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