DiBona & Associates - The Top Ten Percent , LeadershipDiBona & Associates - The Top Ten Percent , Leadershiphttps://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/leadershipFri, 06 Mar 2026 14:10:55 -0800http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[How to Become a High-Potential Boss]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/how-to-become-a-high-potential-bossEnhance leadership performance by embracing change, building strong teams, and driving results. Discover strategies to adapt, foster collaboration, and meet objectives. Learn how DiBona & Associates leverages neuropsychology, people analytics, and peer-to-peer training to develop effective leaders.]]>

There are three main areas that we've found to have a tremendous impact on leadership performance.

Everything in business today is about how we respond to change

It is no wonder that it is the first item on our list. We tell our clients to be open to new experiences. Executive leadership places a high value on the ability to maintain adaptability. They reward flexible leaders who can consistently adjust to and welcome change. Those who oppose change are frequently perceived as being too set in their ways and are passed over for leadership positions. When change-resistant leaders are sidelined or let go, it is often easier for others in the organization to understand the importance of the necessary changes and their desire to embrace those changes vastly improves. Change resistant leaders affect lots of people in negative ways. 

High-potential leaders are adaptable in the face of organizational change and take ownership of their own growth and improvement. They, like everyone else, make errors, but it is their ability to learn from those mistakes that distinguishes successful executives from those who fail.

Many executives fail because they are incapable (or reluctant) to adapt. They may resist change because their previous accomplishments indicate that they do not need to change, and they are afraid that making any changes will result in failure. However, becoming more adaptable is critical to maintaining a career path, and a leader's resistance to change affects not only them, but their direct reports as well, possibly impeding their ability to advance.

Here are some suggestions to increase your ability to accept and adjust to change:
    • Shift your mindset to better adapt to, learn from, and accept change.
    • Take more calculated risks.
    • Put yourself in unfamiliar situations or roles.
    • If you fail, make an effort to bounce back.
    • In the midst of change, uncertainty, and setbacks, maintain your optimism and resilience.
    • Concentrate on becoming more adaptable by learning how to persevere through change.

Create stronger alliances.

Managing collaboration is difficult. A good team leader must select, develop, engage, and motivate a group of individuals to work toward a common objective. A team leader is accountable not only for their own outcomes, but also for the outcomes of others.

Leaders who struggle to create teams may fail to deliver the results they promised. Their team members may feel undervalued, which can contribute to dysfunction and, eventually, team departures. Furthermore, these leaders may acquire a reputation as poor people managers, impeding their advancement to leading more senior-level teams.

Here are some suggestions to create stronger alliances:
    • Develop your ability to form and manage a collaborative team. 
    • Volunteer to lead a workgroup or manage a large undertaking that requires collaboration.
    • Make a concerted attempt to help others grow. 
    • Assist in identifying and retaining top talent for your company. Smart managers invest in the growth of their immediate reports' talent.

Produce results.

Leaders who are results-oriented are critical to the success of their organizations. The ability of an executive to achieve key objectives decisively has a significant impact on how others perceive their performance — as well as the bottom line of their company. However, even the best intentions can backfire when leaders fail to meet performance standards due to a lack of follow-through on promises or being overly ambitious.

Failure to deliver on promises can lead to a breach of confidence. Leaders who are on the verge of failing because they fail to deliver on their promises may have exceeded their current level of competence without recognizing it. Even if a person is excellent with people and well-liked by supervisors, peers, and direct reports, if they fail to drive results toward business objectives, they risk falling off the leadership ladder.

High-potential leaders drive results rather than simply facilitating them.

Here are some suggestions to produce more results:
    • Coordinate more activities with other groups and individuals 
    • Improve your ability to communicate a future vision.
    • Engage team members, and work to create changes that benefit the organization.
    • Be skilled at managing expectations so that you are not perceived as someone who over promises but under delivers.

DiBona & Associates offers leaders, at all levels, the opportunity to build better leadership through communication training, engineering team dynamics, and building influence in your organization. Our methods are based on the application of neuropsychology, people analytics, and peer-to-peer training methods.
]]>Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:00:03 +0000<![CDATA[The Middle Manager's Guide to Leading from the Center]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/the-middle-manager-s-guide-to-leading-from-the-centerMiddle managers are the backbone of any organization. Discover the six essential skills for leading from the center: systemic thinking, resiliency, communication, influence, learning agility, and self-awareness.]]>

Being a middle manager is like being a member of the offensive line in a football game. The coaches (senior executives) set the overall strategy, and the quarterback and star players often get the limelight. But it's the offensive line that does the crucial work of blocking and creating opportunities. You're there in the middle, ensuring everything functions seamlessly. Your role may not always attract the spotlight, but without your effective "blocking," the team wouldn't be able to advance down the field. 

The Six Essential Skills for Leading from the Middle

Ready to elevate your managerial game? Dive into this actionable guide packed with insights and tools that will sharpen these six must-have skills for any middle manager.

1. Thinking and Acting Systemically

Why it's Important:
Limited viewpoints can lead to missteps. Understanding how your actions affect the broader organizational landscape is critical for avoiding unintentional disruptions and maximizing productivity.

How to Do it Better:
    • Stakeholder Analysis: Regularly evaluate who is impacted by your decisions and consult with them beforehand.
    • Process Mapping: Diagram the key processes your team is involved in, identifying dependencies and potential bottlenecks.
    • Regular Reviews: Schedule monthly or quarterly strategy sessions with your team to reassess goals and alignment with the larger organizational mission.

Recommended Reading:
"The Fifth Discipline" by Peter Senge advocates for learning organizations that cultivate "systems thinking" as the fifth discipline binding others like mental models, shared vision, and team learning. By adopting a holistic approach to problem-solving and fostering a culture of continuous learning, organizations can better adapt, grow, and succeed in a complex world.

2. Resiliency

Why it's Important:
Burnout can be contagious. Your ability to handle stress sets an example for your team, influencing their well-being and productivity.

How to Do it Better:
    • Mindfulness Practices: Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your daily routine.
    • Problem-Solving Workshops: Host workshops where team members can discuss challenges openly, sharing solutions and coping mechanisms.
    • Time Management: Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks and reduce last-minute stress.

