Shaping Future Leaders Through the Dream Manager Program with Dave Bellis

Dave Bellis [: 00:00:00

It's not all the technical side of our business. Yeah, we put in air conditioning units and we fix heating units and we do all those things. And you need to know that the technical side of it, but the soft skill and really just understanding your teammates is a huge part of building the culture that we want at HB McClure.

Kate Volman [: 00:00:24

This is Lead With Culture. I'm Kate Volman, and on this episode, we're talking about leadership. We're talking about the Dream Manager. I was joined by Dave Bellis, who is a leader at HB McClure. They have a really wonderful story because they implemented the Dream Manager program a few years ago. Dave was part of that program. So I actually got to be his dream manager. Made a really big impact on his life, and now he's actually coming to get certified to be a Dream Manager and run the program over at HB McClure.

Kate Volman [: 00:00:55

So we had a really wonderful conversation. And one of the things that I really enjoy doing on this podcast is sharing with you the different ways that people get involved with this program and how people roll it out, the impact that it's having on their organization. Because while the program remains the same, the way in which people discover it, find it, and then bring it to their organization is different. And so who knows what it'll look like for you if you don't yet have the Dream Manager program in your organization. Enjoy my conversation with Dave Bellis. All right, Dave, thank you so much for joining us today.

Dave Bellis [: 00:01:34

You're welcome. I'm glad to be here.

Kate Volman [: 00:01:36

Kate, I am very excited to chat with you about your Dream Manager experience and some of the things that you guys are doing over there at HB McClure. So why don't you share with us a little bit about HB McClure, what you guys do, how many employees that you have.

Dave Bellis [: 00:01:50

Yeah, sure. So HB McClure, we're a full service mechanical contractor and we've been in business for 110 years now. The company was started in 1914. Bob McClure was a fourth generation owner and wanted to keep the company in good hands with his employees. So he was transferring ownership and they decided to make the company an ESOP. So we are an ESOP and that's been great for us. We have 275 employees currently and we serve the central Pennsylvania market.

Kate Volman [: 00:02:25

Is your role. Because your role has kind of shifted over the past couple of years that you and I have known each other. So what are you doing now?

Dave Bellis [: 00:02:34

Yes, so I'm currently the vice president of our special projects division. And I've been with the company for 28 years, which is really nice. It's the only place I've worked, having a full time job. HP McClure hired me out of trade school. I started in our service department and I've really had a great experience over the years working in all areas of our business. So we do new construction, do mechanical systems and new construction. We do special projects, which is the department I'm currently leading. And the special project is renovation work, replacement units, and all of our work is commercial.

Dave Bellis [: 00:03:15

So we work in schools, office buildings, nursing homes, medical facilities, a whole array of businesses. So I cut my teeth in the industry in our service department, but I was able to work in our new construction department and now I run special projects.

Kate Volman [: 00:03:32

28 years, Dave. That's unheard of today. Nobody does that. That's wild.

Dave Bellis [: 00:03:38

Yeah. We have a lot of tenure here at HB. We have some people that are here over 40 years, a decent amount that are over 30 and quite a few that are over 20. It's something that I'm proud of. I love the culture. When we, when I started here, it felt like a family run business. And when I started we probably had 125 employees, maybe 100 somewhere in that range. But I always felt like there was a sense of family.

Dave Bellis [: 00:04:10

And Bob Whelan, our CEO, he's the one that decided to make it an esop. It's just been great. So now that we're an employee owned company, the culture I would say is even stronger than what it was even back then.

Kate Volman [: 00:04:25

That's such a testament to the leadership there that focuses on culture, that actually believes that an organization could only be the best version of itself when it's people are becoming better versions of themselves. And to have that many team members that have been there for so long, obviously you guys are doing something great over there. And a change in leadership to see that it's gotten stronger. Because I think a lot of times people get like you, you get a little nervous. If there's a change in leadership, especially a change in a CEO, you don't know what's going to happen. Are they going to come in, disrupt everything, change everything, or really keep the heart of the organization. And you guys do have a really wonderful team over there. One of the things that we've had an opportunity to do with you is the Dream Manager program.

