The Way I See It

Michael Way
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The Way I See It is a short, punchy podcast unpacking how business operates behind the scenes, hiring, leadership, performance, and decision-making - shaped by experience across global organisations and the reality of building one from scratch.  Built from real-world experience, not theory, each episode is designed to challenge your thinking, offer a subjective perspective, and leave you with something worth considering.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    Never Negotiate Until You Know These Four Principles

    Most people do not lose a negotiation because they asked for too little. They lose because they entered the conversation without knowing what they actually needed from it.  In the first practical episode of Season 2, Michael breaks down the four things you should decide before negotiating anything:  • Your ideal outcome • Your acceptable outcome • Your genuine walk-away point • What you are prepared to trade From buying a car, house or watch to negotiating salaries, childcare arrangements and commercial contracts, the setting may change-but the framework remains the same.  Michael also shares a recent negotiation from inside his own business, where protecting candidate ownership mattered more than defending every percentage point of margin. It is a real example of knowing which principle must be protected and which variable can be used to reach an agreement.  Because good negotiation is not about being aggressive or winning every point. It is about knowing what matters, understanding what the other person values and refusing to concede without purpose.  If you do not know what you want from the conversation, you are not negotiating. You are just reacting.  Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  2. Aug 11

    Season 2 Begins: From Perspective to Practice

    After a short break, The Way I See It returns with the same voice - but this time it’s more practical, more personal and more scenario-led, and shaped by you, the listener. Season 2: The Operating Manual – The Way We Build It From Perspective to Practice Season 1 established the perspective. Season 2 is about putting that perspective into practice, and occasionally under pressure. In this opening episode, I look back at the themes that shaped the first season: standards, patience, emotional control, alignment, leverage, visibility, relationships, rejection and continuing when nothing appears to be working yet. But once you understand the principle, the next question is: What do you actually do with it? Season 2 will sit in that gap, the messy, real-life moment where the principle meets the pressure. The same voice, but more practical, more personal and more scenario-led. Still short, still direct and still around 12–15 minutes—but with more focus on how I would approach the situations we all face in business, work and life. What to look out for this season Negotiation—and why it begins with understanding what you actually wantConflict management, difficult conversations and removing ego from tense situationsThe difference between being ruthless and being strategicWhat the first £100,000 teaches you about running a businessHow we use financial “money pots” to balance security, growth, personal reward and existing obligationsWhat I would prioritise, and completely ignore, if we had to start the business again tomorrowRecognising when the bigger opportunity may exist in another countryHow changing your environment can change your ambition, confidence and perspectiveThe qualities and actions that cannot always be expressed through a CVWhy the version of you that got you here may not be the version capable of taking you where you want to go nextSeason 2 will also become far more listener-led. If you are dealing with a difficult situation, avoiding an important conversation or struggling to make a decision, send it to me. Let’s unpack it. The Operating Manual is not being written from the finish line. It is being written while life, business and careers are still moving—through what has worked, what has not, what I would repeat and what I would change. Send me the question. Send me the situation. Send me the conversation you know you need to have but have not had yet. Welcome to Season 2 of The Way I See It—and ultimately, The Way We Build It. Let’s get into it. Michael Way Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  3. Jul 1

    What Keeps You Going? A Personal End to Season 1

    A personal Season 1 finale on ambition, risk, business, and building while the outcome is still uncertain.  Most people tell the story once they have made it.  Still Being Built is the Season 1 finale - and the most personal episode so far. Where I came from. Why I started the podcast. Why I built the business. What the first year really took. What keeps me hungry. And why I think the early parts of the story matters just as much as the ending. Season 1 ends here.  What to look forward to in Season 2 - returning in August. Listen if you are building something, questioning yourself, or trying to work out what is actually keeping you going.  Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  4. Jun 17

    Learn this skill to unlock opportunities.