Recommended Reading:
"Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back" by Andrew Zolli explores the concept of resilience in various systems, from natural ecosystems to human communities and organizations. The book argues that resilience is not just about enduring shocks and stresses, but about adapting, evolving, and even thriving amid disruption. Through various case studies, Zolli provides insights into how individuals and organizations can cultivate resilience to better navigate an increasingly complex world.

3. Communication

Why it's Important:
Miscommunication can derail projects and demoralize teams. Clear, consistent, and effective communication is crucial.

How to Do it Better:
    • Open-Door Policy: Make yourself approachable for candid conversations.
    • Weekly Newsletters: Share updates, kudos, and future goals.
    • Active Listening: Practice active listening in meetings, and validate others’ perspectives before offering your viewpoint.

Recommended Reading:
"Crucial Conversations" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler is a comprehensive guide to navigating conversations where stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. The book provides a toolkit for effectively handling these critical discussions, focusing on skills like establishing a safe space for dialogue, listening actively, and mastering techniques to diffuse tension.

4. Influence

Why it's Important:
Your power as a middle manager isn't just in your title, but in your ability to motivate and align people for a common goal.

How to Do it Better:
    • Emotional Intelligence: Work on recognizing and understanding the emotions of yourself and others.
    • Persuasive Storytelling: Use anecdotes and data in a compelling narrative when proposing ideas.
    • Consensus Building: Facilitate discussions that allow for everyone to voice their opinions, building collective agreement.

Recommended Reading:
"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini is a seminal book that delves into the science and psychology behind why people say "yes" and how to apply these understandings in various aspects of marketing. Cialdini identifies six key principles of persuasion: Reciprocity, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Authority, Liking, and Scarcity. The book explains each principle with a mix of social psychology research and real-world examples, showing how they operate and how they can be leveraged to influence others effectively.

5. Learning Agility

Why it's Important:
Change is the only constant in business. Your adaptability determines how well you and your team navigate shifts in strategy, technology, or organizational structure.

How to Do it Better:
    • Regular Training: Encourage your team to take courses or attend webinars.
    • Post-Mortem Reviews: After projects, analyze what went well and what didn't to continuously improve.
    • Cross-Training: Allow team members to work on different kinds of projects to expand their skill sets.

Recommended Reading:
"Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization" by Edward D. Hess explores the importance of learning and adaptation in organizations to gain and sustain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced business environment. He argues that effective learning is not just about acquiring new knowledge but involves a transformative process that leads to better decision-making and problem-solving. Key concepts discussed include emotional and social intelligence, the role of feedback loops, and the idea that failure should be seen as a learning opportunity rather than a setback.

6. Self-Awareness

Why it's Important:
You can't lead effectively if you're not sure where you stand. A high degree of self-awareness allows you to build on your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses.

How to Do it Better:
    • 360-Degree Feedback: Get comprehensive feedback from your team, peers, and superiors.
    • Reflection Time: Allocate time in your week for self-reflection and personal growth.
    • Coaching: Consider working with an executive coach to explore your leadership style deeply.

Recommended Reading:
"Insight" by Tasha Eurich delves into the concept of self-awareness, which the author identifies as a critical skill for success in the modern world. Eurich combines scientific research with real-world examples to explain why self-awareness is essential for both personal and professional development. "Insight" is aimed at individuals who are looking to improve their emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships, as well as business leaders aiming to create a culture of self-awareness within their organizations.

Your Next Moves

    • Team Workshops: Consider monthly workshops that focus on one of the six skills.
    • Mentorship Programs: Pair up with a mentor to refine your soft skills. It will be a two-way learning process.
    • Online Courses: There are various programs tailored for middle managers. Investing time here could pay significant dividends for your career.

Your role as a middle manager is the glue that holds the organization together. You're the offensive line that might not get the highlight reel, but without you, the play doesn't happen. As you hone these six indispensable skills, you're not merely navigating the complexity—you're orchestrating it, turning challenges into opportunities. This mastery doesn't just set you up for the next promotion; it ensures that your influence reverberates throughout the organization. Your skills in these areas are your best asset, not just for career advancement but for becoming the kind of leader that others want to follow. So don't just manage—lead, inspire, and transform.
]]>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000<![CDATA[The Journey to Extraordinary Leadership: 12 Month Plan]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/journey-to-extraordinary-leaderhsipLeadership is pivotal in dynamic workplaces. As a mid-level manager, you can evolve from a standard leader to an inspiring force. This guide delves into the traits of exceptional leaders, contrasts with typical leadership challenges, and offers a 12-month plan to amplify your leadership prowess.]]>
Hiker at very top of mountain peek overlooking the valley

Leadership is the cornerstone of success in today's dynamic work environments. As a mid-level manager, you possess the potential to transform from a conventional leader into an extraordinary force of inspiration. In this practical guide, we will explore the essence of extraordinary leaders, learn from their remarkable achievements, examine the challenges faced by conventional leaders, and provide a systematic 12-month roadmap to unlock your extraordinary leadership potential.

The Power of Extraordinary Leadership in Dynamic Workplaces

Extraordinary leaders possess a unique skill set that propels organizations to new heights. With visionary thinking, they envision a future filled with possibilities and set ambitious goals that inspire teams. By taking calculated risks, they navigate uncharted territory and drive innovation. With emotional intelligence, they foster strong relationships and create collaborative work environments that lead to exceptional results.

Learning from the Mistakes of Conventional Leaders

Conventional leaders often face challenges stemming from poor leadership practices. Their struggles with communication, decision-making, and limited vision can lead to missed opportunities and stagnant growth. By recognizing the pitfalls encountered by conventional leaders, you can chart a different path towards extraordinary leadership.

Unveiling the Traits of Extraordinary Leaders

Extraordinary leaders in today's workplaces possess distinct qualities that set them apart. They combine technical expertise with a strategic mindset, fostering collaboration and empowering team members. With integrity as their guiding principle, they lead by example and inspire trust. Their adaptability and resilience enable them to navigate through workplace challenges successfully.

