Want a 350% ROI?

Cathie Leimbach • November 11, 2020

I’ve got the investment for you! And, it’s not too good to be true. It really does yield a 350% ROI! And, it’s legal!


This investment is training!! On average, one dollar invested in training increases the bottom line by $4.53, yielding a 353% return.


What is the catch? To yield a strong return the training has to be relevant to your organization’s needs. It must meet 3 criteria:

  •  result in trainees learning new knowledge and developing new skills,
  •  have job impact, be relevant and be used at work after training,
  • improve the organization’s bottom line.


What is limiting your bottom line? Which of your current challenges would be reduced if your employees interacted, behaved, or worked differently? Training could be the solution. 


Many of the 385,000 open job positions in manufacturing are paying new hires $40,000 per year. These positions remain unfilled because job seekers lack skills in manufacturing fundamentals or robotics. Vocational schools and community colleges offer such training but enrolment is low.


Many small businesses are always short-handed. Their staff are getting burned out. Managers are reluctant to hire job applicants who are weak in workplace fundamentals. Personal Leadership Effectiveness™ training is available to help individuals become more reliable, positive, and productive so they add value at work.


Most people are doing the best job they can with their current knowledge and skills, but due to their lack of know-how they may be achieving less than half of their potential. Their supervisors are too busy with other responsibilities to coach them. The HR department is prioritizing administration above training. The company could increase its bottom line by $3,500 for every $1,000 invested in relevant training.


90% of managers lack effective leadership skills. Most staff who leave a company do so to escape one of these bad managers. Effective management training leads to enhanced employee engagement and can increase the organization’s bottom line by 50% or more. The Conversational Management™ program can generate such an impact. 


Would you like to improve your company’s bottom line by meeting the needs of more customers and helping all employees add value? Then, first, it’s time to identify the gaps in staff knowledge, skills, and behaviors. And, second, invest in training that will produce win/win results for staff members and the organization.



Contact Cathie Leimbach to discuss needs assessment strategies and effective ways to enhance leadership, team player, and soft skills competence within your organization so employees are equipped to achieve profit and impact goals.

The Futility of Leadership Perfection

By Cathie Leimbach • May 26, 2026
Many leaders quietly carry the pressure that they are supposed to have every answer. Be decisive. Stay strong. Never show uncertainty. Keep pushing forward no matter what. The problem is that approach often creates distance inside organizations instead of trust. In The Imperfect CEO , which was released on May 19, Jim Brown challenges the idea that leadership effectiveness comes from appearing flawless. Instead, he makes the case that healthy organizations are built by leaders willing to lead with clarity, humility, accountability, and honesty. Larry Siff, CEO of Neptune Advisors and C-Level Community, shared this perspective: “In The Imperfect CEO , Jim Brown doesn’t shy away from the messy reality of being a real person in charge, yet he shows how that honesty becomes a source of organizational health.” Edna Lopez, former Senior Executive at Gateway and Amway, wrote: “In every organization I've led, one truth has been constant: culture determines whether strategy ever sees daylight. The Imperfect CEO gets to the heart of that reality.” That connection between leadership and culture is exactly why the ideas in this book matter. In Conversational Management, we often see organizations struggle , not because leaders lack intelligence or effort, but because communication patterns quietly create confusion, defensiveness, disengagement, or fear. The healthiest organizations usually are not led by leaders who are aiming for perfection. They are led by leaders who know perfection is elusive. They acknowledge their limitations and the benefits of team collaboration. They humbly create honest conversations, clear expectations, accountability, and trust — even when it feels uncomfortable.  The wait is over for a down-to-earth book that dares to reveal common leadership imperfections and provides support for enhancing leadership impact! The Imperfect CEO is now available!

The Leadership Problem Most Companies Don’t Address

By Cathie Leimbach • May 19, 2026
Many organizations assume their biggest challenges are rapidly changing technology, customer retention, and employee initiative. But quite often, the root cause is people leadership problems. That’s one reason The Imperfect CEO by Jim Brown is so timely. Releasing today, May 19, the book explores how leaders build healthier organizations not by pretending to have all the answers, but by creating cultures grounded in trust, clarity, accountability, and meaningful conversations. Brian Besanceney, Chair, Board of Orlando Health, Inc., described the book this way: “Through vivid stories, real-world examples, and a model grounded in collaborative culture, Jim Brown gives leaders permission to wrestle honestly with the generational divides, misaligned targets, and cultural fractures that can too often sabotage high-potential organizations.” Greg Apple, CEO of Amgine.ai, connected the book to leadership beyond business alone: “In a fast-moving company, culture is everything. Jim Brown’s principles have helped our team lead with greater clarity and alignment. The Imperfect CEO distills those lessons brilliantly. Every leader should read it.” What stands out to me is how closely this book aligns with the principles behind Conversational Management. Healthy cultures are rarely built through policies alone. They are built through the quality of everyday leadership conversations — how expectations are clarified, how accountability is handled, how feedback is delivered, and how trust is strengthened over time. That’s why leadership development cannot stay theoretical. Culture changes conversation by conversation.  The Imperfect CEO is an easy-to-read business fable that illustrates common people leadership challenges and provides suggestions for overcoming them. Order your copy today and start building healthier leadership conversations inside your organization.