You Don’t Need to Be a Boss to Be a Leader – a conversation with Andrew Edwards, Event host, Trainer, Teacher, Broadcaster & Mentor

Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend

Today’s guest is Andrew Edwards, former BBC broadcaster, and now an Event Host, Trainer, Teacher and Mentor. The title of our conversation is ‘You Don’t Need to Be a Boss to Be a Leader’.

Leaders in Conversation is the podcast in which leaders share their life and leadership stories; the people, places and experiences that have shaped their values, beliefs, passion and purpose to encourage and inspire you to be even more confident and courageous in your own leadership.

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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

1. Be true to yourself and your values
2. Listen more than you talk
3. 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: [e-mail]

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [e-mail] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

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.