Understanding Conventional Leaders in the today’s workplace

Conventional leaders, who may be mid-level managers like yourself, often face daily obstacles that hinder their effectiveness. Communication breakdowns, resistance to change, and a lack of collaboration can impede progress. Recognizing the common challenges faced by conventional leaders is the first step toward breaking free from the limitations of average leadership.


​The Journey to Extraordinary Leadership: A 12-Month Plan

Month 1: Self-assessment and Goal Setting

      • Identify areas for improvement and set meaningful leadership goals.
      • Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.
      • Seek feedback from colleagues and mentors to gain valuable insights.


Month 2: Enhancing Communication Skills

      • Refine your ability to articulate ideas, actively listen, and connect with your team.
      • Practice effective communication techniques such as clear and concise messaging, active listening, and feedback delivery.
      • Explore different communication mediums and adapt your style to various situations.


Month 3: Building Strong Relationships

      • Nurture trust and collaboration among team members, fostering a supportive work environment.
      • Develop empathy and understanding to strengthen relationships.
      • Encourage open and honest communication among team members.


Month 4: Empowering Others—Unlocking the Potential of Your Team

      • Develop strategies to delegate effectively and empower team members to take ownership of their work.
      • Provide opportunities for growth and professional development to foster a motivated and engaged team.


Month 5: Enhancing Emotional Intelligence—Building Strong Relationships

      • Deepen your understanding of emotions and learn techniques to empathize with and support your team members.
      • Practice active listening and communicate with empathy to strengthen relationships and create a positive work environment.


Month 6: Strategic Thinking—Navigating the Complexities of the today’s workplace
      • Develop your strategic thinking skills to identify emerging trends, anticipate challenges, and seize opportunities.
      • Foster innovation by encouraging a culture of creativity and open-mindedness within your team.


Month 7: Coaching and Mentoring—Guiding Others Towards Success
      • Hone your coaching and mentoring skills to support the professional growth of your team members.
      • Provide constructive feedback, offer guidance, and inspire your team to reach their full potential.


Month 8: Change Management—Leading Through Transformation
      • Develop expertise in managing change and help your team navigate transitions effectively.
      • Communicate the benefits of change, address concerns, and create a sense of stability during times of uncertainty.


Month 9: Decision-Making Improvement—Making Sound and Effective Choices
      • Sharpen your decision-making skills by considering multiple perspectives, gathering relevant data, and analyzing risks.
      • Learn to make timely and informed decisions, balancing the needs of your team and the organization.


Month 10: Innovation and Creativity—Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement
      • Encourage innovation within your team by providing a safe space for new ideas and experimentation.
      • Foster a culture that embraces learning from failure and values continuous improvement.


Month 11: Resilience and Stress Management—Thriving in Challenging Environments
      • Develop resilience strategies to handle stress and adversity effectively.
      • Encourage self-care practices and promote a healthy work-life balance for yourself and your team.


Month 12: Reflection and Growth Planning—Celebrating Achievements and Charting the Future
      • Reflect on your leadership journey and celebrate milestones and successes.
      • Set new goals, create a growth plan, and continue your commitment to lifelong learning and development.
By investing time and effort to develop key leadership qualities, you can transform your leadership and make a lasting impact in your current and future leadership positions. Remember, extraordinary leadership is an ongoing process, so continue to embrace growth, adapt to change, and inspire those around you. Your extraordinary leadership journey has just begun!
]]>Thu, 18 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000<![CDATA[Leaders Can Lead Change]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/leaders-can-lead-changeOrganizations are always under the pressure of having to respond to change so why not be proactive to implement desirable changes? Well, it’s not so easy and can be difficult to invest political capital when the organization may not be on board.]]>

Organizations are always under the pressure of having to respond to change so why not be proactive to implement desirable changes? Well, it’s not so easy and can be difficult to invest political capital when the organization may not be on board.


Unfortunately, whether it is the organizational culture, the team dynamic, or stakeholders that are stuck in their ways, your leadership will eventually suffer if you don’t find ways of successfully selling and implementing changes necessary to deliver on your goals.


Here are some reasons why leaders fail at implementing change:


Some leaders have a need to be liked. 


They tend to be more social with their teammates to increase their likeability.  Using the Predictive Index Behavioral-Based system, these would be leaders that fall into the Collaborator and Promoter profile type. Collaborators are friendly and patient. Promoters tend to be casual and extroverted. 


These types of leaders will  shy away from conflict and from pursuing changes that might be perceived in a negative light. They have difficulty dealing with contentious issues. However, these leaders miss a golden opportunity for better collaboration by acknowledging that not everyone will agree. When leaders can facilitate healthy debate on contentious issues, the team will become more cohesive and will seek ways to improve their team. They will implement the necessary change even if it is hard to do. 


Unbalanced relationships that make leaders feel unsafe. 

Leaders can feel unsafe when they are swimming upstream with their bosses, peers, or other influential people in the company. This happens when values, opinions, or experiences don’t line up between the leader and these other stakeholders. Unfortunately, this sometimes isn’t realized until the leader begins to grapple with an issue and finds out that there isn’t any support for the positive change the leader wishes to implement. In these instances, there are effective communication techniques and ways to manage the conflict. If done correctly, there is a good chance you can get other stakeholders bought into the change, but you have to be willing to expend some political capital and stand up for what you believe. I’ve seen many leaders lose their jobs because of their inaction. While they felt unsafe and didn’t want to rock the boat with those that were in disagreement, they were typically replaced over time for their lack of action. What would you rather do, get fired for not taking action, or openly communicate with your stakeholders to come to some agreement? Maybe you don’t get to do everything you would like to, but at least gain their respect and negotiate a compromise.


Fear of failure. 

We all occasionally have doubts about our abilities. Sometimes, leaders may feel they have some deeper inadequacies they fear will be seen by others. Other leaders may feel they aren’t really up for the job. Typically, when leaders are able to see their organization, other stakeholders, their team, and other important aspects of their current work environment for what it is, there are leadership strategies that can be developed and implemented to help remove the fear of failure. Fear of failure can debilitate leaders and without help this problem can escalate into an untenable situation. This barrier to implementing change needs to be addressed with professional coaching and leadership development.


