Ep. 41 - Becoming the Boss People Want to Work For with Sabina Nawaz
In this episode of the CivilTalk Podcast, Topacio Althaus is joined by Sabina Nawaz — leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Microsoft executive — for a deep conversation on how pressure and power quietly shape leadership behavior, often in ways leaders themselves can’t see.
Sabina began her career in computer science and engineering at Microsoft before transitioning into HR and leadership development. That uncommon path gave her a front-row view into how leadership systems operate — and where they quietly break down. Over more than two decades of executive coaching and research, she has worked with senior leaders across industries and identified a consistent pattern: as roles expand, the pressure to perform can distort behavior, and increased power can blind leaders to the impact they’re having on others, even when their intentions remain good.
The conversation draws heavily from Sabina’s book, You’re the Boss, which offers an evidence-based framework for managing pressure and power with clarity, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. Rather than asking leaders to change who they are, the book provides practical strategies for anticipating blind spots, compensating for the unavoidable hazards of authority, and leading with greater humanity under stress.
In This Episode We Explore:
How leaders unintentionally lose awareness of their impact as their authority grows
Why feedback breaks down at senior levels and how silence from teams accelerates blind spots
Practical tools from You’re the Boss for managing yourself before managing others
The role of repair when leaders cause unintended harm
What organizations can do to support healthier, more humane leadership systems.
Learn More About Sabina Nawaz:Website: https://sabinanawaz.com/
Book: You’re the Boss — https://sabinanawaz.com/book/#buy
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