Leadership Mindset 2.0

This is the first in a five part series on the four leadership types, and understanding this one might explain the most powerful, or the most difficult, person in your organization, possibly you.

It is not about being seen as the winner. It is an internal drive to win and to be in control, and left unmanaged, that drive quietly turns into bullying.

In this episode you'll learn;
- What actually drives a Dominant Commander beneath the surface, and why it has almost nothing to do with needing to be seen as right or in charge
- The specific blind spot that turns a Dominant Commander's biggest strength into their biggest liability with their team
- How to work with a Dominant Commander so they move quickly and trust you, instead of feeling like you are slowing them down or trying to control them
- Why challenging a Dominant Commander directly is often the fastest way to earn their respect, and how to do it without it backfiring
- How to find out your own leadership type in under two minutes, and why understanding it changes how you read every difficult interaction you have

TAKE THE QUIZ
rmichaelanderson.com/leadershipquiz

YOUR CHALLENGE:
This week, identify whether you recognize yourself in the Dominant Commander, or whether there is someone in your life who fits this, and if it is you, notice one moment where your drive to get things done might be moving faster than the people around you and give someone the headline before the details, and if it is someone else, get straight to the point with them and notice what happens.

Questions on this? Ask me in the Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8944058/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadershipmindsetgroup
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the Executive Coaching Certification here


Executive Coaching Certification - 2026

This is the second in our five part series on the four leadership types, and this one explains why the most confident person in the room might also be the most insecure.

The same thing that makes a leader charismatic and well liked is the same thing that gives them more imposter syndrome than any other leadership type.

In this episode you'll learn;
- What actually drives a Visionary Influencer, and why their need to be liked is connected to a confidence that looks effortless from the outside
- The specific reason Visionary Influencers experience more imposter syndrome than any other leadership type, and why it gets worse the more successful they become
- Why a Visionary Influencer says yes to everything, and what is really happening when they consistently overcommit and run late
- How to get a Visionary Influencer on board with an idea, and the one thing you should never lead with if you want their buy in
- Why Visionary Influencers avoid difficult conversations longer than any other type, and what that costs their team over time

TAKE THE QUIZ
rmichaelanderson.com/leadershipquiz

YOUR CHALLENGE:
This week, identify whether you recognize yourself in the Visionary Influencer, or whether someone in your life fits this, and if it is you, pick one thing you have said yes to that you do not have the bandwidth for and either follow through properly or let it go, and if it is someone else, lead with the big picture before the details and notice how differently the conversation goes.

Questions on this? Ask me in the Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8944058/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadershipmindsetgroup
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the Executive Coaching Certification here


Executive Coaching Certification - 2026

Keeping your head down is not humility. It is protectionism. And it is costing you more than you think.
Two of my clients got passed over for promotions this month. Both were doing excellent work. Neither had made themselves visible to the people who make those decisions.

In this episode you'll learn;
- Why performance alone has never been enough to get promoted, and what the leaders who keep moving up are doing differently that most high performers never figure out
- The specific difference between a doer mindset and a strategic leader mindset when it comes to career visibility, and which one you are currently operating from
- Why the person your boss promotes is almost never the best performer in the room, and exactly what they are doing instead to stay on the right radar
- What it actually means to say yes before you are ready, and why waiting until you feel qualified is the most expensive career decision you will keep making
- Who specifically you need to go build a relationship with right now to move your career forward, and why most leaders already know the answer but keep finding reasons to wait

YOUR CHALLENGE:
This week, identify the one person whose radar you need to be on to move your career meaningfully forward, whether that is your boss's boss, a founder, a senior leader, or an influencer in your industry, and take one specific visible action toward that relationship before the week is out, because nobody is coming to find you.

Questions on this? Ask me in the Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8944058/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadershipmindsetgroup
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the Executive Coaching Certification here


Executive Coaching Certification - 2026

Most leaders end a long day asking themselves: did I actually get anything done today? You did. You just do not have a system that lets you see it.

The calmness great leaders project does not come from having all the answers. It comes from an evidence-based confidence that you can handle whatever comes up. This episode gives you the exact practice that builds it.

In this episode you'll learn;

- Why your brain is wired to filter out everything you accomplished and fixate on what went wrong, and the simple daily habit that rewires it in the opposite direction

- How the Affect column of the GAF Journal eliminates the end-of-day feeling of wasted effort by making your actual impact visible and undeniable

- Why specificity is the ingredient most gratitude practices get wrong, and what writing specific moments instead of vague categories does to your brain over time

- How tracking daily moments of good fortune shifts your default mindset from the universe works against me to the universe has my back, and why that shift changes how you lead

- Why the confidence that comes from this practice is more durable than motivation, because it is built on evidence of what you have already done, not hope about what you might do

YOUR CHALLENGE:

Tonight, get a notebook, divide a page into three columns, and do your first GAF Journal entry, write down five specific things you have genuine gratitude for right now, every meeting, email, conversation or decision you positively affected today, and one moment in the last 24 hours where things went your way, because the confidence you are looking for is already there in your day, you just have not been recording it.

Questions on this? Ask me in the Leadership Mindset 2.0 community on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8944058/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadershipmindsetgroup
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the Executive Coaching Certification here


Executive Coaching Certification - 2026

AI is about to get very good at the two thirds of your job most leaders have been relying on to look successful. What is left after that is real leadership.

In this episode you'll learn;
- Why the functional expertise and management skills that got you to where you are today are the exact things AI is going to commoditize first, and what that means for how you need to show up differently starting now
- The three things McKinsey says AI will never be able to do, and why they are probably the parts of leadership you have been most underinvesting in
- Five specific moves to make right now to position yourself as the kind of leader AI makes more valuable instead of less
- Why the leaders who thrive in this next phase will not be the ones who know the most but the ones who can create the conditions where the best work happens
- How to build a business case for AI in your specific role and industry, and why that one skill is what separates the leaders who have a seat at the table from the ones who do not

YOUR CHALLENGE:
This week, answer one honest question: are you actually committed to becoming an AI-enabled leader, and if yes, pick one of the five moves from this episode and block the specific time this week when you are going to start, because commitment without a calendar is just intention.
Topics: AI for leaders, AI leadership, AI career, AI for executives, leadership and AI, AI mindset, future of leadership, AI skills leaders, AI strategy, AI career development, leadership identity, strategic leadership, leading change AI, AI business case, executive AI, leadership development, AI transformation, AI readiness
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the Executive Coaching Certification here


Executive Coaching Certification - 2026