On August 11, 2020, Philip Sharp released an episode of Rage of the Age titled “Michael Penney, Military Management Methods for Your Business.” It runs about an hour, at 1:02:30.
What the episode covered
According to the episode description, the interview filled the whole show. Sharp skipped the essay segment that usually opens his episodes to make room for it.
The description introduces Michael as an eight-year Marine Corps veteran and the founder of 5 Paragraph, which it calls a military management method for the modern workforce. It also points to two pieces of his work:
- His book, 5 Paragraph Business Plan: The Action Oriented Business Management Tool for Leaders
- His TEDxRaleigh talk, “What’s Your IED”
The core of the episode was how the operations order the military uses to plan missions can be adapted for a civilian company. The description presents it as a practical model to help companies run more efficiently and get employee buy-in. Michael also talked about current issues and about the America he fought for.
Why it mattered then
In August 2020 a lot of business owners were rewriting their plans. The pitch for the 5 Paragraph method was that it is not a document that sits in a drawer. It is the same structure Marines use to brief a mission: the situation, the mission, how it will be carried out, what support is needed, and who is in charge and how everyone will communicate.
The “employee buy-in” point was a theme of his 2020 interviews. A plan everyone has been briefed on, in a format everyone understands, is easier for a team to own.
The episode came out five days after his August 6 appearance on Veteran Nation. The book named in the notes was first released in April 2017, and the TEDxRaleigh talk was delivered on March 19, 2016.
His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.
Where to find it
The episode listing is still online, but the listing site warns that the audio file may no longer play, and we have not found another working copy. If you have a copy, or know where the episode lives now, we would like to hear from you. If one turns up, we will add it here.
This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.
Work with Michael
Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.