Varun Anand on Being Imperfect: Why Authentic Leadership Beats Perfectionism
- Kaushik
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
After building EduHubSpot into a global education company impacting nearly 200,000 professionals, Varun Anand discovered that leadership isn’t about appearing perfect - it’s about leading with authenticity, ethical intent and empathy. In Episode 107 of Brain Box Podcast, he shares the personal experiences that inspired his “Being Imperfect” movement and explains why embracing vulnerability can become a leader’s greatest strength.
Quick Summary
What if the biggest obstacle to leadership isn’t failure, but the pursuit of perfection? In Episode 107 of the award winning Brain Box Podcast, entrepreneur and keynote speaker Varun Anand explains why embracing imperfections - not hiding them - is the foundation of authentic leadership, resilience and long-term success.
Why did Varun Anand launch "Being Imperfect"?
After building EduHubSpot from a two-person startup into a global project management education company that has impacted nearly 200,000 professionals, Varun Anand reached an unexpected realization.
Success alone wasn’t enough.
The most rewarding moments came from hearing how his work had changed people’s lives. That inspired him to launch Being Imperfect - not as a business or product, but as a movement encouraging professionals to stop defining themselves through society’s expectations.
“It’s about helping people ignore the noise and focus on what truly matters,” he explains. And that was Varun Anand's real motivation for building "Being Imperfect."
The childhood experience that shaped his philosophy
Varun shared one of the most personal stories of the conversation.
Growing up with a darker complexion, he was frequently teased and subjected to stereotypes. Influenced by advertisements promising “extra white” results, he even mixed Harpic with soap as a child, believing it could make his skin lighter.
Looking back, he laughs at the innocence of that moment. But the lesson stayed with him. Many of us carry invisible insecurities created by society’s labels. Leadership begins when we stop allowing those labels to define our confidence.
Why perfection can hold leaders back
In corporate environments, professionals are conditioned to minimise mistakes and project certainty. Varun believes this often creates something far more damaging - the fear of failure.
His message is refreshingly simple: If your intentions are ethical and you’re doing the right thing, don’t let other people’s opinions dictate your decisions.
“Perfection and imperfection are merely external noises. If your moral intentions are correct and you continue to move forward, the surrounding environment will naturally align itself.”
Authenticity is a leadership advantage
One story from EduHubSpot’s early days perfectly captures this philosophy. When the company was just starting out, Varun often answered customer support calls himself - but introduced himself as his co-founder because he worried customers wouldn’t trust a founder answering the phone.
Today, he says he would do the exact opposite. He would proudly introduce himself as Varun.
For him, authentic leadership means showing up as yourself instead of creating an image designed to impress others.
Leadership is about people, not positions
Throughout the episode, Varun emphasised that leadership is fundamentally about people. Whether leading a startup or a multinational organisation, the best leaders understand the experiences of those around them.
His advice is simple:
Lead with empathy.
Stay grounded in ethics.
Learn from setbacks instead of fearing them.
Treat people the way you expect to be treated.
For aspiring entrepreneurs and corporate professionals alike, resilience isn’t built by avoiding mistakes - it’s built by learning from them.
Final Thoughts
Varun Anand’s message is both practical and deeply human.
We all have imperfections. We all face rejection, criticism and self-doubt.
The leaders who create lasting impact aren’t those who hide those experiences - they’re the ones who embrace them, act with integrity and continue moving forward.
As Varun reminds us:
“We are all imperfect in the eyes of societal norms, but true leadership begins when you embrace those gaps, filter out the background noise and pursue your vision with relentless persistence.”
This work has been produced by Brain Box Media. If you wish to receive the collector's edition (the hard copy of this / any earlier version), please visit our website.
