Coaching for Leaders — Listener Survey Results

Host: Dave Stachowiak
Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode diverges from the typical leadership focus to provide an in-depth review of the 2025 Coaching for Leaders listener survey. Host Dave Stachowiak shares the main workplace challenges reported by the audience, key feedback about the show, changes being planned in response, and major milestones reached by the podcast. The tone is warm, grateful, and community-focused, emphasizing a commitment to ongoing improvement and listener support.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Workplace Challenges Facing the Listening Community

(Starts at 01:50)

Dave asked listeners: "What are you struggling with at work right now?"
He identifies six main themes emerging from over a thousand survey responses:

• Team Management and Leadership Transitions
  Leading new or changing teams remains a perennial challenge.

  “No surprise here at all… One of the regular kinds of episodes we have on the show is talking about team leadership … That comes up all the time.” (03:00)

• Time Management and Workload
  Juggling responsibilities stood out more than before.

  “This one... was a little more of a surprise for me. We haven’t done as many episodes on that in the recent past…” (04:10)

• Adapting to Change and Culture Shifts
  Organizational disruption, AI, geopolitics, and remote work make adaptation a constant hurdle.

• New Roles and Expectations
  Shifts in responsibility and transitioning to new positions are top of mind, especially at inflection points in careers.

• Managing Others in Uncertainty
  Delegation, accountability, and feedback in complex environments remain highly relevant.

• Client/Stakeholder Relations
  Navigating external demands is a core part of many leadership roles today.

  “The stressors that come from them are sometimes not even as much inside the organization… They are from customers, clients, suppliers, external stakeholders…” (07:00)

Dave notes his personal realization that time management, while always relevant, has been under-addressed recently and commits to revisiting it in future content.

“That’s one area that I’m indexing on… as I plan out episodes coming in the next year or two.” (08:00)

2. Listener Feedback on the Show

(08:40)

Dave invited specific feedback by asking:

• “What’s one thing holding back Coaching for Leaders from being more useful to you?”
• “What’s one wish you have for how Coaching for Leaders could support you better?”

Major Themes from Feedback:

• Keep Going:
  The overwhelming majority expressed appreciation, asking for continuity and consistency.

  “The biggest thing by far … was the most common response: keep going, keep doing what you’re doing. In fact, it was really … very heartwarming…” (09:10)

• Overwhelm of Ideas:
  Some listeners experience “too much content” or content that feels too lengthy.

• Desire for More Streamlined Options:
  Requests for shorter formats, concise recaps, or summaries.

• Difficulty Finding and Remembering Past Content:
  Listeners want easier ways to discover relevant episodes and materials, given the podcast’s extensive archive.

  “If I’m having a hard time remembering all the things I’ve done, I can’t imagine how hard it is sometimes for folks listening…” (11:40)

3. Planned Responses and Future Directions

(13:00)

Dave outlines his thinking and planned changes in response to feedback:

• Depth vs. Brevity:
  While open to supplementary concise formats, Dave maintains that deep, nuanced discussion is essential for leadership topics.

  “The nuance of this just requires more depth of conversation... That is not something that you can capture in a 7 or 10 or a 12 minute sound bite to be able to articulate well.” (13:50)

  Episodes will continue to stay under 40 minutes, honoring listeners’ time and the need for depth.

  “Our editor, Andrew and I, never air an episode that’s more than 40 minutes. That’s so that we can really respect commute time...” (15:10)

• Exploring Concise Formats:
  Dave is considering an “adjunct” to the main podcast—possibly a companion resource for those seeking shorter, streamlined content.

  “This is the one area that I’m a little fuzzy on … But I want you to know I’m considering that feedback.” (15:55)

• Introducing ‘Focus 5’:
  The Weekly Guide will transition to Focus 5—a simpler, topic-focused weekly message providing five actionable recommendations, such as episodes, articles, questions, or book picks.

  “Each one’s going to be different, but it’s going to be short, concise, and I hope that it’s really helpful to you.” (18:55)

  • For existing subscribers, no action is needed; the shift will happen automatically.

• AI-Powered Search Tool:
  In development: a searchable tool aimed at the entire Coaching for Leaders archive—making it much easier for members to find relevant past episodes and content.

  “My plan is that in the start of 2026 that we’ll have more to say on that and be able to give broader access to that tool for our members.” (22:00)

4. Podcast Milestones & Gratitude

(23:00)

Dave closes with personal reflections on growth and gratitude:

• Personal Story:
  Shares an analogy from his childhood watching McDonald’s “billions served” signs change, relating it to the growth of the podcast.

• Major Milestones:

  • 50 million downloads achieved since 2011

    “That is an extraordinarily large number to me… Never occurred to me we’d make it this far.” (26:45)

  • 300,000+ followers across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

• Heartfelt Thanks:
  Expresses deep gratitude to:

  • Listeners who support the show financially as Academy, Pro, or Plus members (“That’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep this show going so strongly for now, almost 15 years, we’ve… done it without sponsors or third party advertising or investors, but this show has been from day one, entirely member supported.” – 29:40)
  • Everyone who recommends the show, whether to colleagues, teams, clients, mentees, or loved ones (“One of the fun things I hear about often is spouses and partners who listen to the show together.” – 31:20)

  Dave looks ahead with excitement—

  “We are hitting 15 years in 2026. I have intention to be going another 15 years and beyond that. There’s so much ahead, so much I’m excited to be able to do to continue to support you.” (32:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Listener Feedback:

  “So many of you mentioned some version of like, hey, keep going, I love it, I appreciate the show. And if you said some version of that, thank you, I really appreciate it.” (09:20)

• On Overwhelm:

  “I get that. I run into that too in my own listening, my own consumption of content.” (10:25)

• On Adapting Show Length:

  “The answer to that is no. At least it’s not going to be coming from me. Because the nature of what this podcast is is about leadership and the complexity that comes with navigating inflection points and people and behavior and the nuance that comes with that.” (13:55)

• On AI and Content Discovery:

  “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could take a tool like [AI models] and aim it at every episode, every word we’ve ever talked about on the podcast over the years, all my writing… and give people access to that.” (21:10)

• On Milestones:

  “50 million—still a massive number. That seems extraordinary.” (26:50)
  “Over 300,000 people now follow Coaching for Leaders on one of their apps. That is a huge number.” (27:35)

• On the Show’s Future:

  “I think that I have the very best job in the world… I am so privileged to be able to be here and to be speaking to you each week and being supporting you in your work.” (32:00)
  “Thank you for the privilege to do that.” (32:30)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:50 — Six major workplace struggles from the survey
• 03:00–07:00 — Detailed breakdown of each struggle
• 08:40 — Survey feedback themes and Dave’s response
• 13:00 — Show format: Depth vs. brevity
• 18:55 — Announcement of ‘Focus 5’ weekly message
• 21:10 — Upcoming AI-powered archive search tool
• 23:00 — Milestones, personal reflections, and gratitude
• 26:45 — 50 million downloads & 300,000+ followers
• 32:00 — Closing gratitude and future intentions

Summary

This episode offers a transparent, listener-centric behind-the-scenes look at the Coaching for Leaders podcast. Dave Stachowiak celebrates a thriving, grateful community while clearly outlining how feedback influences the show’s evolution. Regular listeners—and potential new ones—will find reassurance in the program’s continued focus on relevance, depth, and accessibility, and can look forward to new streamlined tools and resources coming soon.