Podcast Episode 11: Building Trust — Michael Ayers interview 

Robert Mixon:  

Well, welcome everyone in our ‘Level Five audience’ to our continuing series of podcasts on “The Journey With No Summit.” 

Today, we are privileged to have Mr. Michael Ayers, the President and CEO of the Melbourne Florida Regional Chamber with us today. Michael has been the President and CEO of this great organization for over three years now, and has led the organization to be — in my humble opinion — one of the leading entities of its type here in central Florida. 

He’s a graduate, I believe, of the University of Illinois, if I got that right, Michael… 

 

Michael Ayers: 

Got it! 

 

Robert Mixon: 

All right, the University of Illinois! 

We had a chance to meet a month or two ago, and I had a chance to meet with his team. 

I really think his journey will be of great interest to our audience today, particularly with a theme that we’re going to talk about in terms of the Big Six, “Trust and Empower.”  

So, Michael, again, thanks for being here today. 

I’d like to start by asking you… in your journey, what’s the most important aspect of building trust that you have observed throughout your career thus far? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Well, first off, Robert, thank you very much for having me as your guest today. It’s a privilege to speak with someone of your background and credentials. So, I’m very happy to be here with you today. 

That’s a great question. 

For me, and from my perspective, and what I’ve observed in my career…  

…the biggest, the most important aspect of building trust is to be a good listener. 

That’s something that sounds so simple, but it’s oftentimes very difficult for people to comprehend, and actually follow through. 

The best leaders I’ve seen in my time… are the ones that are very good at not only listening, but actually hearing what people are saying… getting varying opinions and different points of view. 

That doesn’t mean they’re always going to do what is said. Part of being a leader is also deciding what’s the proper course forward. 

But I think it’s important that, to be a good leader, you must have good listening skills, listen to what the individual is saying. 

Then as you balance the different viewpoints, then you go forward and decide what’s the best course forward. 

So definitely, listening would be the most important aspect of building trust that I’ve encountered. 

 

Robert Mixon: 

Okay, thanks, Michael. 

How does that listening or development of trust, how has that enabled you to empower others? 

 

Michael Ayers: 

Well… I’ve obviously tried to be a good listener. 

The more that you listen to your team and your staff around you, they feel like you are actually really wanting to get their input.  

They feel like they have a say, if you’re listening to what they have to say, and then moving forward and implementing some of their suggestions. 

So I think, by being a good listener, and then following through, you are empowering others on your team, because then… they have skin in the game, and they’re saying, “Well, my leader really cares what I have to say. So I need to be really thoughtful of what I’m going to say, and how I’m going to respond in situations.” 

It empowers your team to perform at a high level, because they know that whatever input they have, you’re going to really take it to heart, and take it into account, moving forward for your organization. 

So… being a good listener will empower your team to buy into your mission and your culture, and what your organization is doing. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

Good. That’s a great insight, Michael. Thanks. 

In terms of being able to hear what’s said, and give people the chance to speak their piece, whether or not it’s going to be the way we go or not. 

 

Michael Ayers: 

Definitely.  

 

Robert Mixon:  

I think that the ability to listen is really magnified by the ability to ask what I call ‘power questions.’ 

I think you and I’ve talked about this before. 

But, a lot of the ability to listen, in my experience has been being able to ask the right questions. Do you agree? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Completely. I think that’s probably the biggest mistake leaders can make: asking the wrong questions. 

It doesn’t matter what your team or what the responses are, if you’re not getting to the heart of the matter. 

So, definitely asking the right questions is a critical, critical skill set. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

How did you develop that skill? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Well, I’ll be honest, I think it’s something that you never really attain. I think it’s something you always have to hone. 

Part of it is through observation. 

When I’m new to a group, or I’m in a meeting, or I’m in a larger setting, I often try to listen first before I speak — and really get a feel… what are the issues? What are some of the critical inflection points? 

Then by listening, I then can understand better. 

‘Okay, here’s what I need to move forward.’ 

It helps me to hone in on what are the critical points for an organization moving forward. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

Okay. Yeah. Thanks, Michael. 

What do you think the characteristics are of a healthy world-class culture? 

What are the qualities that you’ve observed in your experience? 

 

Michael Ayers: 

That’s a great question. One that probably has many different answers, because I think there’s… different objects… different characteristics that can go into different cultures depending on the organization. 

But I think there’s a few in particular. 

Clear expectations of the team, and what are the goals you’re striving for? What are the expectations you have on your team members is very critical. 

Giving them appropriate autonomy, to where you need to not only set the expectation and say, “here’s what I need you to accomplish,” but then you need to take a step back as the leader and go let them do it. 

