matters. Yet in so many workplaces, meaning gets lost beneath KPIs, metrics, hierarchy, endless data, bureaucracy, and seemingly-infinite meetings. Marc argues that purpose is what turns a collection of employees into a committed team.

He shared stories from his consulting work with leaders who rediscovered that sense of purpose and how it transformed their teams. One leader realised his employees didn’t need more instructions; they needed context. Once they understood why their work mattered, they naturally began to innovate and collaborate more effectively (this is a great story about the varying roles of a simple piece of wire, you can hear it in the episode!).

Purpose gives people a reason to care. When people care, they perform.

Marc believes this is the antidote to quiet quitting and the slow erosion of engagement that happens when people feel like cogs in the machine instead of valued team-members, who’s contributions matter.

Communication That Builds Connection

If command and control leadership is about telling people what to do, then Marc’s approach is about talking with them instead, asking powerful questions, and setting them up to find the solutions on their own, and ultimately to succeed.

He’s a huge advocate for clear, consistent, and human communication, the kind that builds understanding rather than fear. In both the Navy and in business, he says, communication can save missions or sink them.

Marc explains that a Submarine crew’s success depends not on rank or authority, but on whether everyone understands the mission’s intent, the Captain doesn’t bark orders but explains the outcome needed, then trusts the team to execute.

It’s the same in business. When leaders communicate intent rather than instructions, they give people ownership of the outcome, which creates the environment and culture where those people can show initiative.

This shift from control to collaboration changes everything.

The New Leadership Playbook: Intent, Trust, and Alignment

Marc’s leadership framework could be summed up as three core practices:

1. Lead with intent, not instruction: Make sure people understand the “why” behind the work.

2. Build trust through accountability: Give people real ownership and hold them to it.

3. Align around purpose: Keep everyone connected to the bigger picture.

Many of today’s most successful teams, from small start-ups to global organisations, are rediscovering these fundamentals. As technology, AI, and remote work reshape how we collaborate, trust, clarity, and human-to-human communication are more important than ever.

Lessons for Modern Leaders

In every story Marc shared, there was one clear theme: leadership is learned through service.

You can’t demand trust; you earn it. You can’t inspire loyalty; you nurture it. And you can’t empower others if you’re too busy protecting your own authority.

He’s candid about how hard this transition can be, especially for leaders used to traditional hierarchies. But the payoff, he says, is worth it: teams that are more engaged, more capable, and far more loyal.

Marc also challenges leaders to look inward. Before you can empower others, you have to manage your own ego. Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room, it’s about creating a room where everyone gets smarter together.

That humility, he argues, is what separates “positional leaders” from true leaders.

To Sum Up… Leadership Is About People, Not Power

Marc Koehler’s journey from submarine officer to leadership consultant could easily be summarised as a story of contrast, but really, it’s a story of consistency.

Because whether deep under the ocean or high up in an organisation, the core of leadership is the same: it’s about people, purpose, and empathy.

And as Marc’s work reminds us, leadership isn’t a position you hold but a responsibility you take.

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This conversation had so many powerful stories in such a (relatively!) short space of time, I’m still unpacking some of what I learned from talking with Marc, so I know you’re going to get plenty from it too! Here’s the link to the audio version again: https://smartlink.ausha.co/leading-with-integrity/ep-193-beyond-command-and-control-how-to-lead-with-purpose-meaning-empower-people-with-marc-koehler-leadership

If video is more your speed, then you can also watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HDt7ma5ug98

Join me again next week for leadership from a very different perspective, when I’ll be talking leadership, career change, education, and more with Leadership and Career Change Coach, and former teacher, Annabel Smith.

Hope to see you there, and in the meantime: Be a Leader, Not a Boss!

- David

In case you don’t know me that well, I’m David Hatch and I’m here to help new managers and first-time founders with their leadership skills, so they can become leaders not bosses, lead with integrity, and build happier, higher performing teams, more effective organisations, and, ultimately: successful businesses.

Overcome the protomolecule, and: Become the leader you wish you’d had, come join my online leadership community. If you have a healthy love of sci-fi and want to learn more about leadership, then this is the community for you. Solopreneurs also welcome. 😉

Here’s the link: Integrity Leaders: Community membership and learning, for new leaders or first-time founders.