What makes a great leader? Jason Hitchcock and Patrick Strawbridge will be the first to tell you—there’s no blueprint. And anyone who says otherwise probably hasn’t led much.
Jason spent 27 years as a Navy SEAL before stepping into executive roles in the corporate world, where he built high-performing teams and navigated complex operations. Patrick, on the other hand, climbed through every enlisted rank in the Navy, and later went on to lead across various industries—including energy, healthcare, and private spaceflight.
Together, they co-founded Rmada United to cut through the noise and help leaders lead effectively. In this unfiltered conversation, they share the real, messy, and flawed process of becoming a leader.
The Process of Becoming a Great Leader
Interviewer:
So, this is a bit off the cuff, but maybe you can speak to the process someone needs to go through to become a great leader.
Jason:
We don’t know.
Patrick:
It’s easy.
Jason:
No idea. We haven’t gotten there yet.
Patrick:
Well, they’re not talking about us. Now we get to be thought leaders and pontificate.
Jason:
Well, then how can we comment on it? We can’t, we don’t know. We’re still a work in progress. We’re not great leaders. We identify as great leaders, but that doesn’t mean we are.
Interviewer:
So do you not believe there’s a process to becoming a great leader?
Patrick:
Yeah, I think it’s simple. Look in the mirror, do some research, find somebody to hold you accountable, and unfunk yourself–one step at a time. There’s no “36 left, 42 right, zero, jiggle the handle, the safe opens.” It’s a perpetual cycle of things that you want to do to get better. That’s what makes a great leader.
Jason:
Yeah, but if you ask a great leader if they’re a great leader, they’re going to say no.
Patrick:
I just got rid of my mirror.
Jason:
Exactly. A great leader who claims to be one? They’re probably fake. As much as I want to be a great leader, I’m flawed, left and right. I’ll never be perfect. Sometimes, I don’t want to do the work to be “on” 100% of the time. There are just things I won’t do. But do I think I’m okay? Yes. I understand the process and how to build good teams. But there are constraints to being a good leader.
Sometimes, you just don’t have the time or money to build a strong team. Maybe you’re in a startup and can’t invest in people. Over time, wanting to be great is half the battle. When I say “great,” I mean the desire to self-improve, to get better. The only reason Pat convinced me to get my MBA is because it had been a couple of years since I’d done anything to make myself better.
I keep preaching to my kids and the people I lead, “Always make yourself better, always create opportunities for yourself,” when I hadn’t done it myself, I was starting to feel like a hypocrite. So, I jumped in. What I realized is that I’m marginally smart enough for an MBA, but I’m certainly capable of working through it completing the mission.
That’s just as important as anything else – facing a challenge and seeing it through.
Leadership Lessons and Stories
Patrick:
It reminds me of an earlier conversation we had about what makes something “great.” I worked with someone who moved from our region to our headquarters. They took on a larger role, overseeing equipment maintenance for multiple districts.
The district I worked in was struggling–poorly maintained equipment and terrible morale. But we turned that around. After a couple of years, our team was thriving. We got a chance for some downtime while transitioning to new equipment. The downtime was planned, and we were ready for it. But then, they moved the deadline up, and I dug my heels in. I felt my team had earned their break after years of hard work. We’d even supported other projects while on downtime.
I get that the bigger picture was important to the leader, but I made the mistake of not considering the organization. I was too focused on my team’s needs. And while I feel my team would rise to the occasion, I needed to be more strategic.
This was a lesson in balancing immediate team needs with the broader organizational objectives. It’s also about being strategic when taking care of the people who report to you. In the end, the teams rose to the challenges, which was a testament to the strength we’d built together. That was one of my favorite leadership lessons.
Jason:
I don’t have some great story, but there was a time when I was put in charge, and I went against the grain. I remember talking with my LPO, “We need to document performance.” This wasn’t something we did in the SEALs, but I became a Platoon Chief post-9/11.
For the longest time, I just wanted to take care of the team, but as the leader, my responsibility shifted. It became about ensuring everyone was meeting the standard. Sadly, not everyone was.
When you start documenting, you also begin coaching. Some people rise to the occasion; others don’t. And when they don’t, they can’t stay on the team. It’s tough, but it’s necessary. You must have the documentation in place, much like the civilian world, where you can’t just fire someone with a clean record, you must do the work as the leader. You owe it to the other 18 guys on your team.
It’s not about firing–it’s about doing your part to help them reach their potential. I had a guy on the team who was a great kid, but he just couldn’t meet the standard. As tough as it was, it’s easier to make decisions when you’re looking out for the team, not the individual.
I believe in the process: verbal feedback, written feedback, and doing whatever it takes based on the people’s potential and behaviors. It’s all fluid, but intentional.
Patrick:
That’s fantastic.
Jason:
Sometimes we don’t use the tools available to us because we’re unfamiliar with them or because they make us uncomfortable. But once we understand how to use them, they become a part of the process. Building a great team requires not just leadership, but the courage to use every tool at your disposal. Mediocrity is for other people–it’s not for me, and it’s certainly not for the teams we build.
Patrick:
That’s right.
Jason:
Mediocrity has no place in leadership.