They may not have the exact approach that you would have, but if you really trust your people, you need to be willing to let them do it their way and figure it out on their own. 

That’s going to help in the long run, that’s going to build up their confidence, that’s going to build up their trust… them knowing that you trust them, that you’re empowering them. So, I think definitely giving autonomy. 

Proper recognition of achievements and effort, making sure that people know that you are observing the work they’re putting in, the effort they’re making, the accomplishments they’re achieving — giving positive feedback.  

That goes a long way. 

Another aspect is: seeking input from your leadership team and from your employees. 

So they know — it’s not just my direction, it’s the direction of the organization. It’s something that is collaborative. I think that’s always been critical to a world-class culture: being very collaborative. 

… Leadership still starts at the top, and leadership means taking responsibility, good or bad. 

More importantly, when things go poorly, it means the leader takes responsibility for that. 

When things go well, it means you share the credit… give credit where it’s due, and shine the light on all the stars in your organization. 

Last but not least, I’d say making sure to make time for extracurriculars or socialization outside of the workplace.

The bonds you form in the workplace are one thing, but you can strengthen those relationships outside of the workplace.

So, making time in your organization for that type of interaction outside of work is definitely critical to the culture. 

 

Robert Mixon: 

Okay. Thanks, Michael. That’s a pretty good list. 

As far as a world-class culture goes, I think that’s awesome. 

And I think the last one you were really, what I heard you say was that you were talking about building the bonds among the team by promoting the idea of having fun. Is that right? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Exactly. 

… You gotta be outside of your elements.. away from what’s going on at work… go take an afternoon… 

… One thing we did in the past was a scavenger hunt. 

It was something that we broke up into teams, and we just went for the afternoon, and went around downtown Melbourne. 

It was a fun exercise where we really got to know each other. 

We had the challenge of doing something that was not at all work-related. 

Definitely bringing fun into the organization is a good idea. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

Scavenger hunt! That’s cool. 

So, who is your hero or heroine as a leader, and why is that person your hero? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

That’s a tough question because there’s a lot of different ways you could answer this. I think probably for me personally, it would be my father, Steve Ayers. 

… Growing up, I had the opportunity to observe him and how he interacted with people. 

One, he was a very hard worker, but he always had his priorities in line with his family. He always made time for the family… he was also very selfless. 

It was not about “what am I getting out of this” or “what’s in it for me?” 

It was, “how can I help other people? How can I get more involved to help our community?”  

He really instilled, not just a strong work ethic, but “what can I do to better the community, and make sure that we’re all working together to move things forward.”  

So definitely, I think my father was an inspiration and a hero for how he, how he’s always lived his life. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

That’s great. That’s great, Michael. Thanks. 

I can almost get an image from your description of your father, Steve, of what kind of person he was and why he is your hero. So, that’s terrific. 

What, shifting a little bit here, Michael, what advice would you give young leaders, aspiring leaders to learn to develop the skills that we’ve been talking about thus far in the conversation? 

What would you say to them, to help them in their journey? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

One of the biggest pieces of advice I’d give… and what something that definitely helped me tremendously throughout my career was: to seek out, be intentional in seeking out mentors and other leaders… observe and try to mimic skills… 

I think in my experience, especially over the last five to 10 years, there’s a lot of people that come into the workforce that are young. They’re very talented, but they’re not ready. 

They think they know everything already, and they’re ready to go from right out of college to upper management. 

They don’t want to put in the hard work necessarily. They’re not necessarily listening or seeking out guidance from others. 

I had a lot of very strong mentors along the way, who I was able to sit back and observe and see… see how they lead, see how they listen, see how they empower. 

So, I think if I could give one piece of advice, it would be to understand that you don’t know everything at the age of 22 or 23, at that point you have a lot to learn. 

It’s important that you try to find role models that you can touch base with time to time and really follow what they’re doing in their career, and how they’re leading their organizations. 

Hopefully, those people will be good leaders for them to follow. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

Okay. Yeah. So, I think seeking mentors is a great suggestion, Michael, great notion. 

I don’t think I did that nearly enough in my career. Part of it was because, I think I felt as though if I went and asked somebody to be a mentor for me, they might think it was kind of awkward, and I think what I’m hearing you say is we need to do that. We need to go seek out people to be mentors, and not be afraid to ask them to provide that. 

Correct? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

You’re right. I think you’re absolutely right that probably people don’t do that because they are worried about that fear of rejection, or they don’t want to bother someone because they’re so busy. 

