“Leadership starts with clarity—and the courage to act on it.”

In this episode, Craig Anderson takes the mic solo to share the three leadership mistakes he sees time and again: outsourcing your vision, waiting for certainty, and over-indexing on empathy. Drawing from decades of experience and recent coaching conversations, Craig reflects on why leaders must stop looking for consensus and start setting direction. He opens up about times he made the wrong call, how he course-corrected, and why taking imperfect action is better than standing still. Craig also unpacks how empathy without accountability can stall a team—and what it really looks like to lead with both compassion and conviction.

Whether you're navigating your first strategic plan or struggling to have hard conversations, Craig’s insights will help you evolve with confidence and purpose.

After You Listen:

• Connect with Craig on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to Craig’s "The Evolving Leader" newsletter
• Download Craig’s “10 Tips to Level Up Your Leadership” guide

Key Takeaways:

• Vision starts at the top—not in a group vote
• Leaders grow by acting, adjusting, and learning
• Empathy means being honest, not avoiding discomfort

Things to listen for: (00:00) Intro (01:18) Stop crowdsourcing your vision (02:38) The cost of indecision (05:44) A real story about making the wrong call (08:52) When empathy becomes avoidance (11:31) Building empathy into your leadership style (12:41) How to hold high standards with kindness (13:41) The most empathetic thing might be a hard truth (14:38) A call to action for evolving leaders