Kate Volman [: 00:05:16

It's exciting because you were part of the program a couple years ago and now you are actually coming to get certified to be a Dream Manager. So I'm so excited to see you in person and is have you go through that process. Talk a little bit about the Dream Manager and the impact that it had on your life, personally and professionally.

Dave Bellis [: 00:05:39

It was just a great overall experience for me. It's given me a better personal life. I've been able to focus more on my family and just to watch the impact that it's had with my relationship with my wife and my kids. I have two twin daughters that are now 21, graduating from college, and a son that is 17 and getting ready to graduate. Just the impact it's had on my life with my relationships with my family is first and foremost for me. And then that just leads right into my professional life. It's given me the opportunity to focus on my dreams of becoming a leader within our organization. And here I am today, now, leading our special projects team and being part of our leadership team, which I feel is really driving our culture at our company.

Dave Bellis [: 00:06:35

It starts with the leadership team, starts with our president, Adam, and he's done such a great job with embracing and promoting the Dream Manager program. It's just been a great program for our employees.

Kate Volman [: 00:06:49

Yeah. And we actually had Adam on the show. He's been on the show talking all about company culture, the importance of culture. Another reason why I was so excited to chat with you, because you have a Dream Manager there right now already, and then for him to make that investment in you to continue and help the rest of your team grow with this program is awesome. One of the things I remember in working with you, Dave, is that you were doing two things at one time. So you were doing the Dream Manager, and you also were part of this leadership program in order to help push you into this leadership role. And you always came to the sessions and you were like, I want to make sure I'm spending the time on this, but I also have all of these other things that are going on, and I'm focusing my time there, and that's a big challenge for people. Right.

Kate Volman [: 00:07:36

There's a lot. Everyone has a lot on their plate. So when you think about this program, how are you able to kind of go through and continue to do the work that was required of you at HB McClure, but also incorporate the Dream Manager and be able to grow in different areas of your life?

Dave Bellis [: 00:07:53

I tell people that the Dream Manager program for me was icing on the cake for the other leadership development series that I was going through with work. The two tied together so nicely. I was finishing up that I had Some work that needed to be done for. We called it the PAVE program. And it was the Dream Manager was just took a lot of what I was learning in the leadership series with developing people, working with people, but it put a different spin on it, with tying my personal and professional dreams to it. It was a lot of work. But when I started seeing the results of what it was doing for me, it just made it that I didn't view it as work. I viewed it as an opportunity to improve myself, which really, the program was making me a better version of myself.

Dave Bellis [: 00:08:48

I mean, that's what we talk about in the Dream Manager program, right? You're becoming a better version of yourself. And for me, it started out as a challenge, but getting into it, it really became just an opportunity for me to continue to see how, after the session, how much of a better person I was going to be.

Kate Volman [: 00:09:09

When you think about the 12 months, like where you started and then where you ended, was there anything that surprised you about the program and being able to achieve some of the things that you were able to.

Dave Bellis [: 00:09:20

I don't know about a surprise, but it reiterated the fact that if you put focus on something, you can really do anything you want to do as an individual. So it's like your work day, like school, anything that you decide to put focus to and are passionate about, you can achieve. So for me, it was just seeing how that developed over those 12 months. By putting a little extra work in and putting focus on your dreams and really being intentional about thinking of those, you can accomplish anything that you put your mind to.

Kate Volman [: 00:10:01

What was some of the conversation that you've had with others that participated in the program and the impact that it had on their life? Did you see a change in them? Was it when they showed up at work? Was there a difference?

