S6E3: What Listening Actually Costs with Stan Slovin
Have you ever walked out of a meeting convinced everyone was aligned, only to discover weeks later that half the team heard something completely different? Stan Slovin has spent years working with leaders who thought they were listening, until the silence, the turnover, and the failed projects proved otherwise. In this conversation, we dig into the small tells that reveal when someone has stopped hearing you, the moment a CEO's dinner table question changed his relationship with his daughter, and why the impulse to solve instead of listen might be costing you more than you realize. This isn't about communication frameworks or active listening checklists. It's about what actually happens when people feel unheard, and the surprisingly simple shifts that turn surface interactions into conversations that build trust, clarity, and better work.
Quotable Moments:
"When you talk, you're only repeating what you already know. But when you listen, you actually may learn something."
"The number one reason clients leave is never because of performance. It's because they feel that they were not listened to."
"Listen more and say less. Because that's really where it comes down to."
About the Guest:
Stan Slovin works with leaders and teams in high-stakes environments where listening isn't optional. He's the author of a book on better listening and has seen firsthand what happens when the people doing the work feel like their voices don't matter.
Call-to-Action:
Next time someone on your team starts talking, try this: don't solve, don't respond, don't finish their sentence. Just ask them to tell you more. You might be surprised by what you've been missing. If this episode landed for you, share it with a PM who needs the reminder that listening is still the most underrated skill we have.
Resources:
- "Good to Great" by Jim Collins (referenced in the episode regarding the concept that great leaders are great listeners) - Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins | The StoryGraph
- "Better Listening" by Stan Slovin: https://www.betterlisteningbook.com/
