Have you ever felt the tension between maintaining high standards as a leader and relinquishing control to let your team truly thrive? Today, I dive deep into how you can create an environment of bold influence, build real autonomy, and drive powerful cultural change—without micromanaging. This conversation goes to the heart of how we move from burnout to high performance, and what it actually takes to inspire people to think for themselves and step into accountability.

My guest this week is Andrea Wanerstrand, a seasoned leadership strategist, executive coach, and founder of A3 Culture Lab. With more than 25 years of experience leading talent and performance initiatives at Microsoft, Meta, T-Mobile, and Hitachi, Andrea has helped organizations shift from traditional command-and-control leadership to human-centric, high-performing cultures. She’s the creator of the Mindset Maven Method and the A3 (Authentic, Autonomous, Accountable) philosophy, and has impacted leaders in more than 100 countries through her neuroscience-backed strategies for culture transformation.

“The gap that occurs is between telling someone what they need to do and having them actually do that and seeing the outcome, is whether they even heard exactly what you said or did they hear something different.” ~Andrea Wanerstrand

Today on The Rising Leader:

· Moving from being “in the weeds” to true leadership means learning to drive results through others—not by gripping the wheel, but by guiding, supporting, and validating.

· Clarity starts with how you set expectations—and real understanding happens when you validate comprehension, not just assume others “get it.”

· Curiosity-led conversations foster genuine autonomy; asking people to articulate their plan is more effective than asking them to “repeat back” your instructions.

· Command-and-control leadership stifles innovation and slows growth. Teams need to feel accountable both for outcomes and for sharing in the wins.

· Autonomy is only sustainable when leaders create agreements, not just set expectations—turning check-ins into co-designed touchpoints.

· Emotional intelligence is physical as much as mental: top leaders notice tension, triggers, and energy shifts in themselves before they become reactive.

· Practical tools like breath work, intentional pauses, and body awareness are crucial for managing stress and leading from a place of steadiness.

· Building a culture where people think for themselves requires “untraining” over-dependence—letting others experiment, share their thinking, and take ownership.

Guest Contact Information

Website: a3culturelab.com

Resources Mentioned

Book: The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck (growth mindset referenced)

Andrea’s Mindset Maven Method and A3 philosophy

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Leader, It’s Time to Rise!

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