Most leaders think they're self-aware. Most are missing the mark, and the gap shows up in how their teams feel about them.

In this episode, Kara Jorvig, Founder and CEO of Allegro Group, sits down with Max to unpack why self-awareness in leadership is the foundational skill most executives skip. Kara advises CEOs and senior teams across the country on building clarity, alignment, and trust through feedback. She names the leadership gap plainly, explains how boss holes actually get formed under pressure and pace, and makes the case that personal growth is what drives real business results. Kara has spent her whole career studying people, leadership, and clarity and alignment, and she brings that lens to every CEO she advises. This one gets honest fast. 🎯 Max even owns his own ”asshole-ish tendencies” on the record. 🪞

Ask yourself:

• Do you think you're self-aware, or have you actually tested it?
• Who in your life is willing to hold up the mirror, and do you trust them?
• Are you applying what you learn, or just collecting books and podcasts?
• Has success started to feel a little empty?
• When did you last admit you didn't know something?

By the end, you'll know how to:

• Spot the self-awareness gap that keeps confident leaders stuck
• Build the kind of trust that makes hard feedback possible
• Receive a mirror without getting defensive
• Separate ”I'm aware of this” from ”I'm doing something about it”
• Lead through pressure without projecting it onto your culture
• Temper your intensity instead of trying to rewire who you are
• Anchor your work in values when success stops feeling like enough

Key Quote Highlights:”Success without fulfillment would be the ultimate failure.” (Kara Jorvig) ”The most important part of being a storyteller is actually being a story listener.” (Max Kringen)

Guest BioKara Jorvig is the Founder and CEO of Allegro Group, where she serves as chief advisor to CEOs and presidents navigating growth, scale, and leadership transitions. She has spent her career studying leadership, business, and human behavior, starting with a decade of interviewing and placing people in jobs. Her work pairs strategy and team performance with a deep belief that personal growth translates into business results. Rooted in North Dakota values of work ethic and humility she learned from her mom, a kindergarten teacher, she now advises leaders across the country on the skills and behaviors that drive culture. Learn more at [GUEST WEBSITE URL]

⏱ Timestamps (estimated from transcript; verify against the final edit) 00:00 Meet Kara Jorvig 01:08 What Allegro Group actually does 04:35 The self-awareness blind spot, and how boss holes get formed 10:00 Trust, mirrors, and the courage to give feedback 20:51 Midwest values, work ethic, and lessons from Mom 27:00 A loss that changed everything 29:02 Lead with love, every day

📌 Resources Mentioned

• Allegro Group: https://allegro-group.com/
• Adam Grant's podcast work on vulnerability and feedback
• Brené Brown on curiosity and vulnerability

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📣 About Tellwell the Podcast Tellwell: The Podcast is a weekly conversation with nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and mission-driven storytellers about the work of building trust and belonging. Hosted by Max Kringen, Chief Storyteller and founder of Tellwell Story Co. in Fargo, ND, every episode gives you practical thinking and real stories you can bring back to your own mission. Less theory, more of what actually works when you're trying to lead people well.

#selfawareness #leadership #nonprofitleadership #fundraising #trust #feedback #missiondriven