If you fall into any of these three categories, you can get more advice by signing up for our complimentary 30-minute team improvement plan. 

]]>Thu, 02 Feb 2023 19:16:40 +0000<![CDATA[Do You Have The Traits of a Top Ten Percent Team Leader?]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/do-you-have-the-traits-of-a-top-ten-percent-team-leaderYour teammates expect you, as their leader, to wear different hats. It’s extremely important that you are able to adapt your management style to certain situations.]]>
Your teammates expect you, as their leader, to wear different hats. It’s extremely important that you are able to adapt your management style to certain situations.

Here are some examples that show the breadth of what is expected of team leaders:
  • Providing guidance on business strategy and execution.
  • Tracking project progress and keeping members informed.
  • Facilitating open team communication to build relationships.
  • Inspiring people to reach their individual and team milestones and goals.
  • Removing obstacles for your teammates to get them back on track when plans go astray.
  • Raise your teammates up when their morale is low.

Team leaders are responsible for many aspects of the business. Project manager, motivator, mentor, role model, liaison. It can be difficult to juggle all of these roles and remain effective.

Regardless of your specific role in your current organization, Top Ten Percent Leaders all have the same essential characteristics.


These are the traits of The Top Ten Percent Leaders:

1. Visionary

Top Ten Percent Leaders are able to inspire others to help them turn their vision into reality. These leaders create a vision, they share it with their teammates, and inspires other teammates to even create their own vision.

Top Ten Percent Leaders not only carry out their company’s vision, but they also help their team envision their specific goals and clearly communicate the impact and importance to the team’s daily work.

Top Ten Percent Leaders find ways to align their team with the company’s business strategy and vision. As a result, Top Ten Percent Leaders are able to increase the engagement of their teams, so their teammates have a more positive experience at work. This sets the stage for Top Ten Percent Leaders to tap into their teammates discretionary work effort.

2. Decisive

Top Ten Percent Leaders have confidence in making timely decisions and do not let difficult issues fester. Their teammates have strong clarity of the boundaries they operate within. These team members have a role model that demonstrates the importance of leaders making decisions and eliminating uncertainty.

Uncertainty on a team is like a poison and fuels negative emotions.

Top Ten Percent Team Leaders don’t waste the time of the teams by stalling on making decisions even if those decisions are difficult and unpopular.

3. Influential

Top Ten Percent Leaders proactively communicate to expand their sphere of influence throughout the organization. They find ways to provide value in everything they do. In any organization, there are opportunities at the intersections of critical teams. These leaders understand that and take on difficult issues to improve the overall company. This is how they become more influential and provide huge amounts of value. Top Ten Percent Leaders expand their sphere of influence daily.

In addition, Top Ten Percent Leaders inspire their team members to act without micromanaging them. This allows them to build a more collaborative work environment. Respect is earned; you will not gain the respect of your team just because of your title.

Top Ten Percent Leaders also have the ability to deeply connect with their team by understanding each of their teammate’s needs and drives. This builds a much stronger connection and make teammates feel important while they also enjoy a certain degree of autonomy.

4. Humble

When leaders demonstrate their vulnerability, they allow their teammates to be more open, more frank about issues. In general, this builds trust.

Top Ten Percent Leaders are confident and are able to show their vulnerability to their team.

When the team feels that the team leader is always right and defends poor decisions, or makes people feel like they don’t measure up, your teammates will not volunteer important information.

Top Ten Percent Leaders are able to gain useful insights from teammates because their teammates are not afraid to speak up. There is a foundation of trust throughout the team.

According to the Harvard Business Review, self-aware leaders see and uplift the value in their team members because they see them as assets, not threats.

5. Risk-oriented

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Top Ten Percent Leaders are willing to take risks to achieve their goals. These courageous leaders inspire their teams to think about problems differently; try new things; produce different ideas – create your own art. Top Ten Percent Leaders make it happen while their counterparts are unable to muster the confidence and fortitude to take calculated risk.

On the other hand, Top Ten Percent Leaders also know when it’s time not to take on inordinate risks.

6. Passionate

Top Ten Percent Leaders demonstrate passion; they don’t say, “It’s just a job.” Top Ten Percent Leaders deeply care about the work, their organization, and their teams. And their teammates know this.


One of the most important investments, leaders can make in their careers is to better understand their own self-awareness so they can continually refine their leadership and better model these top traits.

Top Ten Percent leaders continually strive to become more self-aware.
]]>Fri, 09 Dec 2022 21:22:49 +0000<![CDATA[Maybe Leadership Isn't For You]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/maybe-leadership-isn-t-for-youAs difficult as it seems, not everyone can or should be a leader. Just because someone wants to be a leader doesn’t mean they have the character, skill, and courage to be a leader.]]>
As difficult as it seems, not everyone can or should be a leader. Just because someone wants to be a leader doesn’t mean they have the character, skill, and courage to be a leader.

If you think you’re a leader, but people don’t see you as one, you might have a problem. Maybe your self-assessment is off, or your boss doesn’t recognize your leadership.

Your not a leader if:
      • You don’t get results. Real leaders get the job done.
      • You get results by bullying or manipulating others. If you abuse your influence, you may make short-term gains, but eventually it will catch up and derail you.
      • You don’t care. You can’t be a leader if you don’t care about those you lead.
      • You’re chasing the position of leadership as a status symbol. Power doesn’t drive real leaders.
      • You make lots of promises and don’t keep them. Leadership is about taking action.
      • You don’t help people reach their full potential. Leadership is helping people reach goals they didn’t think they could.
      • You don’t want to implement positive change. Status quo is the enemy of leadership.
      • You churn talent. If you can’t attract, retain, or develop talent you’re not a leader.
      • You take credit instead of giving it. The best leaders only say I when they accept responsibility for failure.
      • You care about process more than people. Without people you have nothing to lead.