Dave Bellis [: 00:10:14

Yeah, definitely. I know two individuals for sure. The one person, one of their dreams was to lose, I believe, £40 and to see that transformation happen and to see their happiness, what came along with it. And now the fact two years later, a year later, that they're able to maintain that and make their life better because of what they accomplished with that. So that was one instance, tremendous results, and again, put your mind to it and you can achieve that. Another person I know was able to buy a house. That was one of their dreams, was they wanted to buy a house and be able to have that for their family and to see the joy that brings to them, being able to experience one of their dreams, live out one of their dreams. And now the way it's transitioned into their work life.

Dave Bellis [: 00:11:07

You can definitely see a difference.

Kate Volman [: 00:11:09

That's so awesome. I love that. And you are passionate about leadership. Obviously you've been there for a very long time and you've experienced all different positions there. And now you're in this leadership role working with lots of people. People have different personalities. There's lots of challenges when it comes to leading a team. So what are some of the challenges that you've seen over the past few years or that you've experienced as a leader?

Dave Bellis [: 00:11:38

So I think dealing with people can be a challenge sometime. But what I'm seeing is, is like there is so much diversity in our culture and just getting to build relationships with my teammates and learn about their way of life or just learn about their life, their family, hearing them be passionate about whatever they're talking about, just asking and listening is something that I've developed. I feel like I've developed and it's really helped me be a leader in our organization. And seeing how that can translate into their job. When you're passionate about something, they can apply that to their job. And just seeing them grow, the new generation entering the workforce and even seeing some of that generation enter into some supervisory roles, it's definitely different than what I was accustomed to like for me, for my generation. But just learning, being open and being curious to see what motivates people is really something that helps me and drives me to just want to learn more.

Kate Volman [: 00:12:54

Yeah, we live in an interesting time where there are so many different generations working together. Lots of different age groups and cultures and backgrounds. And when it comes to helping everyone, we don't all have to love each other, but we all have to work together and have this mission. So if there's a leader out there that's kind of struggling with their team and really kind of to help understand more about them, but also really help each other on the team understand people's different personalities and how we all have we even in the dream manager, right, we talk about the genius of your personality and you get to know yourself a little bit more. And by doing that, you're also understanding more how other people work and you have better ways to communicate with them. So how do you as a leader help other people foster that kind of mentality?

Dave Bellis [: 00:13:48

It's really just talking to them and spending more time on their approach and particularly the multi generational gap there. Like you said, we have people that are approaching retirement. We hire people fresh out of high school or trade school or 20 year olds. And so you do have those Working together. And it is a different. It's a challenge, and it's really promoting that culture of learning and being open to just having those conversations and building the relationships. From a management perspective, it's just driving home that point of listening and getting to know your teammate. And it's a challenge sometimes, but that's where we're at, where what you need to spend your time on.

Dave Bellis [: 00:14:40

It's not all the technical side of our business. Yeah, we put in air conditioning units and we fix heating units, and we do all those things. And you need to know that the technical side of it, but the soft skill and really just understanding your teammates is a huge part of building the culture that we want at HB.

Kate Volman [: 00:15:01

McClure, I'm thrilled that you're going to be the dream manager. Obviously, this program, because it's so focused on dreams, you can't help but get to know your people a little bit more because it's focused on their personal dreams. And so it's really wonderful when you create that culture where people are talking about their dreams. There's not as much gossiping going on, and instead there's other things to be talking about, like the things that they're learning in the program and ways and some of the things they're doing outside of in order to achieve the dreams that they've set for themselves. What is your dream for. For yourself over the next year? You're going to come get certified. And what are you really hoping to accomplish with the program?

Dave Bellis [: 00:15:42

Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. I. I'm just really looking forward to working with people. Working with the people that want to explore their dreams and be open and want to become the best versions of themselves and find those dreams personally and professionally. It's something that I feel I'm evolving into, and I'm super excited to go on this journey and be able to just help the next generation of people. I say next generation. It doesn't have to be that, but pass on my experiences and knowledge and just help people identify their dreams and fulfill them, see them come to reality would be something I'm just really looking forward to.

