A NEW BOOK BY MARY ANN MCGOWAN
Put Who First
A Human-Centred Guide to Leading Yourself and Others
Leadership isn’t defined by what you know.
It’s shaped by how you show up, especially in the moments that matter.
This book will help you lead with awareness, courage, and care through the conversations that shape trust, performance, and culture.
It’s a practical, deeply human invitation to lead from the inside out.
Buy it NowLeadership 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.
How the Book is Shaped
Part One: Leading Yourself with Awareness and Intention
You will explore self-awareness, values, purpose, time, and the internal patterns that quietly influence how you lead.
Part Two: Leading Others Through Meaningful Conversations
Because leadership happens one interaction at a time.
Between the two sits a simple truth:
Conversation is the bridge between insight and impact.
Praise for Put Who First
The Future of Leadership is Human.
And it starts with you.
Not in the big moments. In the everyday ones.
In how you listen. How you respond.
How you show up.
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.
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.
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.
Praise for Put Who First
The Future of Leadership is Human.
And it starts with you.
Not in the big moments. In the everyday ones.
In how you listen. How you respond.
How you show up.
