You're the Boss

Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)

By: Sabina Nawaz

Narrated by: Sabina Nawaz, Lisa Flanagan, Jonathan Todd Ross, Kamran Khan

Turn the hidden pressures of management into astonishing results and become the boss everyone wants to work for. This must-read guide from elite executive coach Sabina Nawaz reveals the leadership secrets of highly successful managers.

Whether you’re in the C-Suite or newly promoted, you’re most likely succeeding at your job. But are you reaching your full potential as a manager? Most top performers suspect they aren’t, and Sabina Nawaz, former Microsoft executive and elite Fortune 500 coach, says they’re usually right. Unfortunately, it’s often hard to recognize the problem or know how to address it.

In You’re the Boss, Nawaz taps her experience and proprietary data drawn from analyzing and advising executives at organizations like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Motorola, Nordstrom, and the United Nations, to offer managers everything they need to know to succeed at the job. Her work reveals that as our job expands, the added pressure to perform corrupts our actions, and our increased power will blind us to the impact of those actions. Even the most well-intentioned manager can quickly become the boss nobody wants to work for.

You’re the Boss is your executive coach in book form. It offers a fresh, evidence-based framework for managing pressure and power with grace and intelligence. Nawaz’s potent, proven strategies guide you to anticipate the unavoidable hazards of leadership without changing who you are, based on over two decades of coaching and in-depth research into the psychology of behavior and relationships. Discover a powerful way to manage yourself and others, navigate working relationships, and communicate effectively. Become the boss you want to be—and others need—while experiencing less stress and greater impact.

Fabulous, Fun, and Insightful: The Leadership Triggers You Don’t See Coming

The Audible book is a gem, in no small part because of Sabina’s oratory skill and command of inflection. Beyond, that, there is a lot to recommend about Sabina’s book, this isn’t a book about leadership skills, instead it focuses on the self-awareness required to be a great leader. The book exposes the reader to awareness of the invisible forces that derail capable leaders. Chapters 7 and 9 are where the book (for me) stands out as a diagnostic tool. The book addresses a hard truth: most leadership failures are not about competence, but about unexamined reactions.

For example, chapter 7 reframes communication problems not as style mismatches, but as fault lines; stress fractures that only surface under pressure.The insight here is that leaders often believe they are being “clear” or “direct,” while others experience them as dismissive, unpredictable, or unsafe. Communication that works in calm moments often fails in moments of urgency, conflict, or ambiguity. Leaders don’t notice this because they feel consistent, even when others experience whiplash. The more power you have, the less neutral your words become. A casual comment can land as a verdict; silence can feel like judgment. The book is particularly strong in showing how leaders underestimate this amplification effect. What makes this chapter effective is that it avoids platitudes like “listen better.” Instead, it asks leaders to identify where communication predictably breaks down: performance reviews, crisis moments, disagreement, delegation, or decision reversals. These are not random failures, they are repeatable, diagnosable fault lines.

One can argue that Chapter 7 diagnoses where things break, Chapter 9 from my perspective explains why. Chapter 9 introduces the idea that most leaders are not reacting to the present moment. They are responding to unresolved internal triggers. These triggers are often invisible to the leader but glaringly apparent to everyone else. What leaders call “high expectations” or “urgency” may actually be anxiety, fear of loss of control, or identity threats. Chapter 9 is particularly effective at showing how virtue language can hide emotional reflexes. Under stress, leaders revert to older survival patterns: interrupting, micromanaging, withdrawing, or becoming overly forceful. The problem is not the behaviour, it’s the lack of awareness that the trigger has taken over. This chapter stands out (to me) because it treats self-awareness as a systems problem, not a personality flaw. Triggers are not moral failings; they are unexamined defaults. The risk is not having them; the risk is pretending you don’t.

You’re the Boss succeeds (in my view) where many leadership books fail: it treats leadership not as performance, but as a self management and awareness problem in the context of when you are under pressure. For senior leaders, founders, and operators who already “know the theory,” the book and these chapters in particular offer something rarer: a way to see themselves as others experience them, especially when it matters most.

For the above reasons, and more a highly recommended read.

A compassionate, practical guide for leaders who want to grow—especially those navigating uncertainty or new roles

Sabina Nawaz’s writing and perspective have impressed me for years. Her HBR articles consistently deliver clear, insightful, and emotionally intelligent guidance. You’re the Boss carries that same spirit into book form: warm, grounded, and deeply committed to helping leaders show up with intention and humanity. I enjoyed its practical and approachable steps. My favorite was the multiple story telling exercise. Brilliant in its simplicity and meaningful in its impact. Sabina’s use of micro habits to build leadership muscle is especially helpful for readers who may feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start. As someone who’s read extensively in leadership, coaching, and systems thinking, I found many of the themes familiar and useful. Sabina is a wise and wonderful storyteller and coach. The book reinforces proven principles that’s been shared by other respected voices in the space woven into Sabina's unique experience and voice. What sets her apart is the clarity, empathy, and ability to meet readers where they are. If you’re early in your leadership journey—or feeling stuck and needing a reset—this is a thoughtful, practical companion to help you get moving in the right direction..