The Dranbleiber approach
Name it Simplify Deliver
Effective leadership and effective teams, thanks to one principle that carries every format: we say what others steer around, simplify radically and stay with it until it holds in everyday work.
In detail
From principle to mandate.
Each of the three steps in depth: what it means, which methods it uses, why it cannot be skipped, and how it shows up in an actual mandate.
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: not theory off the shelf, but tested in real mandates.
- 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 sayable 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 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 actual why behind the presenting request, and to give change a narrative that carries people with it.
- 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 work the few real levers out of 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, load-bearing message.
- 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 effective things instead of burning out in day-to-day business. We use it to anchor prioritization and personal effectiveness in the mandate.
- 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 merely away from bad, but towards genuinely great.
Formats
One approach, many paths.
One Dranbleiber approach that stays consistent, and many proven concepts that carry it. Together they form the foundation that takes shape in very different formats, depending on what is at stake.
The format follows the occasion: a multi-part program with modules and skills training for an entire leadership tier, or a confidential one-on-one for a single leader in a new role, in the middle of change, under decision pressure. Both share the same thing: a counterpart outside the organization who reflects without self-interest and raises what stays unsaid inside the house. Designed over months, not as a single intervention.
The occasion: a newly assembled team, a restructuring, a merger, or simply collaboration that keeps catching. Team or leadership team: across several sessions, roles, expectations and the unwritten rules that actually govern daily work get clarified. Not a one-off event, but an accompanied process with follow-up.
External facilitation for management offsites, retreats, executive board sessions and change initiatives where a lot is at stake. The advantage of a neutral role: topics nobody inside can facilitate reach the table openly, and an overloaded agenda turns into a few decisions that hold. Focused, highly condensed, usually 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 alive, because that usually sits beneath the visible dispute. The aim is not forced harmony, but collaboration that carries 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 make entrenched communication patterns discussable so they can be improved systematically. Often the low-threshold entry into a longer engagement.
Insights Discovery® in detailFrequently asked