Podcast Summary: "Inside Executive Search: Why Empathy & Self-Awareness Build Better Leaders with Les Csorba"

Podcast: Right About Now – Legendary Business Advice
Host: Ryan Alford (Radcast Network)
Guest: Les Csorba, Author of Aware: The Power of Seeing Yourself Clearly
Date: October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the crucial roles of self-awareness and empathy in leadership, featuring executive search expert and author Les Csorba. Drawing on years of experience advising Fortune 500 leaders and US presidents, Les shares hard-won insights on understanding your strengths, facing flaws, and navigating leadership without losing your humanity. The conversation cuts through corporate clichés to reveal why leaders who can truly "see themselves" drive success, foster loyalty, and build resilient teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of Self-Awareness in Leadership

• Historical Context & Modern Crisis

  • Self-awareness is a timeless leadership trait, but Les argues it’s currently at “historically low levels” across businesses, governments, and even personal relationships.

    “What’s new is we’re at historically low levels in our institutions, our leadership and I would also argue our relationships.” (Les, 02:03)

• Seeing Yourself As Others Do

  • Leaders grow by understanding how others perceive them—not just sticking to their self-constructed narratives.
  • The goal is to show up as the “best version” of yourself, knowing both strengths and flaws.

2. Expertise From the Top: Presidential Lessons

• George H.W. Bush as a Model

  • Les recalls James Baker calling Bush “the most self-aware person he had ever met.”
  • Not every leader is self-aware, but those who are tend to take feedback, admit flaws, and keep growing.

• Jamie Dimon’s Story of Growth

  • The CEO of JP Morgan Chase is humble about his imperfections; he actively works on being more empathetic and less abrasive, showing that personal growth never ends.

    “The best leaders are those that don’t view themselves as the finished product.” (Les, 02:52)

  • Memorable anecdote: After a heated work call at home, Dimon’s daughter’s tears made him realize the effect of his anger—sparking real self-reflection. (04:50)

3. Balancing Confidence, Empathy, and Humility

• Confidence vs. Arrogance

  • True leaders combine self-belief with humility—avoiding the pitfalls of arrogance.

• Empathy in Practice

  • Leadership means giving tough feedback with clarity, but also offering understanding and compassion.

    “Be empathetic…but you also have to be the kind of leader that can make the tough calls.” (Les, 03:50)

4. Common Leadership Blind Spots

• Micromanagement, Distraction, and People-Pleasing
  • Leaders may over-control, seek validation, or become people-pleasers (which over 52% of Americans admit to).
  • People-pleasing feels good in the short term but destroys clear decision-making and accountability.

    “If you want to lead, you can’t worry about being liked.” (Les, 05:59)

• Cultural Factors
  • Digital and workplace cultures reinforce constant validation, making people-pleasing a growing epidemic.

5. Cultural Shifts – Too Much Comfort, Not Enough Productivity?

• Discussion on today’s workplace trends (e.g., nap pods, coddling culture) and the risk of focusing so much on comfort that business outcomes fall by the wayside.

  “We threw the baby out with a bathwater a little bit…is the job to make sure that employees are comfortable or is the job to sell something?” (Ryan, 06:54)

6. Profiles in Self-Awareness: Elon Musk & Warren Buffett

• Elon Musk

  • Despite his eccentric reputation, Musk is self-aware—he knows his pathological optimism is his greatest asset and liability.

    “Any strength that’s overused can derail.” (Les, 07:59)

  • Musk’s optimism fuels audacious goals, but unchecked, it can burn out teams.

• Warren Buffett

  • Self-aware about his own loyalty, Buffett admits to keeping underperformers too long out of personal attachment—humility in action.

    “He may have been too slow to move out underperforming managers because he’s so loyal to them…” (Les, 09:10)

7. The State of Modern Leadership: Bridging Divides

• Rise of Division and the Decline of Self-Awareness
  • Les stresses that self-aware leaders are more objective, respectful, and willing to work with people of all viewpoints.
  • Political and organizational polarization makes self-awareness more urgent than ever.

    “They tend to be the kind of leaders and people that can make friends with people that they don’t agree with all the time.” (Les, 10:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Leadership Evolution:

  “The best leaders are those that don’t view themselves as the finished product.”
  —Les Csorba (02:52)

• On People-Pleasing:

  “If you want to lead, you can’t worry about being liked.”
  —Les Csorba (05:59)

• On Balancing Cultures:

  “You want a people-first culture, but in excess it can be detrimental to the purpose of your business…”
  —Les Csorba (07:31)

• On High-Profile Leaders:

  “Any strength that’s overused can derail.”
  —Les Csorba (07:59)

• On Empathy vs. Toughness:

  “You gotta be the kind of leader that can make the tough calls…But you also have to be empathetic at times as well. So it’s a balance.”
  —Les Csorba (03:50)

• On Modern Leadership's Divisions:

  “They tend to be the kind of leaders and people that can make friends with people that they don’t agree with all the time.”
  —Les Csorba (10:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:41] Introduction to Les and the theme of self-awareness in leadership
• [02:03] Why self-awareness matters now more than ever
• [02:38] Lessons from George H.W. Bush and Jamie Dimon
• [03:50] Empathy’s role and the balance leaders must maintain
• [05:59] Leadership blind spots and the epidemic of people-pleasing
• [07:31] Workplace culture, comfort, and business outcomes
• [07:59] Self-awareness case studies: Elon Musk and Warren Buffett
• [10:31] Division in leadership and the need for objectivity
• [11:27] Where to find the book and the self-awareness scorecard

Resources and Closing

• Les Csorba’s book, Aware: The Power of Seeing Yourself Clearly, is available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Les's website (lescsorba.com).
• The website features a free self-awareness scorecard for listeners.

  “There’s a self-awareness scorecard…30 question survey, takes probably 15, 20 minutes.” (Les, 11:27)

Summary Takeaway:
This episode is a valuable, no-nonsense guide for leaders at any stage: building self-awareness and empathy is not just about being “nice”—it’s about unlocking your best leadership self, driving results, and navigating the real-world complexity of business. Whether you’re running a startup or a global corporation, these lessons are your pathway to more effective, resilient, and respected leadership.