Grow Your Self-Awareness, Reinvent Your Value
There's a moment of hesitation surfacing today in organizations. Executives want middle managers to operate more cross-functionally so they can scale performance. Middle managers are waiting for permission from executives to activate their leadership voice and create more value. Written by leadership expert and coach Dan Gallagher, The Self-Aware Leader sharpens the self-awareness of middle managers to drive productivity and career growth.
Gallagher presents a model that emerging leaders, middle managers, and senior executives can use as a catalyst to grow their leadership value. Based on empirical research and more than two decades of use, the model fully integrates a deep focus on self-awareness and reinvention with the practices of servant leadership and business transformation.
This second edition includes additional thought exercises, new research on the Self-Aware Leader model and Generosity Quotient, and real examples of how increased self-awareness grows a leader's value.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Section 1: The Foundation
Chapter 1: The Self-Aware Leader’s Advantage
Chapter 2: The Reinvention Triangle
Chapter 3: The Four Pillars of Self-Awareness
Section 2: The Application
Chapter 4: Professional Authenticity
Chapter 5: Profitable Imagination
Chapter 6: Generosity Quotient
Chapter 7: Think Like a General Manager
Chapter 8: Feed a Family vs. Solve World Hunger
Section 3: The Scaling
Chapter 9: Who You Know and Who Knows You
Chapter 10: Connect the Dots and Spur Innovation
Chapter 11: Strategically Scaling the SAL Model
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Additional Resources
Index
About the Author
About ATD
About the Author :
As founder and CEO of Gallagher Leadership, Dan Gallagher is a transformative, inclusive, and self-aware leader with success in accelerating the growth of leaders, the performance of teams, and the scaling of organizations. He currently works on consulting, coaching, and development engagements with clients including Fortune 1000 corporations, start-ups, and nonprofits. Dan spent 19 years at Comcast, focusing mainly on inclusive leadership development and training strategies. He holds a master of science in training and organizational development and a bachelor of science in sociology from Saint Joseph's University. He lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife, Suzanne, and their four sons.
Review :
“Self-awareness is key for developing context. Leadership is not about one moment—it’s about stringing together a series of moments into a movement. The Self-Aware Leader speaks directly to this journey and presents meaningful tools that immediately make a difference in what leaders think and how they act.”
—Kim Damron, President, Sports Properties, Learfield
“Grounded in research and rich with practical tools, The Self-Aware Leader transforms leadership into a continuous journey of self-awareness, reinvention, and impact. It is indispensable for those who aspire to lead with enduring purpose and agility.”
—Susan La Monica, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Citizens Financial Group
“Having worked with Dan for two decades at a company that has reinvented itself multiple times, what I admire most about The Self-Aware Leader is the direct connection between growing the business and growing a leader. I love how the ‘think like a GM’ principle helps leaders assess how they create value and the impact of that value upstream and downstream.”
—Bret Perkins, Senior Vice President, External and Government Affairs, Comcast Corporation
“The Self-Aware Leader helped reframe my leadership mindset and shatter my invisible middle management ceiling. It reminded me that the greatest leaders don’t chase success for themselves, but create it for others—and in that, they find the deepest joy. The SAL model gives teams a common language to discuss how to discover genuine satisfaction and where they see the highest opportunity to reinvent.”
—Ken Kerwin, Group Vice President, Vecima Networks
“The Self-Aware Leader is a transformative guide for all people managers. Gallagher reveals how slowing down unlocks stronger leadership and deeper organizational impact.”
—Corinne O’Connell, Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
“There are a lot of leadership books on the market that share the author’s experiences and intuitions. Plenty of others are scholarly and rooted in the data. Dan Gallagher blends the best of both worlds in The Self-Aware Leader by sharing an empirically based and time-tested model to help middle managers thrive as leaders.”
—Ron Dufresne, PhD, Professor of Management, Saint Joseph’s University
“The Self-Aware Leader offers a fresh take on leadership, encouraging proactive reinvention instead of reacting to change. It blends servant leadership, transformation, and reinvention into a practical framework, challenging readers to face the reality that even leadership styles have a shelf life. This book is a powerful starting point for anyone ready to redefine their approach and lead with purpose.”
—Paula Barg, Vice President, Global Pharma Services, Cencora
“The Self-Aware Leader continues to resonate because it meets leaders where they are—with honesty, humility, and practical tools for growth. With our team focus on interdependency, the SAL principle we prioritize is having the right balance of vertical and horizontal leadership. I’ve seen this idea unlock deeper self-awareness and, in turn, create more grounded, resilient, and effective leadership across teams.”
—Sean Holleran, Chief Executive Officer, Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island
“The Self-Aware Leader provides a profound, yet simple framework for driving improvement of yourself, others, and the business. It had an immediate impact in accelerating my transition from middle manager to a more thoughtful and disciplined senior leader at Campbell’s.”
—Mike Bucher, Customer Vice President, The Campbell's Company
“The Self-Aware Leader teaches leaders how to prioritize and distribute the right work to the right people. It’s helped me become more intentional and grow more trust with my team and my peers. By increasing my focus on reinventing others, I am seeing and executing on more opportunities to create value as a leader and teaching others to do the same.”
—Carrie Lokeni, Global Business Services International Operations Ma
