Designing Work Around Your Strengths with Dave Stachowiak

Ceri interviews long-time podcast host Dave Stachowiak about his journey of building Coaching for Leaders from scratch. They discuss what motivates him, how he transformed it from a side project into a full-time pursuit, his approach as an introverted leader, and key insights on leadership, collaboration, and unlocking creative potential. Dave shares the story behind his "aha" moment with powerful listening and the questions that open people up.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Dave started the podcast out of boredom driving in LA traffic, and saw a gap for a consistently released, high-quality leadership show.
• He then quit his part-time teaching gig he loved, to focus fully on the podcast and coaching work as it gained traction.
• As an introvert, Dave designs work around his introverted strengths and finds people to complement the skills he lacks.
• Success is finding the sweet spot of the intersection of several things you are good at - for Dave it's academic expertise, tech/communications, and practitioner experience.
• Involve others early when you are facing decisions or feel stuck, then test and iterate quickly to combat procrastination tendencies.
• Your engaged audience can give you clues to how you develop your content; for Dave it's his Academy members who shape the show by sharing real struggles, making content resonate widely.
• Working directly with clients fuels Dave’s podcast topics and keeps him connected and grounded.

BEST MOMENTS 

"I wish I could tell you I had some grand plan of how all this was going to work. But the reality was, I was bored, driving around Los Angeles."

"If I'm going to do this job, which I had committed to do both to myself and others, I'm going to have to figure out a better way, because I could knock door to door. It's not that I couldn't do it...it's just that this is not going to work well for me."

"Just asking a question like that to invite someone to say more...don't worry about (like) getting better at everything. Just ask one more question..."

"When that happens and when that comes together and someone says. 'Hey, this episode you just aired or this conversation or this expert you had on helped me to have a tough conversation or work through something that I'd really been struggling with'. Wow. That's so much joy."

"You having shown up to create this space for the people you work with, I think is like so wonderful and beautiful that you've done this and the people who've come together and have found community in your work. I'm so in awe of what you've done and your bravery in creating this."

PODCAST HOST BIO

Meet Ceri Hand, the driving force behind countless creative success stories. A creative coach, entrepreneur, and dynamic speaker, she's committed to empowering creatives to realise their dreams and make a meaningful impact through her creative coaching, mentoring and training company. With three decades in the arts under her belt, Ceri has ridden the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Now, she's here to help you achieve your goals, your way.

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