Join us for a discussion about the importance of core values, building a community and why setting standards for your team is so important. Dave Stachowiak shares how he got into the coaching and leadership space, starting with a 15-year career at the Dale Carnegie training organization. He then pursued a doctorate degree and started the Coaching for Leaders podcast as a side project, which eventually became his main focus.

1. Core Values and Systems

Dave discusses the three core values that have guided his podcast from the beginning: 1) Ensuring the content is useful for leaders, 2) Maintaining consistency by publishing new episodes weekly, and 3) Prioritizing high-quality audio. These values have helped him make tough decisions, like turning down interview requests that don't align with what's most helpful for his audience.

2. Building an Engaged Community

Dave explains his approach to building an engaged community, focusing on a smaller group of Coaching for Leaders Pro members rather than trying to grow a massive following. He values depth of relationships over breadth, and has learned from mistakes like trying to provide too much long-form content that didn't resonate.

3. Lessons from a Mentor

Dave shares stories about a former manager named Rhonda Kurtz, who taught him the importance of setting high standards for excellence and leading by example. These lessons around valuing quality and integrity have stuck with Dave and continue to shape his approach to leadership.

4. Continuous Improvement

Dave discusses a current challenge of adjusting the length of his live events based on feedback from his community. He emphasizes the importance of being open to feedback, acknowledging blind spots, and iterating on processes to better serve his audience, even when it means making difficult decisions.

You can learn more about Dave Stachowiak over at the Coaching for Leaders podcast. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

As always, if you have any questions or want to submit a guest for the podcast that you think would be amazing, just reach out to me on the Systematic Leader website, and I’ll do my best to get them on. If you enjoy the interview, please take 30 seconds to rate the Systematic Leader podcast on your favorite platform. Thanks!