TLU EDUD 733: Communication and Leadership
- Beau James
- Jun 28
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 30
Introduction
Leadership and addiction aren’t typically paired together. We think of leaders as composed, strategic, and resilient. We think of addicts as lost, disorganized, or struggling. But what if the tools that help addicts stay clean are the very same tools that make great leaders? Michael Brody-Waite, a recovering addict and CEO, argued this idea during his TEDx Talk, Great Leaders Do What Drug Addicts Do. His perspective resonated with me, not just because of its unexpected angle, but because it made deep, practical sense. In this paper, I reflect on Brody-Waite’s talk and what it reveals about leadership, recovery, and the daily discipline of being real. Vrooman (2015) articulates the beginning and end of talks are when people are paying the most attention to the presenter, and the way Michael opened the talk was captivating. His ability to connect with his audience was powerful, as he communicated his message with extemporaneous delivery, without using note cards or a script.
A Bold Beginning
Mike started his TEDx Talk by introducing himself just like he would in a 12-step meeting: “Hi, I’m Mike, and I’m an addict” (Waite, 2018). It was unexpected, disarming, and powerful. It immediately framed the rest of the talk in radical honesty. Vrooman (2015) discusses Burke's (1969) view on identification, noting that speakers connect with their audience through shared truths. Mike did that right away, blending his identity as an addict and a leader.
Mike shared his past openly daily drug and alcohol use, being kicked out of school and jobs, stealing from friends. A visual of himself during an active addiction drove the message home. Within minutes, the audience saw both his vulnerability and his strength. The tone was serious, but never hopeless. Mike showed one of the visual aids with his shirt off, about 50 pounds heavier, drinking an alcoholic beverage, and the other was a photo of his unkept appearance around the time he failed out of UC Davis and was forced out of his parents' home due to his behavior. Mike displayed credibility as an addict at first, then as a leader, when he was able to utilize the principles, he learned in recovery to fuel his success as the CEO of an Inc. 500 company. Early in the talk, Mike shared, “I believe leaders should run their organization as addicts. Addicts are not like everyone else, we use all the time, or we can’t use at all” (Waite, 2018). The first part of this serves as an appropriate thesis for the next 15:30+ minutes of the talk, setting up his strategic ambiguity for the remainder of the talk.
The Three Key Principles
At 1:15 into the talk, Mike laid out his main idea: leaders should run their organizations like addicts in recovery from active drug addiction. Addicts, he explained, survive by practicing three key principles every single day:
Practice Rigorous Authenticity
Surrender the Outcome
Do Uncomfortable Work
These weren’t abstract theories. They were daily survival tools. Mike made clear that his recovery wasn’t something he overcame and left behind. Instead, he claimed, “Addiction is the entire reason for my success” (Waite, 2018). Mike had the three principles highlighted behind him during this portion of his speech as a visual aid, underlined and bolded with white on a dark background.
Applying the Principles
Mike told stories that brought each principle to life. Early in recovery, he shared vulnerably for the first time in a 12-step meeting. A biker in the room affirmed him, saying it was the first time he’d truly been honest. That raw authenticity became the foundation of Mike’s leadership style.
He told another story about needing a job within five business days or face expulsion from a halfway house. He didn’t even know what a "business day" was. When asked about a gap in his resume, his sponsor said, “Tell them the truth.” That seemed crazy to Mike—honesty in the "real world" felt risky. But he did it anyway and got the job.
His sponsor wasn’t a coach or boss, just another addict trying to live. He told Mike, “This isn’t about the job. It’s about staying clean.” That mindset stuck with Mike, even when he later found himself navigating corporate life.
Leadership in Corporate America
Mike highlighted how corporate spaces often reward masks, control, and comfort. But he used the recovery principles to go the other way. In fact, he was promoted eight times in eight years because of these exact values.
He was trusted because he was authentic.
He was productive because he didn’t obsess over what he couldn’t control.
He got results because he did the hard, uncomfortable stuff.
His "training" didn’t come from an MBA program. It came from showing up night after night at recovery meetings, doing the internal work that real growth demands.
The Risk and the Reward
Nine years into recovery, Mike co-founded a company that created the first digital self-scheduling platform for healthcare. No outside investors. Just their 401(k)s and credit cards. Maxing out every credit card and emptying their 401 (k)s, they signed five hospitals in year one. Then came a chance to add 50 more.
But there was a problem. A glitch in the software affected one patient. It didn’t harm them, but it was a failure. They could’ve covered it up. Nobody else knew. A team member suggested they fix it quietly and move on.
Then, Mike got a call from someone he sponsored. He gave them the same advice he was struggling to follow himself: "Be authentic. Surrender the outcome. Do uncomfortable work."
That clarity changed everything.
Mike disclosed the issue to the hospital. The administrator laughed—not because it was funny, but because it was shocking to hear someone be honest. She said she had never had a vendor do that, and the deal went forward. “If anything,” she told him, “I’m more confident because I know I can trust you” (Waite, 2018). Mike not only signed the deal for the 50 hospitals, but within 18 months of starting up his company, grew from the initial five hospitals to over 100.
That’s what integrity looks like in action.
Building a Team with Principles
Mike used the same three principles to build his company culture. During interviews, he asked candidates about their greatest weakness. He shared his own—not celebrating wins, feeling empty even after achieving big goals. It was not a strength disguised as a weakness. It was just real.
If a candidate could not match that honesty, he would not hire them.
Why? Because if they could not surrender the outcome or admit where they struggled, he could not count on them to do the uncomfortable work when things got hard. That culture led to massive growth, 20,000% over five years, expanding into 30 states.
Superheroes and Masks
In the final third of his talk, Mike shifted gears. He discussed superheroes and how they often wear masks to conceal their identities. He drew a parallel to corporate leaders who do the same.
Growing up, Mike didn’t idolize Batman or Superman. He idolized CEOs. But society taught him to lie, to perform, to fit in. According to research by UMass, 60% of people can’t go for ten minutes without lying.
We often learn the opposite of authenticity today. No wonder addiction crept in. Could it be because society wants to alter uncomfortable emotions when they are experienced?
A Message to Addicts—and to Leaders
Mike ended his talk with a direct message to addicts: “You are not alone.” Millions of people around the world go to meetings, tell the truth, and do the hard work of staying clean. If you join them, he said, “the worst thing about you can become the best thing about you.”
He reminded everyone that the three principles aren’t just for addicts. Addicts don’t have a monopoly on them—they have a powerful incentive. If they don’t practice them, they die. It’s that simple.
Then he turned the question to the audience:
“If you’re a leader, how committed are you to practicing these three principles?”
He asked us to imagine a world where everyone led with authenticity, accepted what they couldn’t control, and did uncomfortable work like their life depended on it.
“How would your job change? Your home? Your life?”
He closed by reminding us that his dream came true not because he tried to be a superhero, but because he did what recovering addicts do to stay alive.
Conclusion
Michael Brody-Waite’s TEDx Talk challenges us to rethink leadership. It's not about perfection or image. It’s about doing deep, honest, hard work. Whether you're leading a company or trying to change your life, the principles of recovery have something to teach us all.
If we want to be genuine leaders, we must take off our masks. We must tell the truth, even when that’s difficult to do. We must get uncomfortable because it can be a touchstone for growth. And most of all, we must commit to doing it every day.
That’s not just how addicts survive. That’s how great leaders are made.
References
Vroomen, S. S. (2015). The Zombie guide to Public Speaking (2nd ed.). A More Brainz Project.
Brody-Waite, M. (2018, June). Leaders do what drug addicts do [Video]. TED Conferences.
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