You Don’t Need to Be a Boss to Be a Leader
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
I had the joy of being introduced to Andrew through his brother John Edwards. If you haven’t already listened to John and I in conversation, it is a great episode on Understanding Ourselves, and Understanding Others.
John suggested that Andrew would make an excellent guest, and that he had produced, whilst at the BBC a podcast about their late Mum’s experience of living - and dying - with dementia, ‘Mum and Me: The Dementia Diary’
Andrew offers valuable insights into:
Leading by example through your leadership behaviour in an ‘on and off air’ frontline role.
Looking down, up and out - remembering to consult your team, using the expertise around you, and never losing track of your real bosses - your audience, customers and the public.
Swimming against the tide of expectation - your own and others’ expectations while looking after your own mental health.
Differentiating the personal from the private, and the power of opening up in the right way to others and getting the balance right.
Andrew's Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:
Be true to yourself and your values
Listen more than you talk
Inspire others through your leadership behaviours
Connect, follow and find out more about Andrew:
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thebeardedbroadcaster
Andrew's website: www.theandrewedwards.com
X / Twitter: @RadioAndrewE
Instagram: @andrewedwardsleeds
Email: beardedbroadcaster@icloud.com
About Andrew Edwards
Andrew is a broadcaster, teacher, trainer and event host. He began broadcasting on hospital radio in his hometown, Hull, making his professional debut as a sports reporter on Viking Radio. He started his career in journalism at the Hull Daily Mail newspaper, before joining the BBC as a trainee in 1989. Andrew moved to BBC Radio Leeds in 1993 where he stayed, very happily, for the next thirty years.
For many years he combined his on-air career with teaching radio journalism and spent seven years at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and Leeds Trinity University. He still mentors students and radio colleagues and is now doing freelance work at the University of Leeds.
Until 2022 he spent part of each week looking after his Mum, who died from dementia. He gives talks about, and hosts events linked to, dementia and hopes to write a book about his mother. He recorded a weekly audio diary called ‘Mum and Me: The Dementia Diary’, for which he was named a Dementia Hero at the Alzheimer’s Society’s awards 2021.