Kate Volman [: 00:16:27

Awesome. Yeah, it's going to be so good. What I love so much, too, is how shocked people can be when they put their dream. They write their dreams down and then they work towards them. And sometimes people have a year dream, and it happens in four months, six months, and they're like, oh, my gosh, that's so wild. Sometimes we can make it so much harder on ourselves to achieve something but when you have someone who is challenging you, pushing you, and also holding you accountable and being your cheerleader and being there for you and encouraging you, there's nothing like that. Most people don't have that experience in their life. And so to be able to give that to someone is truly a gift.

Kate Volman [: 00:17:08

What would you say to someone who is contemplating implementing this program or contemplating even just getting a dream manager for themselves Personally?

Dave Bellis [: 00:17:17

Yeah, I would definitely recommend it. And we work in the construction industry is kind of where we're at. So being open and vulnerable there to some of your soft side is not something that we're great at. But I would just encourage people to open up and show people that side of you. Don't be afraid. In other words, I was a little hesitant maybe going into it. Like, exactly what are we getting into? What's this going to be like? Yeah, we're talking about my dreams. I don't know if I'm okay sharing that with somebody, but let it out there.

Dave Bellis [: 00:17:55

Don't hold that in. Get it out. Talk to somebody. Have a. Like you said, somebody that can be your accountability partner and just share with that. That would be my main recommendation there.

Kate Volman [: 00:18:08

Awesome. Well, Dave, I'm so excited to see you at Certification. We're going to have to have you come back on after you've implemented the program and changed some people's lives. And I love that you mentioned your industry because it is. It always is interesting because you always have those folks who just, they feel like, I don't want to share my feelings, I don't want to share my dream. I'm not talking to you about that. But what's funny is that oftentimes those are the people that if they actually do allow themselves to open up, it impacts their life more. More so than anyone else because they've never done it.

Kate Volman [: 00:18:43

And so it's this new, beautiful experience for them, and it's so wonderful to watch. So I'm excited with what you'll be able to do with your team over there.

Dave Bellis [: 00:18:52

Yep, I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Kate Volman [: 00:18:55

Thank you so much, Dave. I appreciate you and I look forward to seeing you at certification. Thanks so much for coming on the show.

Dave Bellis [: 00:19:02

All right, great. Thanks for having me.

Kate Volman [: 00:19:04

Appreciate it.

Dave Bellis [: 00:19:04

Kate.

Kate Volman [: 00:19:08

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you got at least one idea out of this episode. Something that's going to inspire you to become a better leader or maybe to become a certified dream manager. Who knows? Maybe that is in your future. Maybe that's on your dream list. It was really wonderful to hear from Dave. And I appreciate organizations like HB McClure and what they do for their people, how much they care about their people and creating such a dynamic culture. Think about it.

Kate Volman [: 00:19:37

People that are staying 28, 30, 40 years at an organization that is truly remarkable, and obviously they're doing some good things over there. I also want to give a shout out to their president, Adam Smith, who is a very big advocate of the Dream Manager program, obviously. And we actually did an episode with him all the way back when we started. He was episode number 13. So if you want to go check that conversation out that we had with Adam, you'll get to learn a little bit more about taking the business, becoming an esop and also his thoughts on leadership, his thoughts on culture, and what that looks like. And so if you're interested in that, go check out that episode 13 with Adam Smith. Thank you so much for listening. If you are interested in the Dream Manager program and what it would look like for you and your organization and the impact that will have on your people, please go to thedreammanager.com fill out that form, and someone on our team will get in touch with you.

Kate Volman [: 00:20:32

We would love to have that conversation. If you are a leader that cares about your people, and I trust that you are because you're listening to this show, this program really is the number one employee development, attraction, retention, and engagement tool out there. It is just incredible what it will do for, for your people, for your culture, and for you personally as a leader. So thank you again for listening. We so appreciate you. And until next time, Lead With Culture.