    Business development is not just sales. It is the ability to create opportunity. To start conversations. Read people. Build trust. Negotiate. Handle rejection. Stay composed when things go quiet. And move first when everyone else is waiting. This episode brings together many of the themes from the first season.  Visibility.Confidence.Patience.Standards.Leverage.Emotional control.Relationships.Timing.Because business development teaches you all of them. It teaches you that the best communicators are not always the loudest. They are the people who understand who they are speaking to. It teaches you that silence is not always rejection. That a no is not always permanent. That confidence is built through action. And that opportunities rarely arrive fully formed. Most people wait to be noticed. Wait to be promoted. Wait for permission. Wait until they feel ready. Business development teaches you to stop waiting. Start the conversation. Create the opening. Put yourself in the room. This is not just an episode for people in sales. It is for anyone trying to build a business, career, network, reputation, or better life. Because once you learn how to create opportunity in business, you stop waiting for it everywhere else.  Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  5. Jun 2

    When Is It Personal vs When It's Just Business

    The Story You’re Telling Yourself Might Be Wrong Not every delay is disrespect. Not every silence is rejection. Not every changed priority is betrayal. Sometimes, it is just business. Sometimes, it is just business. In this episode, I’m talking about emotional control, ego, expectation and one of the hardest disciplines in business and life: learning how to separate emotion from outcome. When you care about your work, your reputation, your relationships and your standards, it is easy to take things personally. A slow reply feels like disrespect. A stalled opportunity feels like rejection. A changed priority feels like betrayal. But often, you are not dealing with the facts anymore. You are dealing with the story you have created around the facts. This episode is about staying composed when things do not go your way, following up professionally before reacting emotionally, and knowing when to walk away without making a scene. Because people remember how you behave when the answer is no, the deal goes cold, or the reply never comes. The real discipline is not pretending it does not affect you. The real discipline is feeling it - and still responding with control. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  6. May 15

    Why You’re Not Attracting Better Opportunities

    What if the law of attraction is not really about manifestation? What if it is about standards? In this episode of The Way I See It, I talk about why the opportunities, relationships, clients, environments and results we attract are often shaped by what we repeatedly tolerate. Because you can visualise success all day long, but if your boundaries are weak, your standards are low, and your actions do not match what you say you want, you are not attracting better. You are tolerating the same. This episode is about valuing yourself, valuing your time, and being honest about what you are giving energy to. I cover why not every opportunity is worth the cost, why walking away can sometimes be the standard, and why knowing your value is not just something you say - it is something you prove through your decisions. This applies in business, leadership, careers, relationships and personal life. Because whether it is a client who does not value your service, a relationship that feels one-sided, a room that lowers your standards, or an opportunity that requires you to shrink yourself… you have to ask: Am I attracting this, or am I allowing it? I cover this through the lens of business, leadership, careers, relationships and personal growth.  Because not every client is your client.  Not every opportunity is your opportunity.  Not every room is your room.  And not every relationship deserves continued access to you.  The key message: You do not just attract what you want. You attract what you tolerate. And sometimes walking away is not failure. Sometimes walking away is the standard. If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs the reminder to value themselves, their time and their standards. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  7. May 7

    Subtle Signs You’re Being Held Back

    Support vs Validation: Are You Being Challenged Enough? If nobody around you challenges you, pushes you, questions you, or raises your standards… are you really supported? Or are you just comfortable? In this episode, I talk about the quote: “If you’re always the smartest person in the room, you built the wrong room.” But this episode is not really about intelligence. It is about environment. The people you surround yourself with — professionally and personally — shape your ambition, your standards, your habits, and your growth. Your team.  Your friends.  Your relationships.  Your mentors.  Your training partners.  The people you ask for advice.  The people you complain to. They are not neutral. They are either raising your standard, keeping you still, or quietly pulling you backwards. I explore the difference between genuine support and easy validation, and why the right people do not just protect your feelings — they protect your future. Because comfort can feel like loyalty. But sometimes, the wrong room is not supporting you.  It is protecting you from growth.  Standout Quote “The wrong room will protect your ego. The right room will protect your future.” Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  8. Apr 28

    This Is How You Earn Leverage

    Everyone says they want more flexibility, better balance, and control over their time. But very few people stop to ask a more important question: Have I actually built the leverage to justify it yet? In this episode, I break down a pattern I’m seeing across all levels—early career through to senior hires—where the focus shifts to flexibility before credibility has been established. We talk about:  Why leverage isn’t given, it’s accumulated  The difference between earning flexibility vs asking for it  How compounding actually works in your career  Where the modern shift towards lifestyle-first thinking can slow progress  Why initiative might be one of the most underrated traits in business today This isn’t about rejecting flexibility or balance. It’s about understanding sequence—and why getting that wrong creates friction, missed opportunities, and slower progression. Key Takeaways For Individuals:  Leverage comes from output, trust, credibility, and scarcity—not time served  Flexibility is an outcome of value created, not a starting condition  Focus on building something valuable before trying to optimise your lifestyle  Initiative is often the first step before momentum, visibility, or opportunity For Leaders & Hiring Managers:  Early signals of mindset often show up in what candidates prioritise  Alignment at entry point matters—expectation vs contribution  High performers tend to focus on building first, optimising later  There is a growing gap between those building leverage and those expecting it Call to Action If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s early in their career—or someone stepping into a new role. And if you’re enjoying the podcast, follow and leave a review—it helps more people find it. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  9. Apr 14