But in my experience, I’ve found that for the most part, anyone that I’ve talked to about it, or that I’ve had the ability to have as a mentor… when I’ve sought them out, they’re actually very flattered. 

They’re very willing to share… If anything, it’s a boost to their ego that you’re seeking their input and their feedback, and you admire them enough that you’re asking them… 

So, I think that that’s something that I think you’re spot on that people probably don’t do it as much as they should, because they’re not wanting to be a pest or a nuisance. 

But I think, for the most part, a good leader is willing to do that, because they want to share their knowledge, and they want to help. They want to help bring along the next generation. 

 

Robert Mixon: 

Yeah, yeah, I think you’re right. I think we who could be mentors appreciate being asked, but I just don’t think we’re asked enough. 

I don’t think we are encouraging young leaders as much as we need to, to seek out mentors, not somebody, perhaps in their direct chain of command, but somebody they admire and respect, who has experience in a leadership role who’d be willing to listen to a phone call — or, get on a proverbial Zoom call, as we say these days — and just share some thoughts and ideas. 

You might get feedback you don’t want to hear, but you got to be willing to accept that, right? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Absolutely. You’re right, it doesn’t need to be someone in your direct report or direct chain. 

I’ve often found some of my best mentors are people that are maybe within my industry, but work for another organization, or they’re in a position that maybe I aspire to be years, years down the road, and I’ve had the opportunity to come in contact with them. 

So I just seek them out. 

… The mentors and the people that are guiding you can be from all walks of life, and they don’t have to be just within your organization at that moment. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

Great point. 

Yeah, I think even if they’re in another profession, another field, they can still provide a lot of insight to you. Because leadership is leadership. 

I don’t think necessarily the industry or profession is as important as the principles that we talked about, for example, in the Big Six and we talked about listening today, and ‘Trust and Empower,’ and a number of other valuable takeaways that you’ve given us so far, Michael. 

Is there another big idea you’d like our listeners to take away from today’s podcast? 

 

Michael Ayers:  

… I usually tend to revert back to keep it simple… I don’t know how big of an idea this is… but I think it’s something that’s often forgotten in today’s culture, and in society today. 

I think, in many respects, we’re very polarized. I think this most recent election is an example of that. But I think if I could give one — and I don’t know if it’s a big idea, but one more piece of advice — I’d say, to always try and seek out and look for the good in people. 

Because I think oftentimes, people are immediately looking for the bad, or they’re noticing something that is troubling or bothersome. 

If people would take time to really, when they encounter someone, or they’re getting to know someone, if they try and find the good qualities in those individuals, I think it would just make the world a much better place than it is today and much less polarizing. 

I think at heart, most people are good. 

They want to do good.

But sometimes, it’s just a matter of how you approach them and how you interact with them. It can bring out sometimes a negative in some people. 

So you have to really… dig a little deeper to find the positive. 

I think that’s probably my big idea to people… something that’s not earth shattering, but it’s just kind of … a nice way to approach life. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

That’s terrific, Michael. Thanks. 

You know what, I certainly agree with you that we need a lot more positivity in our interaction with others. 

I think as leaders, we have to model that behavior. We model a behavior of positivity, and seeking out the good, and asking people questions that are positive and not negative in tone, then I think we’re going to develop each other more, and we’re going to learn more. So that’s really, I think, great, terrific insights you’ve given us today. 

I appreciate very much you’re doing this interview, Michael, and the leadership you’re providing to the entire Melbourne community

We’ve been in the midst of crisis for number of months now. 

I think it’s evident in what I’ve seen with your organization, that you continue to lead from the front and lead from a standpoint that says, we can do this… this is what opportunities are in front of us, and not do a lot of hand wringing. So I respect that very much, Michael. 

I encourage our listeners to stay involved in our podcast series, as we interview other leading executives and different types of companies and organizations, because it’s important as leaders that we have the ability and the willingness to grow every day. 

So thanks, Michael, for being with us today, and sharing your insights and thoughts on trust and empowerment, listening, culture, just a number of wonderful takeaways. Thanks, Michael. 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Well, thank you, Robert, I really appreciate the opportunity to chat with you today. 

Definitely the questions made me think… I probably learned a few things myself… and will apply it in my everyday life. 

It is always good to reflect on these types of discussion, qualities and how you can be a better leader and how you can better yourself. 

So I appreciate your time and what you’re doing here with this podcast. 

 

Robert Mixon:  

Great, Michael. Well, certainly wish you well, and wish all of our listeners well, as you continue to enjoy the journey of becoming a leader you’re capable of. Thanks very much. 

 

Michael Ayers:  

Thank you.   

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