Margaret Andrews on Manage Yourself to Lead Others

Margaret Andrews is the founder of Mind and Hand Associates, faculty at Harvard Extension School, and author of Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding. In this episode, she breaks down the MYLO framework—a practical, science-based system built around Motivation, Learning, and Opportunity—and explains how leaders at any level can use it to grow with intention, clarity, and effectiveness.

In this episode, we cover:

• What Is MYLO? Margaret introduces the Motivation–Learning–Opportunity triangle and why all three are essential for leadership development.
• Motivation Beyond Willpower: We explore how autonomy, relatedness, and competence drive sustainable motivation.
• Learning as a Leadership Lever: Why deliberate practice, feedback, and humility are key to developing new skills and perspectives.
• The Role of Opportunity in Growth: How stretch assignments, visibility, and support systems create the conditions for leadership advancement.
• What Gets in the Way: Margaret explains common blocks to growth—like fixed mindset, poor feedback loops, and misaligned expectations.
• The Importance of Intentionality: Why “just doing your job well” isn’t enough if you want to lead or level up.
• Feedback That Fuels Development: How to ask for, receive, and act on feedback even when it’s vague, hard to hear, or poorly delivered.
• How to Craft a Personal Leadership Development Plan: Using the MYLO framework to assess where you are—and what’s missing.
• The Case for Self-Compassion and Curiosity: Margaret shares how these two traits amplify resilience and long-term success.
• Applying MYLO at Every Level: Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, this framework gives you a way to stay sharp and self-aware.

Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn here.

Find Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding wherever books are sold.

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