The Dranbleiber approach
Name it Simplify Deliver
Effective leadership and effective teams, thanks to one principle that runs through every format: we say what others tiptoe around, simplify radically and stay with it until it sticks in everyday work.
In detail
From principle to engagement.
Each of the three steps in depth: what it means, which methods we use, why it cannot be skipped, and how you recognize it in a real engagement.
What we build on
We do not run experiments.
We use what is proven.
Established concepts from negotiation, psychology and behavioral science. The Dranbleiber approach combines them into one way of working: no off-the-shelf theory, but tested in real engagements.
- Stone / Patton / Heen, Harvard · NYT bestseller
A method for difficult conversations developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project. Behind every hard conversation sit three layers: the facts, the feelings and the identity of those involved. We use it to make the unspoken speakable without letting it escalate.
- Amy Edmondson, Harvard · Google
The concept coined by Amy Edmondson: the shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Only where it exists do mistakes get raised, uncomfortable truths get said and high performance becomes possible. For us it is the precondition for “naming it” to work at all.
- Simon Sinek, TED-Talk
Sinek’s core idea: people do not follow the what, they follow the why. Clarifying purpose before announcing measures earns real commitment instead of mere agreement. We use it to uncover the real why behind the stated request, and to give change a narrative that brings people along.
- Greg McKeown, NYT bestseller
Greg McKeown’s disciplined pursuit of the few things that truly count. The core message: not doing more, but doing the right thing, and saying a firm no to nearly everything else. We use it to distill the few real levers from many topics.
- Barbara Minto, McKinsey
Barbara Minto’s structure for clear thinking and communication, developed at McKinsey. The core idea: lead with the key message, then group the reasoning logically beneath it. We use it to condense complexity into one clear message that holds.
- Stephen R. Covey, NYT bestseller
Stephen Covey’s classic on self-leadership: act proactively, begin with the end in mind, put first things first. At its core sits the discipline to stay with the few things that work instead of burning out in the daily grind. We use it to anchor prioritization and personal effectiveness in the engagement.
- Peter Gollwitzer, NYU
Peter Gollwitzer’s if-then plans tie intentions to concrete situations. The core finding: deciding in advance that “if X happens, then I do Y” makes follow-through measurably more likely than intention alone. We use them so good intentions become reliable action that holds up under pressure.
- James Clear, NYT bestseller
James Clear’s principle of how small habits compound into large outcomes. The key line: you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems. We use it to anchor change in everyday routines instead of relying on willpower.
- Jim Collins, NYT bestseller
Jim Collins’ multi-year study of what separates good companies from great ones. The core finding: not one big move, but disciplined consistency that builds momentum like a flywheel. We use it to sharpen the ambition: not just away from bad, but toward genuinely great.
Formats
One approach, many paths.
One consistent Dranbleiber approach, and many proven concepts that support it. Together they form the foundation that takes shape in very different formats, depending on what is at hand.
The format follows the occasion: a multi-module program with skills training for an entire leadership level, or a confidential one-on-one for a single leader in a new role, in the middle of change, under pressure to decide. What both share: a counterpart outside the organization who reflects without self-interest and raises what stays unsaid internally. Designed to run over months, not as a one-off intervention.
More on leadership development: triggers, formats, processThe occasion: a newly assembled team, a restructuring, a merger, or simply collaboration that keeps stalling. Team or leadership team: over several sessions we clarify roles, expectations and the unwritten rules that actually govern daily work. Not a one-off event, but a process with follow-up, until it sticks.
External facilitation for management offsites, retreats, executive board sessions and change initiatives where a lot is at stake. The advantage of the neutral role: topics nobody inside can facilitate get on the table openly, and an overloaded agenda turns into a few decisions that hold. Focused, highly condensed, in a single day.
For conflicts within a team or between leaders that have become stuck and will not resolve on their own. A structured process works out what actually keeps the conflict going, because that usually sits beneath the visible dispute. The aim is not forced harmony, but collaboration that works again.
Insights Discovery® profiles and the workshops built on them, for the moment when difference within a team turns into friction. They give a group a shared, non-judgmental language for why people tick and communicate differently, and open entrenched communication patterns up for discussion so they can be improved systematically. Often the easy way into a longer engagement.
More on Insights Discovery®: colors, team wheel, processCommon Questions