
Bad Boss Confessional 28: Getting Out of Your Own Way
In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with EOS Implementer Amanda Matthews to unpack a painfully relatable leadership moment driven by ego, insecurity, and a lack of self-awareness. After years of corporate leadership training, Amanda found herself out of her depth while managing in a high-volume restaurant environment. What she thought was confident leadership quickly turned into public shaming.
Even experienced leaders can lose their way when ego and self-doubt take over. Great leadership requires pausing, reading the room, and remembering that praise belongs in public while criticism belongs in private. Growth begins when leaders learn to get out of their own way.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Amanda Matthews
01:45 Amanda’s Love for Swing Dancing
04:36 Corporate to Restaurant World Shift
09:02 The Tobacco Chewer Incident
16:11 Lessons from the Incident
22:55 Recommended Management Books
26:08 The Simplicity of Direct Feedback
31:57 A Tattoo for Ego Check
About:
Beth Fahey is a leadership coach, Expert EOS Implementer, and co-creator of the How to Be a Great Boss Workshops. With nearly 40 years of hands-on leadership experience, Beth has worn many hats: from working in film and owning a bakery to leading a national trade association.
Now, as the host of The Bad Boss Confessional, she shares candid stories about the challenges of leadership, mistakes made, lessons learned, and the path to becoming the kind of boss your team actually wants to follow. Through humor, honesty, and heart, Beth is on a mission to help leaders grow, one confession at a time.
Show Links
For more information about Beth Fahey follow the links below.
Website: www.eosworldwide.com/beth-fahey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BethFaheyEOS
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethfaheyeos/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@bethfaheyeos
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bethfahey/
Bad Boss Confessional YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional
Beth's Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@bethfaheyeos
Amanda Matthews coaches entrepreneurs on how to be wildly successful while also having time for what matters most in their lives using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). She describes herself as a dance enthusiast, book nerd and interpersonal knot detangler.
Sponsor Links
Thanks to our Sponsors
A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible:
Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies.
Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.
