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.


Listening Is Key to Effective One-on-Ones

By Cathie Leimbach • September 15, 2026
Tom walked into his one-on-one feeling relieved. For a week, he had been struggling with two critical assignments. His supervisor had delegated them without much context, and Tom wasn’t clear about the desired results or how to get started. Surely, he thought, we can sort this out today. Fifteen minutes later, Tom walked back to his desk just as confused. His supervisor had done nearly all the talking—reviewing priorities, sharing updates, and reminding Tom that the two assignments were important. But he never asked the question Tom needed to hear: “What do you need from me to be successful?” When One-on-Ones Become One-Way Conversations This happens more often than we might think. Leaders enter one-on-ones with a list of things they need to communicate. They talk through the list, ask if there are any questions, and move on to the next meeting. But a one-on-one should do more than transfer information. Its purpose is to help the employee succeed. That requires conversation—and conversation requires listening. Ask what the employee wants to discuss. Listen for what is getting in the way. Do they need clearer expectations? More training? Better resources? Help making a decision? Encouragement that they are headed in the right direction? Then determine together what each of you will do next. Try This in Your Next One-on-One Instead of starting with your agenda, begin with one simple question: “What would be most helpful for us to talk about today?” Then listen. You may discover that the most valuable thing you contribute to the meeting isn’t what you say. It’s what you learn. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ If this has you thinking about the conversations you have with your team, join me at the Workplace Conversation Clinic on September 21 . Bring a question about your one-on-ones or a conversation you’re finding difficult, and let’s work through it together. RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE

Are you Supporting Your Employees to Overcome Hurdles?

By Cathie Leimbach • September 8, 2026
For weeks, Mary had been frustrated with frequently occurring delays in shipping. During her one-on-one with her supervisor, she finally told him what was going on. He listened, asked questions, and said he would look into it. She left the meeting feeling encouraged. Maybe this situation would finally get resolved. A week later, her supervisor started their one-on-one by asking “So, what do you want to talk about today?” He didn’t mention what he had learned about the problem in shipping. “Of course not!,” she thought. “Nothing is going to change.” So, she sadly replied, “Nothing really. Everything’s fine.” Sometimes employees stop talking because experience has taught them that speaking up doesn’t make any difference. One-on-ones are an opportunity to change that. Give the employee a voice in what gets discussed. Help them address bottlenecks. Follow-up on your to dos from the conversation. It can be as simple as: “Last week we talked about the shipping problem. I checked into it, and here’s what I found out. A possible solution would be this .... How do think that might work? ... What other ideas do you have?” The message is clear: I heard you. I remembered. What you have to say matters. And when employees believe their concerns and ideas matter, they’re more likely to keep speaking up. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ What Workplace Conversation Are You Struggling With? Maybe an employee has stopped talking. Maybe you’re dealing with accountability, conflict, attendance, performance—or simply a conversation you’re not quite sure how to approach. Bring it to the FREE Workplace Conversations Clinic on September 21. Join Cathie Leimbach and other leaders to talk through real workplace people challenges, hear different perspectives, and get ideas for moving forward. Register Here