The Leadership Wake-Up Call | Margaret Andrews

Is leadership just about guiding others—or does great leadership require understanding yourself first? In this week’s episode, we sit down with Margaret Andrews, Harvard instructor and author of Manage Yourself to Lead Others, to explore why self-awareness is the true foundation of effective leadership. Margaret challenges the long-held belief that leadership is an outward display of confidence or authority and instead reframes it as an internal process: understanding who you are, what drives you, and how your behavior shapes the people around you.

Through years of research and some humbling personal experiences (yes, we all have blind spots), Margaret shares pivotal moments that inspired her work. We unpack common misconceptions about emotional intelligence, examine why “being nice” isn’t the same as being kind, and even look at what our children can teach us about individuality. Leadership requires growth, and that often begins with confronting the uncomfortable truths about our impact on others.

But this conversation isn’t a critique—it’s a roadmap. Margaret offers practical tools for developing people, navigating organizational context, and building team norms that actually work. She shows how self-understanding influences culture, communication, team performance, and long-term effectiveness—and why embracing this deceptively simple shift can redefine how we lead.

Want to watch this episode? Check it out on our YouTube Channel