Antonette Lucente

It is not unusual for organizations to mistakenly believe that those managers who win by intimidation should be tolerated because they repeatedly meet or exceed their goals. Over my 25 plus years of consulting, I have worked with Presidents who may have been that kind of "leader" or more likely, they had one or more of those "leaders" on their team.

The situation used to be referred to as "The Bad Apple Syndrome." I lectured about this syndrome at a Leadership Session with Dayton… Show more

It is not unusual for organizations to mistakenly believe that those managers who win by intimidation should be tolerated because they repeatedly meet or exceed their goals. Over my 25 plus years of consulting, I have worked with Presidents who may have been that kind of "leader" or more likely, they had one or more of those "leaders" on their team.

The situation used to be referred to as "The Bad Apple Syndrome." I lectured about this syndrome at a Leadership Session with Dayton Regional Manufacturers Association, when I led those discussions for seven years. It is a serious challenge for Presidents.

They cannot ignore the impact of the person who leads by intimidation, yet they cannot find the courage to dismiss the person. It is often through a 360 Organizational Survey is completed that the true impact of the intimidating leader is known. I often think secretly the President is intimidated by the person as well. I remembered the concept of The No Asshole Rule, a book of the same name.

I am creating a brief training program on outlining the challenge of whether to let the "asshole" go or build fences around them as they seem to have high "value" to the company. Stick around for more on this project. Show less

A local company was struggling with pushing company goals throughout the organization. Initially, we discussed the company goals and how to establish cascading goals with the management team, who in turn, should help direct reports establish goals. As we worked through this process, it was clear time management, particularly how to prioritize activities, was an issue. We identified potential reasons why goals were not the top priority, Meeting in a 90-minute zoom meeting, clarified the… Show more

A local company was struggling with pushing company goals throughout the organization. Initially, we discussed the company goals and how to establish cascading goals with the management team, who in turn, should help direct reports establish goals. As we worked through this process, it was clear time management, particularly how to prioritize activities, was an issue. We identified potential reasons why goals were not the top priority, Meeting in a 90-minute zoom meeting, clarified the reasons. Then we worked through action steps to improve productivity. This work aligned with the sales system which had recently been introduced into the company. I will be checking in frequently to see how the action steps we agreed to our impacting performance. Show less

A fast-growing, 100-year old business has experienced a variety of changes in ownership and retirement causing friction to develop in the company. Priorities and direction need to be established and then collaboration needs to take place with each team to ensure implementation. Hurt feelings and baggage need to be addressed. Blue Gill will use behavioral assessments and facilitate discussions around communication and leadership. A plan will be developed and executed.

My company was engaged to provide behavioral assessments as the ODE was seeking someone certified in TriMetrix assessments and debriefing sessions. My sessions were well received and others from other divisions also engaged my firm. Later, as a result of interactions, my company provided executive coaching and development for a struggling manager.

My company was asked, as a referral from another client, to provide communication training to improve the relationship between drivers and the dispatch. The project was extended several times as the group was highly motivated and very hungry for information on how to improve communications and relationships. We then returned several times to provide additional information on performance reviews and how to build relationships with each driver. Always great reviews from the President and… Show more

My company was asked, as a referral from another client, to provide communication training to improve the relationship between drivers and the dispatch. The project was extended several times as the group was highly motivated and very hungry for information on how to improve communications and relationships. We then returned several times to provide additional information on performance reviews and how to build relationships with each driver. Always great reviews from the President and attendees. Show less

We are leading customer focus groups, internal and external, in preparation for customized training for the entire Recreation and Youth Services Staff designed to facilitate improved customer service. Incredibly motivated team and strong external customer support for the wonderful facilities at the City of Dayton. Consider signing up your employees for its many programs.

