Podcast Summary: Coaching for Leaders

Episode Title: How to Get Better at Listening, with Bill Mayo
Host: Dave Stachowiak
Guest: Bill Mayo, Plant Foreman and Coaching for Leaders Academy alumnus
Date: March 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the foundational leadership skill of listening. Host Dave Stachowiak is joined by Bill Mayo—plant foreman in the natural gas industry and graduate of the Coaching for Leaders Academy—to discuss Bill’s journey in improving his listening skills both at work and at home. Through stories, practical tips, and candid reflections, Bill shares the steps he took, the tools that worked, and how better listening transformed his leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Motivation to Improve Leadership and Listening

• Bill’s Leadership Inflection Point
  • Bill was motivated to seek self-improvement after not receiving a promotion due to lacking advanced leadership skills. The constructive feedback from his vice president and subsequent training led him to discover the Coaching for Leaders podcast and eventually enroll in the Academy.
    • "There was a potential promotion and I was not the successful candidate...the vice president ... offered to help me create a path to get my leadership skills up." (02:28, Bill)

2. Joining the Academy and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

• Feeling Intimidated and the Value of Cohort Learning
  • Bill initially doubted his abilities and feared he wouldn’t contribute much due to lesser experience but realized everyone brought unique value.
    • “A lot of these people...got way more leadership training than I do, and ... I probably won't have much to offer. And I now feel like I was wrong about that.” (03:15, Bill)

3. Zeroing in on Listening as a Leadership Skill

• Identifying Listening as a Growth Area
  • Bill recognized that he listened “just well enough to respond,” not to understand. Focusing on listening became his 60-day commitment within the Academy.
    • “I listened just well enough to respond to people, I really wasn't listening to understand.” (04:40, Bill)

4. Practical Steps to Become a Better Listener

• Intentional Actions and Asking More Questions
  • Bill describes making listening actionable by asking follow-up questions, especially the simple “Tell me more about that.”
    • “That's interesting. Tell me more about that is probably one of my favorites.” (07:07, Bill)
  • Consistency was key, using follow-ups in every conversation, which encouraged people to open up.
    • “...the more questions you ask, the more people want to open up.” (07:58, Bill)

5. The Power of the Second (and Third) Question

• Moving Beyond Transactional Conversations
  • Both Bill and Dave highlight that a single open-ended question rarely unlocks deeper dialogue. Multiple questions signal genuine interest and build trust.
    • “...how much more people say when they've gotten a second or third question...There’s something just really powerful and different about asking a second or third question.” (09:00, Dave)

6. Observable Impact and Feedback from Others

• Transformed Relationships at Work
  • Asking more questions and truly listening led to visible changes in team dynamics. Team members commented on Bill’s improved approach.
    • “My guys genuinely noticed the difference ... ‘We can tell you’ve really made a change.’” (12:12, Bill)
  • Bill also noticed he avoided jumping to “snap decisions,” understanding situations more deeply before acting.
    • “I would be very quick to make a snap decision...by asking questions and listening better, I would say probably half the time it wasn’t what I initially thought at all.” (12:56, Bill)

7. The Academy’s Practice: No Advice, Only Questions

• Structured Practice of Not Advising Early
  • Within the Academy, there’s a rule: for the first 15–20 minutes, only questions—no advice. Dave notes this prevents premature (and often incorrect) judgments.
    • “My first inclination...more than half the time it's completely wrong...because I didn't stop to really understand the situation.” (14:15, Dave)

8. Application in Personal Life

• Improved Family Relationships
  • The benefits of better listening extended beyond work, especially in communication with Bill’s teenage daughter, where listening rather than quick problem-solving led to more meaningful conversations.
    • “What I realized is she would just shut down when I would do that...by diving in and asking follow-up questions...it truly improved our relationship as well.” (17:06, Bill)

9. The Universality of Leadership

• Everyone Has Something to Offer
  • Bill changed his mind about his place among “executives”; he now believes everyone has valuable experience to share and leadership can be learned from anyone.
    • “Leadership is leadership. Leadership is life. And we all have different life experiences. We all add value...” (19:11, Bill)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On What Listening Really Is:
  • "I listened just well enough to respond to people, I really wasn't listening to understand." (04:40, Bill)
• Favorite Follow-up Question:
  • “That's interesting. Tell me more about that.” (07:07, Bill)
• What Open Questions Unlock:
  • “The more questions you ask, the more people want to open up.” (07:58, Bill)
• Team Noticing the Change:
  • “We can tell you’ve really made a change and really was just listening. That’s all I was doing different, was just trying to be a better listener and ask better questions.” (12:12, Bill)
• Shifting to Curiosity:
  • “By asking questions and getting the full story, it seems like you're just able to make better, better decisions, better choices. But more than anything, like you're, you're getting everybody engaged and everybody wants to, to do their best and when you allow them to be their best, it's just, jeez, it just goes so much better.” (13:26, Bill)
• Advice for All Leaders:
  • “Leadership is leadership. Leadership is life.” (19:11, Bill)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:28 — Bill’s initial feedback and why he sought leadership development
• 03:03 — Overcoming feelings of inadequacy and finding his place in the cohort
• 04:30 — Deciding to focus on listening
• 05:56 — Commitment to asking more questions as a listening practice
• 07:01 — The power of “Tell me more about that”
• 09:00 — The amplified impact of second and third questions
• 11:10 — Observable changes in team relationships
• 12:48 — Avoiding premature conclusions through follow-up questions
• 14:15 — Academy rule: keep advice off the table, ask more questions
• 16:27 — Applying better listening at home with spouse and teenager
• 19:11 — Realization that leadership value comes from everyone’s experience

Episode Takeaways

• Listening well is at the heart of great leadership and is a skill that can be developed intentionally over time.
• Asking follow-up questions—especially soft or open-ended ones—encourages openness, builds trust, and surfaces crucial information.
• Avoiding the urge to “solve” immediately lets others feel heard and can reveal aspects of a situation leaders might have otherwise missed.
• Small, consistent changes in behavior, practiced daily, can have transformational effects at work and at home.
• Leadership learning is universal—everyone, regardless of title or background, has something to contribute.

Useful for: Leaders seeking practical actions for improvement, managers wishing to strengthen team engagement, or anyone interested in becoming a more effective, empathetic listener.