Sabina Nawaz on Pressure, Power, and the Real Work of Leadership

Sabina Nawaz (see her bio below) has advised leaders at the very top - Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and executives across Fortune 500 companies. But her journey wasn’t a straight line. Starting as a software developer, nearly getting fired from Microsoft, and then pivoting into leadership development, Sabina has built a career helping thousands of leaders around the world discover what it really means to lead.

In our conversation, she shares:

• Why pressure, not power, is the real force that corrupts leaders.

• How her sabbatical at Microsoft led to a life-changing career shift.

• The story behind her new book, You’re the Boss, and the lessons drawn from 12,000 pages of executive feedback.

• The surprising role theater and even stunt fighting played in shaping her leadership skills.

• Why integrity matters more than authenticity and how busyness has become one of the biggest traps for managers.

Sabina also introduces practical tools like the “Yes List” and “Micro Habits,” making leadership development actionable instead of theoretical. Her insights are candid, data-driven, and deeply human—a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about impact.

 

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About Sabina:

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 routinely gives speeches 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, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, NBC,
Nasdaq, and MarketWatch.