Will Steel could ride along on a milk delivery route before he could read. His mother ran the round for 40 years, seven days a week, just to cover the grocery bill. Decades later, after a stonemason apprenticeship, dual engineering qualifications, and a stint flying formation for the Royal Air Force, Will was offered the most prestigious flying job in the country: a 747 captain's seat at British Airways.

He turned it down for a job starting at the bottom, doing personal development work, with a 75% pay cut.

On this episode of FINE is a 4-Letter Word, Will talks with Lori Saitz about that decision, the 27 years of business coaching that followed, and the tools he now uses to help business owners escape what he calls the doing trap — the pattern that keeps owners working 65-hour weeks instead of building something that can run without them.

What You'll Take Away

• Why the impressive option and the right option are not always the same thing
• How a car body shop owner went from chasing $2.5M in survival revenue to a $23.5M acquisition offer in 12 months
• The 15-minute time audit that reveals where a business owner's hours actually go
• Why delegation fails when you hand over the how instead of the outcome
• What Will means when he says authenticity is a practice, not a personality trait

Guest Bio

Will Steel is a transformational leadership coach, author of Free to Lead, and host of the Free to Lead podcast. A former Royal Air Force pilot who graduated with the Leadership Trophy from RAF College Cranwell, he spent over 21 years as a senior leader with one of the world's most influential personal-development organizations after 10 years flying. He has delivered transformational programs to more than 90,000 people across 26 countries, and his clients include founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and change-makers across the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.

Chapters & Key Timestamps

00:00Will calls in from Costa Rica, about to go surfing after this

01:30The values he was raised with, and delivering milk at three years old

04:00His mother's 40-year milk round and what his parents built from nothing

08:30The car body shop owner who went from $2.5M to $23.5M in 12 months

11:00The unlikely career path: stonemason, engineer, university, RAF pilot

14:00Joining the airlines, and why it felt like being a bus driver

15:30The Landmark Forum, the British Airways offer, and the 75% pay cut decision

20:00Why business owners get stuck in the doing, and what it costs them

23:00The 15-minute time audit tool that reveals where the hours actually go

27:00Delegation done right: pay for outcomes, not doing

32:00Authentic leadership: it is not a feeling, it is a practice

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Free to Lead by Will Steel
• Podcast: Free to Lead, hosted by Will Steel
• Program: The Landmark Forum
• Free Resource: willsteel.com/freetolead.php
• Song: Rock 'n' Roll Star by Oasis — open.spotify.com/track/17z8eLCkciVamEqXJS6Ri8

Connect With Will Steel

Website: willsteel.com

Podcast: Free to Lead

Free Resource: willsteel.com/freetolead.php

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/will-steel-business-coach-high-performance-transformation

Facebook: facebook.com/share/1Me8gmNHzf

Instagram: @willsteelcoaching

Continue With Lori

Website: zenrabbit.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/

Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.com

Invitation From Lori

This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.

Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real conversations.

Think of it as the old-school company newsletter reinvented for the modern workplace.

If your company wants to strengthen communication, connection, community, and culture, connect with Lori at Lori@ZenRabbit.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/

Related Conversation

Episode 237: Scott Doggett — on employee engagement and why most leaders are managing the wrong 50 percent of their team.

About FINE is a 4-Letter Word

FINE is a 4-Letter Word is the show for leaders who are tired of pretending everything is fine. We explore what it takes to lead with empathy, vulnerability, gratitude, and courage, especially during the seasons when life and leadership feel anything but fine. Listen for honest conversations about how human connection influences innovation, retention, leadership, and real impact. New episodes every week.

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