Leadership Mindset 2.0

"They clearly want my job." It is one of the most uncomfortable situations in leadership: A direct report who is talented but insubordinate, networking with your boss, and actively trying to bypass you. Most leaders shrink back because they feel threatened. But the truth is, if they are walking all over you, it is because they tested your power and you failed the test. In thisLive Q&A Session,...

We often think that experience makes us bolder. But psychologically, the opposite is often true. As leaders get older and more successful, they stop taking risks because they are terrified of damaging their identity as a "winner." We call this The Curse of Experience . In Part 2 of this interview series, Michael breaks down the internal psychology of the leader. We move from the tactics of Part 1...

Martin Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream," not "We have a dream." When I was scaling Radiant Technologies, I tried to be a "good" leader by gathering my entire team to vote on our company vision. My executive coach stopped me dead in my tracks. She told me: "You’re asking them for something they need from you. It’s time to step up and show them where to go." There is a time for collaboration, a...

"You don't get promoted for what you do. You get promoted for who you are." If you are relying on the same skills that made you a top-tier individual contributor, you are falling into the High Performer Trap . What got you here won't get you there. In fact, your "doing" skills are likely the very bottleneck stopping your growth. In this special episode, I am sharing the full audio from my recent H...

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 engi...

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 neuroscienc...

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...

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...

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 wh...

"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,...

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 e...

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 te...

Willpower runs out. Identity is permanent. Here is how to reprogram your brain for the New Year. Stop making New Year's Resolutions. If you are like most leaders, you probably woke up with a list of behavioural goals: "I going to micromanage less," "I will be more strategic," or "This year I’ll clear my inbox." But neuroscience tells us that 92% of these resolutions will fail because you are tryin...

Your title makes you a manager. Your mindset makes you a leader. If you are like most executives and entrepreneurs, you are stuck in the "Doer Trap." You know you need to be more strategic, but you are constantly pulled back into the weeds of doing the work yourself. Welcome to Leadership Mindset 2.0 . This isn't another show with long, rambling interviews. This is a massively practical playbook d...

The Peter Principle is wrong. Here is the neuroscience of why you are stuck and the 4-step framework to fix it. If you find yourself in a leadership position because you are a great "Doer," the same things that got you there are now holding you back. You were likely promoted because you were the best coder, the best salesperson, or the best problem solver. But leading people is a completely differ...

Autonomy is not neglect. Here is how to audit your team's thinking without dictating their work. You think you are empowering your team, but you might actually be neglecting them. I recently identified a dangerous pattern with two different C-Level leaders. I call it "Fire and Forget Management" . Because they were terrified of being labeled "micromanagers," they hired good people and then complet...