Adapted from “Why You’re Not A Leader,” by M. Myatt, 2013.
]]>Fri, 04 Nov 2022 15:00:00 +0000<![CDATA[Smart Leaders Make Decisions, Then Take Action]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/smart-leaders-make-decisions-then-take-actionJack is responsible for the operations of a $600MM division providing specialty process equipment installation services. They work with all of the big-name Engineering & Construction firms on difficult and technology-driven capital projects.]]>
Jack was introduced to our company through one of our live online training seminars. Jack is responsible for the operations of a $600MM division providing specialty process equipment installation services. They work with all of the big-name Engineering & Construction firms on difficult and technology-driven capital projects.

Jack’s organization is subdivided into three sectors, each with about fifty engineers, schedulers, estimators, and project managers. Project teams are assembled for various lengths of time spanning from a few months to a couple of years. These projects are complicated from a technical perspective but also are quite complex given the large number of external stakeholders that Jack’s teams need to communicate and work with.

When we began working with Jack there was a full slate of projects, some were doing well and others not so well. Jack’s company has no shortage of work processes and procedures, tools, and systems to get the job done and can be a bit overwhelming at times. The business also needs a steady influx of engineers, project managers and other technical specialists. From new college graduates to more experienced technical professionals, there is a lot of shifting of resources to make all of these projects successful.

Our first project with Jack was to evaluate his Leadership Team with the goal of building more cohesion and trust. We eventually opened up communication at all levels within the entire division cascading our evaluation and change initiatives across the entire span of all three sectors. As with all teams, each member of the Leadership Team had their own unique skill sets and different ways of evaluating risk, solving problems, and resolving conflict. 

We use a very intuitive and practical approach that results in a plot that depicts the placement of each individual. This simple plot is used to decode each leader’s natural tendencies in how they interact in the workplace. Armed with this information, each teammate better understands how they can work together and also how each leader interacts with their respective teams. These fresh insights begin to answer questions why certain projects went exceedingly well while others failed. They learned why certain initiatives didn’t give them the impact they needed. 

When we aggregated the individual data sets and characterized the nature of the team, they began to see ways that they could de-risk the business from execution problems the team was prone to making. Jack’s team was a Producing Team. Producing Teams are known as being competitive and intense. They knew what needs to be done to produce high quality work, quickly. That are undaunted by failure and drive hard to be the best. The keen sense of competition holds the organization to a high standard of performance.

Unfortunately, as good as all that sounds, the team had some negative effects that were reverberating through the three sectors and many of the project teams were under huge amounts of stress. Jack’s Leadership Team began to realize that they continued to raise the performance bar and were now seeing some key employees burning out. Excessive amounts of competition caused unhealthy rivalries as managers within the three different sectors were competing for the same resources to get their projects completed. And to top it off, this team was prone to frequent conflict with managers getting into tense battles to do whatever they needed to do to win. You can see how this team had some formidable forces working against them and were unaware of the damage being done in the organization. 

As we continued to analyze the team, we then compared the current business objectives and recognized the Leadership Team was not addressing any way to build employee commitment, loyalty, and morale. Yes, to teams of engineers that sounds unimportant, but we were certain these issues were permeating down the entire organization and causing great harm.

With that, we then evaluated the next level down in all three sectors and we confirmed that the organization was suffering from early-stage burnout that degraded their employee engagement to the point where some projects were in a critical stage and could be lost.

We reported our findings back to Jack and it was obvious that they needed to mitigate the risks that we uncovered with the Leadership Team and each of the respective teams for each of the three sectors. Given this data, we customized a plan to get the organization more balanced. We did this with a combination of survey data, focus-group interviews, our 1:1 Team Analysis, and specific training aimed at conflict resolution and our effective communication technique. Incidentally, we have developed standardized peer-to-peer training curricula for a wide range of topics. Our solution spanned working with construction personnel installing the plant equipment, up through the field supervisors, and construction managers and over to all of the engineering-related job functions. 

When we systematically decoded these teams, we found some very useful insights that allowed Jack’s organization to realize a 27% improvement in their productive output by removing unnecessary work and paying more attention to how projects were kicked-off, as well as installing some communication protocols to ensure projects quickly ramped up.

Here is what we found:
      • 15 out of 20 Project Managers were not properly setting up a communication plan with project stakeholders.
      • 22 out of 30 Construction Managers had at least one Field Supervisor eroding the confidence of the installation crews.
      • 35 out of 50 Project Engineers were sidestepping important issues because they needed to avoid conflict with the Construction Managers. 

There were some additional issues that surfaced, but we chose to concentrate on these three areas:
      • Communication
      • Employee Engagement
      • Conflict Resolution

Key Outcomes
Project Management
Project Managers were too busy to be effective in their jobs. They were running around being totally reactive fighting fires. We reviewed their Management Operating System and determined they needed a better meeting cadence and better ways to share information within the project teams. We worked out a dashboard design and meeting protocols to open up information about important issues before they became big problems. Similarly, we set up communication protocols with their external stakeholders. This was all standardized and drafted into a Standard Operating Procedure. 

The key learning for Jack’s Operations Directors in each of the three sectors was that although the company had a plethora of systems and procedures, the Project Managers were thrown into complicated projects without thinking through their communication plan and how each Project Manager was to engage their staff. These were not all brand-new Project Managers; some had many years of experience. It was the trickle-down effect of Jack’s Leadership Team that was causing these issues. In short, Project Managers were spinning their wheels.

Working with Jack’s Leadership Team, we were able to convince them to slow down a bit and address the following:
      • Increase team cohesion in order to improve team-level outcomes.
      • Increase employee engagement to improve productivity and retention.
      • Drive employees to achieve results with vision and passion.

As we continued to gain success with the Project Managers, Jack’s Leadership Team was fully on board, and we were then able to attack other areas.

Construction Management
We invited groups of ten to twelve construction staff along with a sampling of Field Supervisors in eight different areas representing close to 100 installers. Each focus group used fifteen questions in a real-time survey format. We demonstrated to each group at the beginning of our session that the survey was 100% anonymous and we couldn’t trace anyone back to any answers that were provided. What was interesting is that each group volunteered to engage in a very useful discussion on each individual survey question. This allowed us to uncover the root causes of the installer’s poor engagement. Each session was two hours long and all of the notes were organized into themes and diagrammed to understand the data at a glance.

