You're the Boss - by Sabina Nawaz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Turn the hidden pressures of management into astonishing results and become the boss everyone wants to work for. This must-read guide from elite executive coach Sabina Nawaz reveals the leadership secrets of highly successful managers.

Whether you're in the C-Suite or newly promoted, you're most likely succeeding at your job. But are you reaching your full potential as a manager? Most top performers suspect they aren't, and Sabina Nawaz, former Microsoft executive and elite Fortune 500 coach, says they're usually right. Unfortunately, it's often hard to recognize the problem or know how to address it.

In You're the Boss, Nawaz taps her experience and proprietary data drawn from analyzing and advising executives at organizations like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Motorola, Nordstrom, and the United Nations, to offer managers everything they need to know to succeed at the job. Her work reveals that as our job expands, the added pressure to perform corrupts our actions, and our increased power will blind us to the impact of those actions. Even the most well-intentioned manager can quickly become the boss nobody wants to work for.

You're the Boss is your executive coach in book form. It offers a fresh, evidence-based framework for managing pressure and power with grace and intelligence. Nawaz's potent, proven strategies guide you to anticipate the unavoidable hazards of leadership without changing who you are, based on over two decades of coaching and in-depth research into the psychology of behavior and relationships. Discover a powerful way to manage yourself and others, navigate working relationships, and communicate effectively. Become the boss you want to be--and others need--while experiencing less stress and greater impact.

Review Quotes

Winner of the gold medal in the 2025 Axiom Business Book Awards

"Pressure not only corrupts leaders--it renders them incompetent. It results in behaviors that are both brutal and ineffective. No leader aspires to be brutally ineffective, but too many of them do become just that. How can you make sure this doesn't happen to you? It's not enough to have a "good character." Nawaz offers practical strategies to make sure that you can be both good and great, rather than being corrupted by the pressure and blinded by the power that come with the job."
--Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor and Just Work

"You're the Boss is a powerful guide for leaders navigating the pressures of authority and the pitfalls of power. With unflinching honesty and insights from decades of management and coaching executives, Sabina helps readers recognize the blind spots that can hinder their growth. This book offers practical, field-tested strategies to help managers not only succeed, but inspire greatness in their teams."
--Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"We would never entrust an airplane to someone without pilot training or ask someone off the street to perform delicate surgery. Why, then, do we hand the job of manager--one of the most critical jobs in the world--to people, then ask them to figure it out? The result, predictably, is that we have a deluge of pressured, frantic human beings mystified that their good intentions and hard work aren't turning into results. Sabina Nawaz's wonderful new book helps managers learn to eliminate their dysfunctional behaviors and turn on their superpowers. I highly recommend it to anyone dealing with humans at work."
--Rita McGrath, Thinkers 50 top 10, bestselling author, and Columbia University Business School professor

"Sabina Nawaz breaks the mold for leadership in this exciting new book, giving us tools to align our style with our intent. Whether you're stepping into a big new role or striving to refine your abilities as a leader, this book is your essential companion on the path to elevated success, impact and contribution."
--Stephen M. R. Covey, New York Times bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and Trust & Inspire

"Sabina Nawaz expertly shares why business is personal and integrity is more important than authenticity for managers. You'll learn tactical tips to identify your own communication fault lines, trigger spots, and unmet needs as a manager. A must read for all leaders!"
--Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, co-authors of the bestseller No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work

"In You're the Boss, Sabina captures what truly defines a great manager: the relentless commitment to building trust with your team. After establishing my rural health clinic, which was destroyed twice by hurricanes and again by a devastating fire, I know resilience doesn't just require overcoming logistical challenges--it depends on having strong relationships with your staff. Being a better boss is worth the same level of investment as any critical health or business goal. Sabina's insights speak to this truth, and her book will help managers build the kind of resilient, high-trust teams needed to thrive under pressure."
--Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, founder and CEO of Bayou Clinic and 18th U.S. Surgeon General

"Every leader ultimately faces defining moments--decisions made under the most demanding of circumstances that can make or break your career. Sabina's tools help you build your executive strength, so you lead with intention, not reaction. You're the Boss will help you navigate high-stakes moments confidently, turn challenges into growth, and inspire your team--even when the heat is on."
--Robert J. Stevens, Retired chairman, president, CEO, Lockheed Martin

"Through her highly successful career as a manager, senior executive and executive coach, author Sabina Nawaz has decoded the micro-habits of effective managers. You're the Boss shares these hard-won insights with you, often using stories that range from hilarious to cringeworthy. If you're about to become a boss--and even if you've been the boss for years--and want to avoid preventable failures, this book is a must read."
--Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at the Harvard Business School, and author of Right Kind of Wrong

"Life-changing."
--Maria Klawe, president of Math for America

"You're the Boss is like having a personal trainer for your career. Sabina's practical tools allow for deep self-examination while empowering you to make lasting change."
--Jim Guyette, former President and CEO, Rolls Royce, North America

"A practical guide to avoiding the mistakes that too many managers make. Sabina Nawaz offers sage advice about how to bring out the best in others--and yourself."
--Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast Re: Thinking

About the Author

Sabina Nawaz is an elite executive coach who advises C-level executives and teams at Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions around the world. Sabina gives dozens of keynotes, seminars, and conferences each year and teaches faculty at Northeastern and Drexel Universities. During her fourteen-year tenure at Microsoft, she went from managing software development teams to leading the company's executive development and succession planning efforts for over 11,000 managers and nearly a thousand executives, advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer directly. She has written for and been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, NBC, Nasdaq, and MarketWatch.