This was an incredible journey which began when I was part of a training team from Wright State University providing customer service training to the Finance Utility Contact Center for the City of Dayton. As the Center staff improved its customer service with verifiable metrics, I suggested the Center pursue becoming ISO 9001:2008 certified. After much training and preparation, the Center achieved ISO status on 9-13-2012. In January, one other section of the Finance Department achieved ISO… Show more

This was an incredible journey which began when I was part of a training team from Wright State University providing customer service training to the Finance Utility Contact Center for the City of Dayton. As the Center staff improved its customer service with verifiable metrics, I suggested the Center pursue becoming ISO 9001:2008 certified. After much training and preparation, the Center achieved ISO status on 9-13-2012. In January, one other section of the Finance Department achieved ISO status and on March 8, 2013, two additional sections achieved ISO status. We will complete ISO for all sections by September 2013. The City has shown remarkable leadership and determination in its pursuit of ISO. It has been a joy to work with the Finance Department team of professionals. Show less

This is an article we wrote identifying the impact a Bad Apple or poor hire can have on an organization. Oftentimes, companies are slow to release a Bad Apple for many reasons. Our experience has shown when it is clear the incumbent is the wrong fit, release the individual to find a better fit for themselves and stop the possible harm to the company. Our goal is to avoid the wrong fit in the first place by being "slow to hire." Taking advantage of solid research on benchmarking a position… Show more

This is an article we wrote identifying the impact a Bad Apple or poor hire can have on an organization. Oftentimes, companies are slow to release a Bad Apple for many reasons. Our experience has shown when it is clear the incumbent is the wrong fit, release the individual to find a better fit for themselves and stop the possible harm to the company. Our goal is to avoid the wrong fit in the first place by being "slow to hire." Taking advantage of solid research on benchmarking a position to identify the right fit and then assessing candidates against the benchmark is a viable tool that is available and affordable to employers. Show less

Across the country, roofing contractors are seeking to improve their organizations by improving their core teams. Blue Gill Consulting Group has been working with top management to provide TriMetrix HD assessments, debriefing for each team member and then pulling the team together to understand one another to align the team's strength for improved performance as an organization. The result is improved communication, clearer goals and a renewed focus toward team goals and bottom line results.

Client was interested in improving communication between the technical staff and customers. Three training sessions were developed after interviewing several members of the technical team and management. Several obstacles were uncovered as well which will be addressed by the company. The training was highly customized to include industry information and specifics as to products and services. Results were good as verified by formal evaluations. Changed behavior is the goal which we will… Show more

Client was interested in improving communication between the technical staff and customers. Three training sessions were developed after interviewing several members of the technical team and management. Several obstacles were uncovered as well which will be addressed by the company. The training was highly customized to include industry information and specifics as to products and services. Results were good as verified by formal evaluations. Changed behavior is the goal which we will confirm through various checkpoints throughout the coming months. Show less

As a rule, I am very careful about using 360 Assessments. The preparation must be done with care about the impact the results may have on the incumbent and the participants in the 360. Yet, having confirmed information about the behavior of an incumbent can be enlightening to the employee and real improvement can begin. Such was the case with this employer who was seeking improvement in the communication style and management of her direct reports.

I coordinated the 360 from start to… Show more

As a rule, I am very careful about using 360 Assessments. The preparation must be done with care about the impact the results may have on the incumbent and the participants in the 360. Yet, having confirmed information about the behavior of an incumbent can be enlightening to the employee and real improvement can begin. Such was the case with this employer who was seeking improvement in the communication style and management of her direct reports.

I coordinated the 360 from start to debriefing. We developed an action plan and step in to coach at regular intervals to ensure positive behavioral change has occurred.

My company has participated in multip 360 assessments with improved results each time. Show less

We are preparing to launch our second annual All-Employee Survey for a local organization to assess progress that has been made since the last survey. The areas of concern in the earlier survey included leadership, empowerment, follow through and transparency throughout the organization. Through training and other activities throughout the year, management now wants to "check the temperature" again and confirm progress has been made and identify any gaps still remaining. Staff is… Show more

We are preparing to launch our second annual All-Employee Survey for a local organization to assess progress that has been made since the last survey. The areas of concern in the earlier survey included leadership, empowerment, follow through and transparency throughout the organization. Through training and other activities throughout the year, management now wants to "check the temperature" again and confirm progress has been made and identify any gaps still remaining. Staff is approximately 40. Show less