We uncovered blockers concerning managers, corporate culture, job fit, and team-related issues. Here is a list of the major items we discovered:
      • The direct-hired staff were bitter about being paid significantly less than the contract installers. And for good reason. The direct-hired staff needed to go behind and fix quality issues caused by the contract installers. This set the tone for Jack to present a pay-for-performance program to the corporate executive team and get this issue resolved.
      • The installers were not receiving any information about the bigger company picture and direction the company was headed. Communication was getting stuck between Jack’s Leadership Team, the Project Managers, Functional Leads, Construction Managers, and the Field Supervisors. We isolated the specific interfaces this was happening and provided peer-to-peer effective communications training. We also got Jack and his boss out on the project sites more to address the installers. The company implemented a company spotlight article to highlight the good work happening in the field on key projects. These interventions wouldn’t have been possible without obtaining the data from our eight focus group sessions.

Project Engineering
As we delved into the details on how the project teams were utilizing Project Engineers, we began to see that they were largely being focused on individual tasks wherever they were needed. You can imagine, even early on in your career, how going from task-to-task without being given the opportunity to understand the big picture can lead to employee disengagement because most project engineers want to make an impact in the organization. The manner in which managers were communicating with the engineers made the engineers feel unimportant and micro-managed. Any employee that feels they lack status and autonomy are not going to stick around. So, it was no surprise their turnover in the project engineering ranks was approaching 35%. 

We deployed Leadership Effectiveness 360 surveys with a handful of selected managers and the results were amazing. This data uncovered the need to find ways to show that the managers cared about their engineers. This led the Jack and his team to accept our idea around creating smaller work packages that the engineers could manage from the beginning to the end of a particular portion of a much larger project. They were now working more as Project Managers on a small project than as a gopher Project Engineer on a large behemoth project. In their eyes they went from feeling overloaded, unimportant, and underappreciated and now they were passionate about their work and were able to drive difficult mini projects home successfully. This was a huge win for the company. Cutting the turnover in half represented several hundred thousand dollars right back into the company’s profit.

It is truly amazing when I look back at the last couple of years and see the tremendous impact that all began with a simple 30-minute Team Improvement Plan with Jack after he attended one of our training seminars. To Jack’s credit he saw how DiBona & Associates use of people analytics in combination with solid peer-to-peer training programs, and operations management expertise could benefit his organization. 
]]>Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000<![CDATA[Journey to The Top Ten Percent]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/journey-to-the-top-ten-percentThe typical manager is caught up in a cycle of everyday work. Meetings, emails, customer interactions, finishing projects and starting new ones. Days go into weeks, weeks into months, and the endless cycle continues.]]>
The typical manager is caught up in a cycle of everyday work. Meetings, emails, customer interactions, finishing projects and starting new ones. Days go into weeks, weeks into months, and the endless cycle continues. Most days, the manager recognizes they need to work on issues with their team, but after working 50-60 hours a week there simply isn’t energy or time left to do the important things.

Meanwhile, the team is experiencing its own difficulties that stem from an overly busy and hectic work environment. There tends to be lots of gossip in the background about the inner workings of the company and who’s in trouble. Everyone knows the teams that are struggling and those that are in good standing with the management. Employees in these organizations become desensitized to their circumstances and they plod through the daily grind. 

Eventually, there is a tipping point. Perhaps, several seemingly dedicated employees quit the company and there are rumblings of more people quitting. Perhaps, the team has had a breakdown in their work that has surfaced as a catastrophic project, or a big-deal unfortunate event with a customer. Whatever it is, the team is in crisis. 

Typically, managers in these circumstances become willing to tackle the issues their team is experiencing when it is all but too late. These leaders are under pressure and daily scrutiny and are in jeopardy of being fired. They have allowed themselves to become preoccupied with the unimportant details, approached their work without a strategy, and that busyness resulted in a dysfunctional group that is causing harm to the organization.

Although this scenario is a bit dramatic, similar scenarios play out much more often than you would think. We have a different approach to keep our clients out of jeopardy and provide solutions before they ever get to this level of dysfunction.

If you find yourself in a leadership role and your team is unable to keep up with the pace of the organization, then you will find the following approach refreshing and career saving.

All teams have a critical mass of strengths and potential vulnerabilities. It’s based on the combination of personalities and how they interact with each other. It’s based on the collective nature of the team. Many leaders are unaware of how the combination of personalities on their team combine to form their team dynamic. They experience whether or not a team is able to work together to solve problems or if they have to intervene to untangle mess after mess. But they really don’t understand the team. 

In addition, team members change over time with new hires, people transferring into or out of the team. As teams absorb new teammates, the team dynamic can shift. What leaders need is an easy way to map out their team and understand how they can get their team to be as effective as possible using their untapped strengths.

It all starts with a Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment. It is a 2-question assessment that, on average, only takes about six minutes to complete. However, it is extremely accurate in characterizing an individual’s workstyle. We define workstyle in terms of how we communicate, make decisions, evaluate risk, solve problems, and resolve conflict. Some people are more oriented toward working closely with others, while other people are more likely to be independent and extremely goal oriented, for example. Still, others may be more innovative and flexible in their approach and then there are those that are very process driven and need to carefully do their work using a proven recipe and not make hasty decisions. These different individuals all have certain needs and drives, and given the same job, each individual will approach it much differently.

Step #1 – Meet the needs of each individual on your team by allowing them to do their jobs in a way that helps them feel more fulfilled. 
We all like to do things in our own way and there is nothing wrong with giving your teammates permission to make thoughtful changes in how they perform their work. The worst thing you can do as a manager is prescribe exactly how you want the work done. That approach simply doesn’t work. Once an individual completes a Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment, the details of the assessment are used to develop a Management Strategy Guide. The Management Strategy Guide defines strategies to better manage the individual in three different areas:
      1. Strategies based on how the individual interacts in the workplace.
      2. Strategies based on how the individual takes action.
      3. Strategies based on how the individual deals with risk and decision making.

