Testimonials

Decisions such as where to go to college, what to major in, and what I would like my career to be were looming and I was feeling lost. As a young woman trying to figure all of this out while navigating relationships in high school and the working environment, I was eager for any guidance I could get. Ross and the rest of the team were incredibly friendly and approachable from the start. I quickly saw them as role models and mentors that truly cared for my future.

—Bridget Lawler

We use Rick’s assessment process 100 percent of the time for hiring management positions. It’s highly accurate and extremely informative. We don’t hire without it!

—Jeb Balise, President: Balise Motor Sales Company

This program was the start and push that I needed when I was in high school and I still utilize many of the lessons that they taught me. Through hard work and perseverance and some GA help, I am now a wastewater engineer. I will be forever grateful for the chance to be a part of this great program and for being able to talk with them even after I graduated high school and college.

—Olivia Hicklin

Trust the process and be true to yourself and the people around you. The leaders at Giombetti are the best of the best. They are there to support you and highlight all the things you do well and support you to dial in the things that will make you a better leader at work, and better person in your family life. Have open and honest conversations with them, they will lead to a positive transformation. I have never met a more trusting, honest and kind group of people. I’m excited to see myself grow. I only wish I met them and worked with them sooner in life.

—Melissa Peters, Human Resource Generalist: Notch Mechanical Constructors

We have used the Giombetti pre-employment assessment and Leadership Development classes for our management positions for several years. The assessment is so simple yet so accurate, I am always astonished at how deeply they can understand a person by having them answer just a few questions. The feedback sessions are probing, educational and most important, supportive. The assessment provides invaluable information that helps put the right person in their best role so both they and the organization see success. It is also a great tool for leaders/coaches to help guide and develop their team members, building on each person’s individual strengths. The Leadership Development classes get high marks from those who attend. They create a fun and safe environment to look inward, everyone leaves with skills to help them be a better person, co-worker, coach, leader.

—Kelly Turley, SVP Operations & Administration: W.W. Williams

This 3-day program has allowed me to see how my leadership traits have made me into the person that I am today and that I have the ability to change them. My area that I am really trying to focus on is being able to enter into a conversation without being predisposed as to how it is going to end. Valuing all viewpoints so that I can grow as a person and allow others to feel valued and grow as well.

—Dan Hromada, Regional Sales Manager: IGS Energy

My experience shows through in my everyday life. I came to realize my patience level was beneficial in school during group projects, and that I needed to strengthen my dominance to assert my needs. Overall, this program has given me skills and valuable lessons that brought me to the success I have today.

—Grace Beaupre

It will absolutely have an impact on my leadership style, but also my personal style. A lot of the concepts and ideas cross all facets of my life. The personal development will have a positive impact to my personal and professional life. I am learning that when I am mindful of my opportunities, I am identifying when they kick in and am trying different approaches and seeing different results.

It has been awesome to see this influence my day to day. I find myself thinking about my go to action or the actions of my teammates. Not from the aspect of right or wrong, but from a place of understanding mine/their strengths and go-to responses. It has influenced my thought process in that moment, but also opened my “judgement” in those situations.

—Dustin Marshall, Operations Lead: IGS Energy

We cannot thank her enough for the amazing support she has provided to [my child] during this exceptionally stressful and difficult time.  As a parent, I am convinced that this experience has been one of the best gifts I could have provided.

—Michelle Pastore

I’d recommend this course for anyone in management or preparing for management or working on teams.

—Jack Kennedy, Senior Director: Biosurgery R&D, U.S. Surgical

W.F. Young, Inc. has worked with Giombetti Associates for more than 17 years. We have every employee go through the process at least once when they start with the company and many go through multiple times as they develop within the company or need some additional guidance in their career.

We find the information to be valuable for the company, helping to understand the employees, knowing what motivates them, how much or little information they need to do their work and how to best match up teams, just to name a few. However, the biggest benefit, I believe, is for the employees themselves – most come into the company without ever having done much self-reflection.

It is incredibly empowering to understand your own make-up and get a sense of who you are and how you approach your life and work. I have personally been through the assessment multiple times and I continue to learn and figure out how to enhance the areas that are helping me develop, and working with the team at Giombetti, better manage those traits that are maybe preventing me from growing both personally and professionally.

—Vicki Evans, Vice President/CFO: W.F. Young, Inc.

It might go without saying that the personal assessments, group discussions, and skill building workshops were all integral components of this remarkable mentoring program, but what was truly exceptional in my mind was the genuine individualized care, attention, and motivation embodied by each and every member of the Giombetti team.

Their methods to ignite personal growth in students are truly top-notch, and the authentic compassion and energy that they bring to the table are truly unique and unparalleled.

—Timothy J. Scully

Hey guys,

I wanted to take a few days to reflect and absorb the training and see how some of the suggestions and realizations from last week played out once I was back in “the real world”, before sending this email to you. I won’t lie and tell you that I did not come into this training with a certain amount of skepticism. I have done a few of these types of things over my career before and quite frankly, I thought they were a great way for the people presenting to make a living. I mean, you get to stand up in front of a room full of people and tell them how to be a better (fill in the blank here), and how to contribute to their companies in a more effective manner. And get payed for it!

A few things that I observed to help make this a different dynamic are as follows.