    Why Do Most People Quit Too Early

    Being calm in the quiet phase - when nothing looks like it’s working Most people don’t fail because they’re doing the wrong things. They fail because they stop doing the right things… too early. In this episode, I break down the reality of delayed gratification, especially in environments where effort and results are separated by time.  Because when nothing seems to be happening…  that’s usually when the real work is taking place.  Drawing from over a decade of building from scratch - new markets, cold desks, and revenue lines—this episode unpacks what’s actually going on during the “quiet phase,” and why so many people misread it. In this episode:  The real timeline behind progress and momentum  Why effort doesn’t pay back immediately  The psychology of the quiet phase  Why most people quit too early  The role of consistency and compounding  A note for leaders on misjudging performance If things feel slow, uncertain, or like nothing’s landing, this is the phase most people don’t make it through. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  10. Apr 6

    Stop applying. Start getting noticed.

    Most job applications go nowhere, not because you’re unqualified, but because you’re invisible. In today’s market, applying has become a numbers game. Hundreds of applicants. AI-written CVs. Identical messaging. So instead of standing out…  everyone blends in. In this episode, I break down why the application process is broken - and what actually works if you want to get noticed. We cover:  Why applying to more roles isn’t the answer  What’s really happening behind the scenes in hiring  Why many roles are already in motion before you apply  The difference between being qualified vs being known  Practical ways to create visibility and stand outIf you’re early in your career, or feeling stuck getting no response, this will change how you approach job hunting. Because in a crowded market… being good isn’t enough. You have to be seen. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  11. Mar 31

    You’re not lazy - you’re just misaligned.

    Stop managing time. Start managing energy  Most people think burnout comes from working too much. This episode challenges that. It’s not always about volume - it’s about alignment. In this episode of The Way I See It, I break down why performance issues are often misdiagnosed as laziness, lack of discipline, or poor work ethic — when in reality, they’re caused by people working against how they’re naturally wired. Using a simple framework of four energy types, Initiator, Sustainer, Advisor, and Reflector, this episode explores how different people generate and deploy energy, and why most organisations completely ignore this when designing roles. What we cover:  Why “working harder” doesn’t always improve performance  The difference between managing time vs managing energy  How misalignment leads to burnout, disengagement, and underperformance  Why many “bad hires” are actually deployment issues  How leadership and team design often reward the wrong behaviours Key takeaway: Most performance problems aren’t capability issues. They’re alignment issues. When you understand how people actually operate, and deploy them accordingly, performance becomes easier, not forced. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  12. Mar 29

    Ignorance is bliss

    You brought them in for change - then asked them to fit in. Most businesses don’t lose value when they hire, they lose it in what happens next. In this episode, I break down one of the most common and expensive leadership mistakes: hiring capability, then immediately overriding it. What starts as a strong hire quickly becomes a more expensive version of what already exists. We get into:  Why onboarding often dilutes the very thinking you hired  The difference between hiring for capability vs hiring for comfort  How good operators unintentionally suppress new ideas  And the one question every leader should ask after making a hire This is a subjective take, drawn from real-world experience across global organisations and now, building one, not theory.  Short episode. Practical thinking. Designed to challenge perspective and sharpen how you operate. Get in touch for further insights, or ideas for future topics of interest. Follow The Way I See It  for short, practical insights on hiring, leadership, and performance. New episodes frequently.

  • 12 Episodes

About

The Way I See It is a short, punchy podcast unpacking how business operates behind the scenes, hiring, leadership, performance, and decision-making - shaped by experience across global organisations and the reality of building one from scratch.  Built from real-world experience, not theory, each episode is designed to challenge your thinking, offer a subjective perspective, and leave you with something worth considering.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Way
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Way I See It
  • Show Website
    The Way I See It