The People Contingency | Avoid Staff Turnover in ABA
What happens when the people part doesn’t go to plan? This podcast tackles the realities of building, managing, and sustaining people systems—especially in mission-driven fields like autism care, healthcare, and education. We cover recruiting, training, HR systems, psychological safety, and retention. Expect honest conversations about what actually works to hire better, support teams, and lead with purpose—without losing sight of the humans behind the work.
The People Contingency | Avoid Staff Turnover in ABA
5 | Beyond Training, Start Coaching: The Smarter Way to Lead with Dr. Nicholas Weatherly
Most leaders say they’re drowning in meetings. The calendar is packed, the interruptions never stop, and the things they love about their work get buried under “urgent” noise. But what if the fix wasn’t another productivity hack, but rethinking the entire system around people?
In this episode, Dr. Nicholas Weatherly examines why so many “solutions” (like endless training) don’t actually solve performance problems and how coaching systems, not quick fixes, change the game.
Listen in as he gets candid about burnout, incentives, and why HR needs to get comfortable outside its comfort zone.
In this conversation, Nic breaks down:
- Why leaders default to “just train them”—and why it rarely solves the problem.
- How to give leaders their time back without sacrificing results.
- How to build a coaching system that survives beyond the “consultant of the month”.
- How to balance purpose and productivity when incentives are on the line.
- A quick diagnostic lens for performance problems (skill vs. environment).
Ideas Worth Sharing:
- “People do what they do because it works… And we know this because they keep doing it.” - Dr. Nicholas Weatherly
- “Just by doing something that sucks over and over again, it doesn't make it suck less—you just keep on repeating the cycle. But you can check that box and get it out of your hair.” - Dr. Nicholas Weatherly
- “If you're going to do one thing, you need to build a coaching system because people need individualized support. And coaching provides these quick, concise, frequent interactions that are necessary to shape behavior and help people find value in what's working and what's not.” - Dr. Nicholas Weatherly
Resources mentioned:
- Podcast episode: WTF ABA C.A.R.E.S Podcast with Dr. Nicholas Weatherly
- Holli Beth's LinkedIn Poll
- Performance Management by Aubrey Daniels
- Bringing Out the Best in People by Aubrey Daniels
- Dr John Austin - Performance Diagnostic Checklist
- SHRM - Qualifying Professional Development Credit Activities
- Deliberate Coaching by Nicholas Weatherly and Paul Gavoni
- Reaching Results
- Training for Impact by Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson
- Becoming Superman by J. Michael Straczynski
About the Guest
Stop fighting workforce challenges. Start outsmarting them. Join us at the ABA C.A.R.E.S. Summit and transform how you lead, staff, and grow your organization.
Register today at https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/abacares2026/home