1. You all sat at the same level as us.
   • There wasn’t any feeling of this being a PRESENTATION. It truly felt like a discussion. Which I’m sure was by design. It made it so comfortable to actually share thoughts and ideas. It’s much easier to check out when you are being “talked to”.
     1. I have tried to be mindful of my body language and positioning when I have had discussions with team members, co-workers, or family.
2. You allowed us to have different goals.
   • What I mean by this is, you allowed us to have different end games for this training. I know some of the team wanted to try to reach problem employees or be a better manager, while some others wanted to focus on how to be a better husband, father or friend. As well as the evolution of that goal. Some of the statements about the takeaways at the end were not in line with what they thought they would get out of it.
     1. No names, but several folks that said they wanted to be a better manager or better leader at the end talked about not being real or open with personal relationships versus the professional aspect. I think the correlation between who you are outside of work, as a person, and who your team thinks you are was eye opening. At least it was to me!!
     2. I have made a concerted effort to try to make sure that I am sensitive to the fact that different people want/need different things. And that’s OK!
3. You were real!
   • This is huge for me. I like to think that I have a pretty good B.S. meter and the minute the needle starts to move; I tend to shut down and just get through the interaction as quickly and painlessly as possible.
     1. From the second we came in, you all had big smiles and warm invite
     2. You shared personal stories that left you out there, vulnerable. This helped me be real and open.

I can’t tell you how much warmth and genuine compassion I felt from all of you during the training. I know my goodwill score is 96, which I’m sure contributes to me being a bit sappy at times, but I was a bit surprised that I got emotional in a room full of strangers when I talked about how I want to make things better with my family. I know that is a direct result of the environment that you ALL built over the course of the 3 days.

Not to keep going on, but I wanted to share a couple things that I have already done differently that I know was appreciated, even though nobody said a word. The first was as my family sat down for our weekly board game night, I made sure that I was the one to make sure that everyone had drinks, snacks whatever we needed before we started. That has always just been handled by Michelle, my wife. There is NO reason that she needs to be the last one to sit down, even if she doesn’t complain. Another thing is we were going to the grocery store and I turned the radio station to the one that my family likes. The world stopped for a minute…LOL . I despise 95% of the music on “their” station! I mean how can you go wrong with listening to Boston or Van Morrison??? But in that moment of pain and despair of listening to the latest and greatest from, whatever the flavor of the week was, I noticed all 3 of them kind of bounce their heads a bit to the rhythm. That was cool. I mean really, why should I get to decide what music we listen to ALL THE TIME? Just because I happen to be the one driving, which oh by the way, I don’t want anyone else to drive but me??? To quote a very wise man…that’s BAD, BAD, BAD. STOP IT! Haha, I must have heard Rick say that 40 times last week!!

Seriously guys, thank you all for the love and compassion that I felt from all of you. It means more than I can tell you! I look forward to speaking with you soon. Take care.

—Ernie Edgell, Manager C&I Field Sales: IGS Energy

They did an amazing job of individualizing their advice to each of us. They recognized where our strengths were and found our weaknesses, but only sought to improve them.

—Will Ryan

I have learned so much about myself and how I can relate better with others, accomplish tasks better and quicker, and significantly decrease stress in my life. My ability to relate to others has improved dramatically across the board. Because of the understanding I have for my own skills and abilities, I am more prepared to handle most anything that I encounter.

—Sharon Orr, Co-owner and Manager, Admin & Finance: Notch Mechanical Constructors

I can remember thinking that Ross and the team were attempting to assimilate me into this perfect robot teenager, but it was not that at all. They did an amazing job of individualizing their advice to each of us. They recognized where our strengths were and found our weaknesses, but only sought to improve them. I am not perfect, and never will be. What I continue to take away from my experience with Giombetti Associates is that there is always room for improvement.

—Will Ryan

We’ve made Giombetti Associates part of the Market Mentors human resources team for many years. Whether we are hiring new staff or helping current team members grow and develop, the Giombetti team provides us with solid insight and practical advice. All of our employees receive the results of their Performance Dynamics assessments, so everyone has a clear understanding of their personality traits and how they fit within the team. This enables us to work more efficiently and helps ensure ongoing growth and development for each individual and our firm as a whole.

—Michelle Abdow, President: Market Mentors, LLC

Ideally, there aren’t huge surprises in these reviews. Even without major blind spots, there were a few takeaways that changed how I work with my team. The Giombetti review process validated that I remain calm under pressure, something I’ve always been proud of. What I learned, however, is that at times my calmness created doubt about whether I recognized situational urgency or would take necessary action. I also learned I wouldn’t lose credibility as a stoic leader if I occasionally expressed more direct and immediate feedback about things that can’t be tolerated.

We are all the masters of our intentions, but we can’t control how we’re perceived. Taking time to reflect on the gap between how we intend to show up and what others actually observe is important.

—Caleb Messer, Executive Chairman: GME Supply

In order to effectively lead personnel, one must understand him or herself first. To me, this was the best training I’ve ever had to help one look inward, and discover one’s own management style.

—Rick Lamb, Plant Manager: Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.

Ross, Rick and their team create an atmosphere of focused learning in their leadership workshop. The tool (Performance Dynamics assessment) that they have developed and refined creates a level of self-awareness that all leaders should be in tune with. They allow you to understand that you can manage that which you appreciate.

—Peter Brunault, Director of Human Resources: Williams Distributing

I had an incredibly positive experience working with Ross and the rest of his team while I was in high school, so I pushed for my younger sister Julia to go as well, knowing now the positive impact it can have on your future.

—Liz Mastrio