A NEW BOOK BY MARY ANN MCGOWAN
Put Who First
A Human-Centred Guide to Leading Yourself and Others
Put Who First is my book on human-centred leadership — written for people who carry responsibility, care deeply about how they lead, and want to stay grounded in who they are while navigating complexity.
It’s a practical, deeply human invitation to lead from the inside out, and I’m sharing its journey as it comes into the world.
If this speaks to you, I’d love to invite you to be part of the book’s early journey.
Join me as this book comes into the world
Be the first to hear about the launch, receive early resources, and support this book as it prepares for publication this year.
You can join quietly, stay as long as it is useful, and unsubscribe at any time.
Leadership is a tough job
The pace is relentless. Expectations keep rising. Leaders are asked to deliver results, care for people, manage change, embrace technology, and stay resilient, often all at once.
In the middle of that pressure, there is very little space to pause and ask a more fundamental question:
Who am I being as I lead?
Put Who First begins there.
This book starts from the belief that leadership is not something you do to people. It is something you bring into relationship. And that begins with how you relate to yourself.
It is an invitation to slow down just enough to notice your patterns, your presence, and the way you are showing up. From there, it offers practical ways to lead with greater steadiness, humanity, and intention, even in complex environments.
If these questions resonate, you’re exactly who I wrote this book for.
What this book is really about
This is not a book about leadership techniques or performance hacks.
It is a book about:
- Leading with self-awareness rather than autopilot
- Building a wiser relationship with time, pressure, and expectation
- Understanding how emotional states shape presence and impact
- Having the conversations that create trust, clarity, and momentum
- Staying human while holding responsibility and boundaries
The inner work and the outer practice belong together.
Put Who First brings reflection and tools side by side, always connecting insight to everyday leadership moments.
If this way of thinking about leadership matters to you, I’d love to have you as part of the Put Who First Community as the book takes shape.
How the book is shaped
The structure of the book mirrors how leadership actually develops.
Part One focuses on leading in wise relationship with yourself.
You will explore self-awareness, values, purpose, time, and the internal patterns that quietly influence how you lead.
Part Two focuses on leading in wise relationship with others.
Here, the emphasis shifts to the conversations that shape culture every day. Clear agreements. Thinking conversations. Courageous conversations.
Between the two sits a simple truth:
Conversation is the bridge between insight and impact.
Members of the Put Who First Community will be the first to see selected reflections and tools drawn from these sections.
What you’ll learn
This book will support you to:
- Build deeper self-awareness and recognise your internal patterns
- Notice how moods, stories, and emotional states affect your leadership presence
- Change your relationship with time so it supports rather than drains you
- Clarify the kind of leader you want to be and the life you want to live
- Use everyday conversations to create psychological safety and trust
- Speak with clarity and courage when conversations feel difficult
- Create clear agreements that reduce friction and misunderstanding
- Shift from reactive leadership to intentional, grounded choice
This is human-centred leadership in action. Practical, relational, and deeply real.
Who this book is for
Put Who First is for anyone who leads, in title or in spirit. It will resonate with:
- Senior leaders navigating complexity and constant change
- Managers and team leads shaping culture through daily interactions
- Emerging leaders finding their voice and confidence
- Coaches, facilitators, and HR professionals supporting others
- Anyone who wants to communicate better, feel more grounded, or reconnect with who they are becoming
It is especially for leaders who care deeply and want to lead with connection, without losing clarity or authority.
If this feels like the kind of leadership you want to grow into,
I’d love you to be part of the Put Who First Community
Join me as this book comes into the world
Be the first to hear about the launch, receive early resources, and support this book as it prepares for publication this year.
You can join quietly, stay as long as it is useful, and unsubscribe at any time.
Why I wrote this book
Over the years, leaders have asked me remarkably similar questions.
- How do I lead people well when everything feels urgent?
- How am I supposed to do all this leadership stuff on top of everything else?
- Why can’t people just take more ownership?
- How do I have the conversations I keep putting off?
- How do I not let this job take over my whole life?
This book is my response.
It brings together what I have learned from over thirty years of working with leaders, teams, and organisations across sectors and generations. It reflects what builds trust over time, what quietly erodes it, and what helps leaders stay effective without becoming consumed by the role.
At its heart, Put Who First is about remembering that you are not your title or your position. You are the human being behind them. When you lead from that place, clarity increases, conversations shift, and leadership becomes more sustainable.
This book has been shaped by years of listening, learning, and noticing what really helps leaders stay human in demanding roles.
If you’d like to walk with me as it comes into the world, I’d love to have you in the Put Who First Community.
Praise for Put Who First
Members of the Put Who First Community will be the first to hear when the book is released.
Walk with me as this book
comes into the world
By joining the Put Who First Community, you’ll be part of the book’s early journey and receive: Updates as the book approaches its April launch, Early access to selected reflections and resources and a first look at bonus tools drawn from the book
You can join quietly, stay as long as it is useful, and unsubscribe at any time.