Now that the leader is equipped with this understanding, we coach the leader to reflect on what the leader has done well, and what they can do better to meet the needs and drives of the individual. This is the first part of developing an action plan, but the second important part of developing this action plan is for the leader to understand their “blockers” that might get in the way of following through with their action plan. Blockers are based on differences between the leader and the individual. For example, the individual might be very precise, carefully following operating procedures and wanting to know what the plan is, while their manager might operate with much less structure. These differences will create friction as the two work together. Once the manager understands these differences, they are able to greatly increase the capacity of the individual to get more done, and the individual becomes more engaged. We call this state as being psychologically committed to the success of the team. We urge managers to do this with every one of their direct reports. 

Step #2 – Characterize the team into a specific team type that will reveal its strengths and potential caution areas. 
When the leader understands their team on this level, they will be able to be more realistic about their expectations for their team. Some leaders don’t realize the nature of their team and constantly are swimming upstream. It is much more effective for the leader to understand their team type and work to de-risk how they execute their work. This will create much better results.

For example, an Exploring Team is daring, risk-tolerant, and imaginative, while a Stabilizing Team is structured, task-focused, organized, and practical. While an Exploring Team may focus too much on speed and innovation that causes process and efficiency to suffer, a Stabilizing Team requires a process for everything and that might stifle some teammates. Both teams have their own unique set of strengths and caution areas that the leader can use to maximize the productive output of the team. 

There are nine different team types. Once the team type is defined, the leader begins to make sense out of their personal experiences with the team and can easily see how the strengths of their team has allowed the team to do certain things well while failing when the “ask” was outside of the team’s set of strengths. 

This analysis is particularly helpful to leaders new in their position or for newly formed teams. Better yet, some organizations use this analysis to figure out the best way to staff teams.

Step #3 – We want each leader to reflect on the overall priorities of the team. 
Is the team designed to be an externally or internally focused team? Or is the team supposed to be more focused on collaboration? We use a list of 20 randomized team priorities and map the work priorities to the team to understand if there are gaps between the work to be done and the staff that needs to do the work. 

Here is an example of how a Continuous Improvement Team was failing in their work because they didn’t have the right mix of people on their team. This particular team had the best processes and technology to help the plant run at full capacity efficiently while providing tools to the plant floor that would allow them to continuously improve their work. Unfortunately, the workers on the plant floor shut the Continuous Improvement Team down because they didn’t feel they were collaborating with the plant floor. Instead, the plant floor felt they were being disrespected and told what to do. Once we were able to work with the leader, we then identified certain team members that could stretch into the collaboration zone, and we were able to diffuse the situation to the point that it saved the reputation of the Continuous Improvement Leader. Without this intervention, the Continuous Improvement Leader would most certainly have been fired.

Some going-forward thoughts:
      • If you are leading a team, be open minded about your team. Don’t get caught up in the daily grind and lose sight of your team. 
      • Ideally, all leaders should regularly map their teams and be aware how personnel changes, shifts in market conditions, and changes in company initiatives affect the team. Remember, you are a leader and are paid to develop the right relationships with your team and get things done through others. 
      • Don’t procrastinate reaching out for help should you find yourself in a situation that causes you concern.
]]>Thu, 08 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000<![CDATA[The Five Areas Often Overlooked by Leaders]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/the-five-areas-often-overlooked-by-leadersHere are five basic areas that leaders commonly overlook and can be the difference between an underperforming team and a high performing team. Which of the following would help your team?]]>
Here are five basic areas that leaders commonly overlook and can be the difference between an underperforming team and a high performing team.

Which of the following would help your team?

Employee engagement is a psychological commitment to the success of the organization. It is our goal to help leaders, at all levels, to evolve their team from a state of compliance to a state of true psychological commitment in the making of inspirational team members that will help raise the bar with the entire team. We do this in the right way by appealing to each individual’s needs and drives which allows them to do their best work. 

The proper approach to improving employee engagement highlights the following five key areas:
Show appreciation for everyone in the organization
Seek out your teammate’s ideas and respond to their ideas, good or bad
Involve your teammates in important decisions
Be approachable in your leadership style
Ensure your teammates get the answers they need from you or other key leaders in the organization

Employee burnout is a condition that all leaders need to guard against, particularly for teams that are ultra-competitive, and goal focused. Here are some key points to consider to help your team avoid burnout:
Workload 
Plan your work, and prioritize your work.
Delegate effectively
Learn to say no
Let go of perfectionism
Give your team more control, more autonomy in decision making.
Do the rewards of your position and your teammate’s positions provide enough positive to offset the sacrifices you and your team make each day?
Do you like the people you work with? What can you do to improve your team’s dynamic?
Maintain an even and fair approach to all your interactions and leadership decisions.
Can you get behind your company’s values, or are they a mismatch for you and your team?

One of the most important issues that teams face is when the values of the company don’t quite meet the needs of a particular team. When values are mismatched, our teams simply underperform. You can imagine that certain teams, particularly support teams might feed that they are undervalued and their good work goes unnoticed while other critical teams get all the glory. This leads to disgruntlement and a lack of desire to align with the values of the broader organization. 

As a leader you will want to focus on the purpose of your team. Not what it says on the organization chart, but a unique way of identifying the purpose and impact the team has on the organization. This is your team’s rallying cry and this is how we get more energy behind our team. When each teammate identifies with the purpose of the team, they will become more effective in their daily work. They will begin to find ways to expand their sphere of influence. There are some effective communication techniques that can be used to help your teammates expand their influence in the organization, which leads to more control, more autonomy and greater fulfillment. 

What is the single most important leadership skill that is necessary for everything a leader does? The skill necessary for building a high performing team, clarifying a motivating vision, executing on critical tactics and strategies, and obtaining outstanding results. The answer?

Communication! Yes, communication is the single most important skill a leader has at their disposal – great communication skills are indeed a leader’s superpower.

We have a blueprint to assist leaders in cracking the communication code. This is a code that helps leaders understand when to use each element. 

Element One – Listening. Listening, more accurately “active listening” can serve to reduce negative emotions that get in the way of a listener’s ability to hear the communication.

