Janet McDonald: You Become a Better Leader by Becoming a Better Human

Dec 31, 2025

01:12:10

forum

Ask episode

view_agenda

Chapters

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

What if the loneliest position you'll ever hold is the one you worked your whole life to achieve?

What if everything you learned about leadership left out the most important part?

Janet McDonald, CEO of Onsite, didn't start her career planning to lead with vulnerability. She started at 14, running a ladies boutique in downtown Franklin, TN while her friends worked as her employees. At nine years old, she was already holding her family together after her parents' divorce, learning early that "if it is to be, it's up to me." That message drove her through a successful career in management consulting, always climbing and achieving, until she realized something was missing.

Janet first heard about Onsite the way many do: someone told her, "It changed my life." Then another person said it. Then another. Her curiosity piqued, but she was skeptical. Either they had a really good marketing campaign, or something real was happening an hour outside Nashville, TN. When she applied to be Chief Operating Officer, she thought, "Who in their right mind is going to drive an hour every day out here?" But as she drove up the hill to the campus, something shifted immediately.

What makes Janet's leadership distinctive is that she bridges two worlds that rarely meet: strategic clarity and courageous vulnerability. In this conversation, Janet opens up about the cost of leadership, including the loneliness and isolation, and reveals how her pre-teen self still shows up in boardrooms. She shares why curiosity is the number one skill of any leader, and why the 18-inch journey from head to heart is the hardest one you'll ever make.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

How to Lead from Behind Instead of in Front
How Your Nine-to-Fourteen-Year-Old Self Still Shows Up in Boardrooms
How to Change Your Observer to Open Up New Possibilities for Action
How to Ask "What Is It Like to Be on the Other Side of Me?"
How to Depersonalize Conflict After Establishing Connection
How to Navigate the 18-Inch Journey from Your Head to Your Heart
How to Bring Soul Back into Leadership and Life
How to Love Others Really Well by First Learning Everything About Yourself
How to Unlock Capacity in Already Successful People
How to Fill in the Blanks Without Assuming You're Right

Welcome to Human School, where we learn what matters most. - Miles Adcox

Learn More About Onsite

Discover the transformational experiences that changed Janet's life and leadership. Visit experienceonsite.com to learn about Onsite's immersive programs in Tennessee and Southern California, or call 1-800-341-7432 to explore how we can support your journey.

Follow Human School:

YouTube - Human School Podcast

Instagram - @humanschoolofficial

Threads - @humanschoolofficial

TikTok - @humanschoolofficial

What We Discuss:

00:00:00 Welcome to Human School

00:00:31 Meet Janet McDonald: Leading from Alongside, Not in Front

00:03:04 Getting Interested in Leadership at a Young Age

00:06:56 Second Half of Life: Helping Others Have Their Best Career

00:09:23 What Leadership Afforded Her and What It Cost

00:11:48 What's Missing from Traditional Leadership