A Mile High Karate Black Belt is expected to lead. The Leadership Team is the third stage of the character development and leadership curriculum developed by Grand Master Stephen Oliver. It runs in three levels of 12 months each, six 2-month test cycles per level, and moves students from being good team members, to leading others, to teaching.

Level 1: The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork

The first year is about being someone a team can count on. Students read John C. Maxwell’s The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, chapters 1–17 over 12 months, and put those laws into practice in class.

Level 2: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

The second year is about influence. Students read Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, chapters 1–21 over 12 months.

Reading by month, Levels 1 and 2

Chapters are due by the end of each month.

Month Level 1: 17 Laws of Teamwork Level 2: 21 Laws of Leadership
1 Ch. 1–2 Ch. 1–2
2 Ch. 3–4 Ch. 3–4
3 Ch. 5–6 Ch. 5–6
4 Ch. 7–8 Ch. 7–8
5 Ch. 9–10 Ch. 9–10
6 Ch. 11 Ch. 11–12
7 Ch. 12 Ch. 13–14
8 Ch. 13 Ch. 15–16
9 Ch. 14 Ch. 17–18
10 Ch. 15 Ch. 19
11 Ch. 16 Ch. 20
12 Ch. 17 Ch. 21

Level 3: Extraordinary Teaching

The third year turns leaders into teachers. Students read Extraordinary Teaching by Grand Master Stephen Oliver and Grand Master Jeff Smith, Chief of Instruction, together with the Extraordinary Teaching Implementation Workbook. Trainees complete the workbook pages with their supervising instructor, so every chapter ends in something they have actually done on the floor.

Month Focus Reading
1 Retention Mindset Preface, Introduction, Ch. 1–2
2 The First Four Months Ch. 3–4
3 Motivation and Character Ch. 5–6
4 The Testing Cycle Ch. 7
5 The Leadership Factory Ch. 8–10
6 Quarterback Teaching Ch. 11–12
7 Rotating Curriculum Ch. 13–14
8 Engagement and Recognition Ch. 15–19
9 Legacy Conclusion + Part 3: The Architects of an Industry
10 The Teacher’s Craft Part 4: Introduction, Ch. 1–3
11 Teaching Everyone Part 4: Ch. 4–8
12 Advanced Students and Renewals Part 4: Ch. 9–10 + Part 5

The book’s bonus sections are optional reading for trainees moving toward instructor roles.

The Leadership Factory

Month 5 of Level 3 covers the chapters on “the Leadership Factory,” the system Mile High Karate uses to turn students into leaders and leaders into instructors. At Mile High Karate Thornton, well over 30 percent of active students are Black Belts.

On the mat alongside the reading

Leadership levels train knife defense (passing and stripping), backward and forward break falls, escrima disarms and takedowns, nunchaku and nunchaku sparring, basic throws and bokken.

Questions

What is the Mile High Karate Leadership Team?

The Leadership Team is Mile High Karate’s leadership training program. Students who join it train in three 12-month levels that teach teamwork, then leadership, then how to teach, with assigned reading and practical leadership roles in class.

Which John C. Maxwell books are in the curriculum?

Leadership Level 1 reads The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, chapters 1–17 over 12 months. Leadership Level 2 reads The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, chapters 1–21 over 12 months.

What is Extraordinary Teaching?

Extraordinary Teaching is the book by Grand Master Stephen Oliver and Grand Master Jeff Smith on retention, the testing cycle, leadership development and the craft of teaching. With its Implementation Workbook, it is the Leadership Level 3 text, read over 12 months with a supervising instructor.

What do Leadership Team students learn on the mat?

Alongside the reading, Leadership levels train knife defense, backward and forward break falls, escrima disarms and takedowns, nunchaku and nunchaku sparring, basic throws and bokken.

Start at Mile High Karate Thornton, 3979 E 120th Ave, Thornton, CO 80233. Call (303) 280-1839, or see class schedules and enrollment at ThorntonMHK.com.