Element Two – Asking questions. Once active listening has your listener in the proper emotional state, the next step is to get them thinking on solutions, considering options, or focused on the purpose of your communication with them. But not all questions are created equally! Great leaders use what executive coaches call “powerful questions” that get the part of your follower’s brain that focuses attention and solves problems engaged.

Element Three – Giving direction. At this point in the communication process, you’ve hacked your follower’s brain with active listening to get them in the proper emotional state to receive the communication, ensured you understand their perspective, and let them know you understand their perspective. 

Try implementing this blueprint that neuropsychological research has provided. Doing so will take effort and practice to break out of old communication habits, but the payoff in team engagement and effectiveness are huge and ultimately creates what you want as a leader – business success.

Your team’s productive output is largely based on how you forecast, plan, and assign work to each teammate. Frequently, teams evolve over time and end up getting involved in work that is not entirely necessary. Eliminating this work will boost your team’s effectiveness. Do you know the specific core work areas your team is responsible for? Sounds basic, right? 44% of leaders have a lack of understanding of the work their team does. Get back to basics and map out all of the work to be done and evaluate your team’s theoretical capacity versus your team’s actual capacity to get work done.

This process starts with some basic time management insights.

How you harness the world of e-communications is an area that is a contributor to wasted time. Many organizations have so many competing communication platforms, how do you prioritize all the emails, slack chats, text messages, and voicemails? Simple. As the leader, you want to limit the type and nature of the communication in such a way to strengthen the team’s ability to get more work done, not detract from it.

A communications plan between your teammates and how they communicate with other teams in the organization is vitally important. Have you thought about using dashboards and real-time status tools to eliminate the constant drain of emails and text messages from internal customers wondering the status of their projects? 

Most organizations that we study are only converting 50-70% of their time generating productive output for the team. The other 30-50% is time wasted.

Another area that is responsible for this poor use of time is meeting discipline. Progressive organizations are maintaining certain times during the workday or one workday per week without allowing any meetings so teammates can be free of distraction to get quality work done.

When you look at all the meetings you attend, how many of them are a waste of time? What meetings can you eliminate or restructure?
]]>Fri, 02 Sep 2022 03:00:00 +0000<![CDATA[The Secret Sauce of Leadership]]>https://www.consultdibona.com/blogs/post/the-secret-sauce-of-leadershipIn today’s technology-driven world many leaders overly rely on the power of e-communications and many other technologies in the daily performance of work.]]>
The Secret Sauce of Leadership is...

The Proper Balance of Technology and People.

Is your team so technology-focused that they operate on autopilot?

In today’s technology-driven world many leaders overly rely on the power of e-communications and many other technologies in the daily performance of work.

Technologies bring huge advantages to organizations, but, unfortunately, this heavy reliance on technology can also have an unintended consequence of dehumanizing teams. Over time, teams can become reactive and distracted, the quality of work becomes choppy, and productivity suffers.

The trick is to use these technologies in the right balance without degrading the team’s ability to work together.

Successful businesses correctly harness the utilization of the right technologies with the proper focus on people. Business outcomes are much better when the proper balance of people and technology exist. We don’t want our teams to be on autopilot! We want our teams to be intentional, purposeful, and skillful.

More leaders are falling into the trap of not wanting to do the hard work when it comes to understanding people-related problems. Unfortunately, these mindsets and behaviors can tarnish the leader’s reputation and lead to strained communications between teammates and other influential leaders in the organization.

Not paying attention to people -related issues will compromise business goals and as a result limit the future growth potential of the leader. There are specific mindsets and behaviors that can stall leaders in their careers.

Leaders need to realize how to leverage the power of the team and get out of the practice of being task-driven and instead be more relationship-driven. This is a difficult concept for many leaders, particularly for leaders with backgrounds in the engineering sciences.

Technical professionals, in the beginning of their careers, gain success because of their ability to work through a large volume of technical tasks, but now they must shift their focus to their people.

As a leader, it’s about managing diverse and complex teams and making progress toward strategic business goals by collaborating with others and inspiring their people to greatness.

Resist going down into the weeds
Leaders can get stuck in the “individual contributor” mode. As a result, their teams can suffer from lack of direction, or they sense the leader is not engaged, is too busy, or doesn’t care about them. Leaders cannot force their teammates to be motivated but they can create the necessary environment, so their teammates have a desire to do their jobs efficiently and effectively, to collaborate with other teammates, to independently solve problems, for example.

Here are some ways that leaders hold themselves back
      • Some leaders don’t feel confident about mastering people skills. The put people-related problems in the “too hard to do” category. It’s messy and ambiguous and they really don’t like getting in the middle of all of that.
      • It is common for leaders to look for the problems when reviewing a new concept or idea and do so in a way that stifles creativity, and eventually turns the team against them. These leaders tend to have communication practices where they lack tact and come across as superior.
      • Some leaders can’t resist going down into the weeds. It’s familiar territory that strokes the ego. Unfortunately, it’s all backwards. Getting into the weeds drains the leader of precious time; it’s nothing more than a distraction from the more important part of the leader’s role.
      • Failure to act on solving people problems because the leader is uncomfortable and allowing the problem to fester is another way of that a leader can cause harm to the team.

The solution is self-awareness
If you are a leader and fall prey to these temptations, there is help. A careful accounting of your workstyle will help you. Insights into how you make decisions, evaluate risk, solve problems, and resolve conflict will help you better understand yourself and allow you to improve how others perceive you.

Only 15% of leaders have an accurate understanding of how their teammates perceive them. If you don’t understand how others perceive you, then how can you expect to lead your team? Every single communication will affect, for better or worse, how your teammates perceive you – and 60% of communication is non-verbal.

You need a tool to decode your behaviors! This will enable you to become more self-aware and also better understand the needs and drives of your teammates. Armed with this higher level of awareness, you will begin to better understand your strengths, and your potential blind spots.

With certain tools, this journey of self-discovery can be rewarding, and even fun. Without access to certain tools, it is difficult, if not impossible, to improve your leadership. It is like navigating a boat without a rudder.

If your team is not working as well as it could, don’t despair. It’s not your fault since you haven’t had access to the right tools.
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