In another fun episode of B2B Business Class, I sat down with Kate Volman, CEO of Floyd Consulting, to discuss the powerful impact of dream management in business and leadership.
With years of experience helping organizations cultivate exceptional workplace cultures, Kate shared actionable insights on fostering employee engagement, supporting personal growth, and leveraging dream management to drive business success.
Let’s dive into some of the key takeaways from our conversation.
Why Dream Management Matters in B2B Organizations
Kate introduced the concept of dream management by explaining its origins. “Matthew Kelly wrote The Dream Manager back in 2007. It’s a fable about a janitorial company dealing with a lot of retention issues,” she elaborated. “They implemented this idea of having a dream manager, who is essentially someone who goes and talks to the employees to find out the dreams that they have for their lives, their personal lives, and it got people more engaged.”
She emphasized that employees come to work not just for a paycheck but for the opportunity to achieve their dreams. By creating an environment that supports personal and professional growth, businesses can increase employee retention and performance.
“An organization can only be the best version of itself to the extent that its people are becoming better versions of themselves,” Kate noted.
Implementing a Dream Management Program
Kate outlined a step-by-step approach to implementing a dream management program in any organization.
“We always start with a Dream Storm,” she explained. “ Essentially, you're getting your people dreaming because when's the last time somebody asked them, ‘What are your dreams for your life?’”
From there, employees who want to participate work with a dream manager who provides guidance on setting and achieving goals.
“We're guiding people so they focus on two 12-month dreams, then they focus on a one to three-year dream, and then a five-plus year dream,” Kate said. “ We're also going through different areas of life — physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual. We go through the genius of their personality. We talk about all these different areas.”
The Business Impact of Supporting Employee Dreams
Dream management isn’t just about personal growth — it has tangible business benefits.
Kate highlighted a case study from one of her clients where the program led to an improved workplace culture, which resulted in bigger profits.
“They have said, ‘ We know that because of this program, it has impacted the bottom line,” she shared. “Our revenue is growing because our people are getting better. They're more engaged, they're healthier, and they're having better conversations. They have healthier relationships at home, which means they have healthier relationships in the office.”
She also noted that organizations using dream management often make credible “Best Places to Work” lists.
“One company was stuck at number six,” Kate said. “After a year with their [dream management] program, they jumped to number one on the list of best places to work for mid-sized organizations.”
Aligning Culture and Business Success
Kate emphasized that creating a great company culture is about more than perks — it requires intentional leadership.
“ You have to hire great people,” she explained. “If you're going to expect to have a great culture, you need to fire people who do not belong in the organization who might be toxic to the culture.”
She also acknowledged the challenges of cultural alignment. She talked about one case in which, after letting go of a toxic but high-revenue employee, a company’s sales team became more energized and actually increased revenue collectively.“They banded together, and they actually increased the revenue with that core group because now they were fired up,” Kate said. “They were excited. They were back on board, and they knew they had to do what needed to be done, and it wasn't happening with that person in the mix.”
Kate stated that while that situation may have been a unique case, toxicity in the workplace is something that every leader should be willing to confront.“I ask leaders all the time, ‘How would you feel if this person, your top person, said they were leaving?’ If the response I get is, ‘Oh, I would feel relieved,’ then that’s very telling.”
The Future of Dream Management
Kate believes that dream management will become an increasingly essential tool for businesses looking to retain top talent and create engaged teams.
“People come to work because they have dreams,” she explained. “And they believe that if they join your organization, you’re going to help them achieve those dreams.”The best part about implementing dream management for your team is that you don’t have to move mountains to get started.“
A lot of times, it's not what you think,” Kate said. “It's often small little changes and shifts that would make such an impact in their lives. You just have to have those conversations. You need to talk to your team members about them.”
For more insights from Kate Volman, you can listen to this episode of B2B Business Class on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
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