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.

Are you unknowingly sabotaging your executive presence by "waffling," apologizing for your ideas, or using weak language?

In Part 2 of this live coaching session, you will hear exactly how high-potential leaders "leak" their power—and how to stop it immediately.

We move from the mindset work of last week to the execution. You will hear Michael coach "Penny" on how to tighten her communication and project unwavering executive presence, even though she had zero management experience for the role she was chasing.

In this episode, you will learn:

-The "Waffle" Cure: How to stop rambling when you are nervous and use silence as a power move.

-Verbal Power Leaks: The three words ("Just," "Might," "Sorry") that kill your authority instantly—and what to say instead.

-The "Experience Pivot": How to answer the "You don't have management experience" question without apologizing or lying.

-The Outcome: The results are in. Did Penny get the job? (Spoiler: Stick around to the very end).

The Challenge Audit your vocabulary for "Power Leaks" this week. Stop saying "I just have a small idea" or "This might be a stupid question." State your idea directly. Speak with the resilience to get shot down; you don't need to preface your value. Just deliver it.

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

Most leaders think their job is to fix their team. But the foundational truth of leadership is that your leadership is a reflection of the relationship with yourself.

If you are leading from a place of insecurity, perfectionism, or anxiety, you are projecting that chaos onto your organization.

In this strategy episode, Michael deconstructs the psychology of confidence. He explains why "arrogance" and "shyness" are actually the same protective mechanism and introduces a new framework - Leadership Depth - to help you handle the expanding scope of your role without losing your mind.

In this episode, you will learn:

-The Projection Principle: Why you don't see your business as it is, but as you are (and how to clear your filter).

-The Confidence Spectrum: Why the quietest person in the room is often the most confident, while the loudest is often the most insecure.

-The Compassion Necessity: Why "perfectionism" worked for you as a Doer but will destroy you as a Leader.

-Leadership Range vs. Depth: A new visual framework for understanding why you feel imposter syndrome every time your company scales.

The Challenge for This Week: Catch yourself in the "Perfection Trap."

-The Trigger: Notice when you are obsessing over a minor mistake or beating yourself up for not knowing the answer.

-The Shift: Self-Compassion. Tell yourself that’s OK that you’re not perfect. You’re still amazing anyway. And then focus on three things you did well. This is a key re-wire to boost your self esteem and confidence, so putting this into a regular practice will help you long-term.

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

"I just want to do my job. I hate playing politics."

If you have ever said that, you are already losing.

Politics isn't a dirty word - it is simply the art of relationships at scale. If you refuse to engage in it, you lose the influence required to protect your team and get your initiatives approved.

In this Live Q&A Session from the Growth Leaders Collective, we tackle the messy reality of human dynamics in the workplace. I answer real questions from leaders struggling with toxic bosses, bypassing subordinates, and the frustration of "managing up."

In this episode, you will learn:

-The "BLUF" Method: How to speak to a data-driven CEO (Logical Creator) when you are a storyteller (Visionary Influencer) so you actually get heard .

-The Narcissist Playbook: How to set calm boundaries with a gaslighting boss without making yourself a martyr .

-The "Bypassing" Fix: What to do when your direct reports go over your head to your boss (and how to move from "Expectation" to "Agreement" to stop it) .

-The Framing Technique: Why you should never ask for headcount because "we are tired," and how to frame it so the CFO begs you to hire them .

The Challenge for This Week: Identify one key stakeholder you struggle to influence (your boss, a peer, a board member).

1. Profile Them: What are they evaluated on? What drives them (Data? Relationships? Speed?)?
2. The Shift: In your next conversation, use the "What’s in it for them" frame. Do not talk about your needs; talk about how your request solves their problem.

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

Ever get anxiety and imposter syndrome before a big meeting? Listen to this real coaching session to learn how to turn your inner critic into your greatest asset using Identity Shifting.

When we step up from “Doer” to “Leader,” we are constantly putting ourselves in newer and bigger situations.

However, our ego doesn’t like that, and it does its best to sabotage what we really want.

You can feel exposed, anxious, and ready to run. We call this the "Confronted Self"—and if you let it drive, you will lose the opportunity.

In this special "fly-on-the-wall" episode, Michael coaches Penny, a high-potential leader paralyzed by fear just 24 hours before a massive promotion interview.

You will hear real-time Identity Work (Psychosynthesis) to separate the fear from the leader, transforming anxiety into grounded presence.

In this episode, you will learn:

-The Ego Paradox: Why your brain treats a promotion like a life-threatening event (and how to calm it down).

-Identity Shifting: How to move from your "Confronted" personality to your "Positive" personality in seconds.

-Somatic Grounding: A physical technique using your hands to stop the "waffle" and regain focus during high-pressure meetings.

-The "Experiment" Reframe: How to lower the stakes so you can perform at your highest level.

Coming Up in Part 2: This is just the mindset foundation. Make sure you are subscribed for next week’s episode, where we turn the recording back on to tackle the strategy. We’ll run a mock interview, fix Penny's "waffle" habit, and build her strategic answers from scratch.

The Challenge: Identify your "Stress Persona" (who shows up when you are scared) and your "Leader Persona" (who shows up when you are confident).

Next time you feel the "Stress Persona" taking the wheel, use a physical anchor—like a deep breath or squeezing your hands—to physically signal your brain to switch back to the Leader.

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

Numbers don’t drive behavior. Narratives do. Here is how to set a "Team Resolution" that actually sticks.

Your team doesn't need more KPIs. They need a New Year's Resolution.

We are great at giving our teams "performance indicators" - increase sales by 10%, cut costs by 5%. But while these numbers measure results, they rarely drive behavior.

If you want to shift the Culture and Identity of your team in 2026, you need to give them a "Theme."

In this episode, we explore the neuroscience of "Temporal Landmarks" - why the brain naturally looks for a fresh start in January - and how you can leverage this to create a "Team Resolution" that rallies everyone around a shared identity.

In this episode, you will learn:

1. The "Fresh Start" Effect: Why the brain is hardwired to separate the "Old Team" (2025) from the "New Team" (2026) and how to use this to wipe the slate clean 1.
2. Macro vs. Micro Resolutions: How to set a "North Star" theme for the entire department (e.g., "The Year of Strategy") and bespoke themes for each direct report2222.
3. The "Ownership" Tactic: Why you should announce the Theme, but let your team define the Implementation (and how this skyrockets engagement) 3.
4. The "Right Hand" Conversation: A script for sitting down with your deputy in January and framing their development as an "Identity Upgrade" rather than a performance correction 4.

💪 The Challenge for This Week:

Before your first team meeting of the year:

-Set the Macro Theme: What is the one shift your team must make in 2026? (e.g., "From Firefighters to Architects").

-Set the Micro Themes: Look at your direct reports. What is the one identity shift they need? (e.g., "From Doer to Coach").

-The Launch: Announce the theme and ask them to build the roadmap.

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