The Project Success Podcast
The Conversation With Clint Padgett
A Leading Communication Podcast for Business and Team Success
Team Execution
Team Empowerment
Team Accountability
The key to business and team success finds its roots deep in conversation.
Clint Padgett serves as the President and CEO of Project Success. With more than 30 years in project management, he has developed his expertise by assisting Fortune 100 companies in improving their operations. To learn how to manage projects, teams, and results effectively, listen to Clint Padgett on the Conversation podcast, where he engages with business leaders, best-selling authors, and academics conducting innovative research that encourages professional and business growth.
Available now on:
Did you realize the key to business and team success finds its roots deep in conversation? Join Clint Padgett, who’s built his career helping Fortune 100 companies optimize their businesses, as he interviews leaders who encourage employees to learn, challenge, and grow. If you want to effectively manage people and optimize results, this is the podcast for you. The Conversation with Clinton M. Padgett from Forbes Books.
In this episode, Clint talks with M.J. Clark – Vice President at Integrated Leadership Systems and author of “Leading Through Listening” – about why listening is one of the most overlooked yet powerful leadership skills, and how it directly impacts trust, communication, and team performance.
Drawing from her experience as a leadership consultant and executive coach, M.J. shares how many leaders unintentionally undermine their teams by talking too much, steering conversations, or failing to create an environment where people feel heard. She explains what “quiet leadership” looks like in practice, how to use questions instead of answers to empower teams, and why psychological safety starts with how leaders listen.
Through personal stories and real-world examples, M.J. highlights how better listening leads to stronger collaboration, more innovative thinking, and deeper respect across teams.This is the first part of a two-part conversation.
Topics Covered:
- The difference between talking to lead and listening to lead
- How “quiet leadership” empowers teams to find their own answers
- Why leaders who dominate conversations limit team performance
- The role of psychological safety in open communication
- How to recognize when a team doesn’t feel heard
- The concept of conversational turn-taking and why it matters
- How leaders can draw out quieter voices in meetings
- The impact of listening on trust, respect, and team dynamics
- Common communication habits that unintentionally shut people down
- The connection between listening and better decision-making
- Why diverse perspectives strengthen team outcomes
- How self-awareness shapes effective communication
Links:
M.J.’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjclark22/
M.J.’s book, “Leading Through Listening” – https://amzn.to/4ugN22q
Equip your people with clarity. Deliver projects that build trust.
Let’s talk about your next project – and how to make it the first of many successful ones.