Does being an "authentic" leader mean you have to share every fear with your team? Absolutely not.

In this special episode, the script is flipped. Michael is interviewed by Hugo Dahlbom of the Executive Network Presidents Institute. They dig into the "Doer to Leader" transition and challenge the modern obsession with vulnerability.

Michael introduces the "Pilot in the Cockpit" analogy: If the engines fail, you want the pilot to be honest, but you don't want them screaming in panic. True leadership requires a specific balance of honesty and authority.

In this episode, you will learn:

-The Pilot Analogy: Why "authentic" leadership does NOT mean sharing your panic with the team (and what to do instead).

-The "Doer" Programming: Why your brain is wired to jump in and fix problems yourself, and how to break that addiction.

-The Experiment Frame: How to get a perfectionist team to take risks by changing one word in your vocabulary.

-Auditing vs. Doing: How to find your team's blind spots without doing their work for them.

The Challenge The Vocabulary Audit: This week, stop asking your team to take "risks." Start asking them to run "experiments." Notice how the energy in the room shifts when the fear of permanent failure is removed.

Resources

-Join the Conversation: Join our Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on LinkedIn or Facebook

-Get Live Coaching: Move from listening to doing inside the Growth Leaders Collective. Start your $1 trial at RMichaelAnderson.com/GLC

71% of US CEOs report experiencing imposter syndrome. If you feel like a fraud despite your success, you are not alone—you are likely just experiencing the gap where your "Achievement Line" has risen faster than your "Self-Worth Line".

In this mega episode, we go way beyond generic advice to deliver a comprehensive arsenal of 25 specific techniques to silence self-doubt. We explore the neuroscience behind why your ego views your promotion as a threat and provide the exact tools you need to close the gap between your competence and your confidence.

In this episode, you will learn:

-The "Doer to Leader" Identity Crisis: Why shifting roles triggers the feeling of incompetence.

-The A.A.R.A. Framework: A rapid mental technique (Acknowledge, Appreciate, Reassign) to neutralize the ego in real-time.

-The "Failure Resume" & "Win Journal": Practical exercises to reframe your history using data rather than feelings.

-Why Imposter Syndrome is a Good Sign: How to reframe fear as proof that you are pushing your boundaries.

-The "Spy" Mindset: A psychological game to trick your brain into confidence in high-stakes rooms.

The Challenge: This week, use the A.A.R.A. Technique whenever you feel self-doubt. Acknowledge the feeling, Appreciate your ego for trying to protect you, Reassign it to a new job (like giving you energy), and then Act.

Resources: Get the 25-Point Study Guide: Get a downloadable booklet listing all 25 techniques from this episode. Join the Growth Leaders Collective to get immediate access: RMichaelAnderson.com/glc.

Join the Conversation: Discuss this episode in our Leadership Mindset 2.0 Groups:

-LinkedIn

-Facebook

Do you find yourself rewriting your team's work or spiraling after a failure? In this rapid-fire Q&A, Michael answers real questions on how to stop micromanaging, audit effectively, and lead through overwhelm.

Most leadership advice is too academic. It tells you to delegate, but not how to handle the anxiety when the work comes back wrong. It tells you to be resilient, but not what to write in your journal when you feel like a total failure.

In this special Q&A episode, Michael opens up the floor to the Growth Leaders Collective to answer real-world struggles. From the specific questions you need to ask to "inspect what you expect" (without hovering) , to the exact conversation script for renegotiating your workload with your own boss, this is pure practical application.

In this episode, you will learn:

-The Audit vs. Micromanage Trap: The specific questions to ask that get you the details you need without disempowering your team.

-The "Rework" Addiction: Why you keep fixing your team's work yourself and why this signals a victim mindset.

-Processing Failure: A 3-step writing exercise to separate what was your fault from what was external, so you don't lose your confidence.

-From Tech Expert to Leader: The one habit you must unlearn (the need to analyze and control everything) to survive the transition.

-Managing Up: How to influence your boss by tying your requests directly to their KPIs and compensation.

The Challenge Find one person on your team in the next 48 hours and connect their tactical role to the company's survival. Ask them: "Do you know how important your job is? And what this affects?". Walk them through the chain reaction of how their specific duty (e.g., accounting) enables the company's mission (e.g., paying salaries).

Resources:

-Join the Conversation: Join our Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on LinkedIn or Facebook

-Get Live Coaching: Move from listening to doing inside the Growth Leaders Collective. Start your $1 trial at RMichaelAnderson.com/GLC

Mentioned in this episode:

Upcoming Masterclass on High-Impact Leadership

Sign up now for the upcoming masterclass: How To Master Truly Confident, High-Impact Leadership in 2026 Wednesday Jan 21, 2026 04:00 PM UK time / 11 AM EST Just go to http://RMichaelAnderson.com/class and enter your details. We'll see you there.