We help leaders see what they’re too close to see.
The methodology was forged with government leaders who face the most demanding transparency and accountability requirements. The clarity it creates transfers everywhere.
What We Observed
Effective leaders have always practiced a discipline: facing what’s actually true, committing to what actually matters, building systems that sustain both. Recent years made that discipline urgently visible.
Since 2020, we’ve facilitated confidential peer conversations with city managers and county administrators across the country. What started as a free session during pandemic burnout became an ongoing community. The patterns that emerged became a methodology.
Some leaders navigated disruption better than others. Not the smartest or most experienced. The ones who could see their environment clearly and adapt without abandoning what mattered. They built systems to face hard truths. They created psychological safety so problems surfaced early. They found meaning in work others found overwhelming.
The Shift That Sticks names what they do. We didn’t invent it. We recognized a pattern that effective leaders have always practiced, and gave it language others can learn.
Our Just Cause
Every leader deserves clarity about what matters.
This is the “Passing It Along” principle. The methodology is designed to transfer.
Every engagement builds capability your team keeps. The tools work independently. The community reinforces itself. We measure success by what your organization can do after the engagement, not during it.
The Methodology
The Shift That Sticks is a framework for staying aligned with what matters. It’s built on a simple observation: sustainable leadership requires seeing clearly before acting, clarifying values under pressure, building systems that execute without willpower, and maintaining the discipline to reinforce alignment over time.
Whether you’re navigating disruption, sustaining what’s working, or seeking personal clarity, the discipline is the same.
The framework draws on research from organizational psychology, behavioral science, and leadership development. But it was refined through hundreds of conversations with practitioners who taught us what actually works in the field.
Face the Truth
Define What Matters
Make It Real
Reinforce the Change
How We Work
Think Tanks
Confidential peer advisory groups for city managers and county administrators. Monthly 90-minute sessions with 8-12 practitioners who understand isolation at the top. No lectures. No generic case studies. Just experienced peers working through real challenges together.
Services
Leadership development, team alignment, and culture transformation built on The Shift That Sticks methodology. Executive coaching, VisionSync workshops, retreats, and consulting engagements. All designed to build your capability.
Resources
Tools and frameworks designed to work independently. Practice Partner (an AI thinking tool), the Shift Assessment, and a forthcoming book that stands completely alone. The methodology is designed to transfer.
Founder & Principal
Rob Duncan
Rob believes practitioners already have the wisdom they need. His work is creating conditions where they can access it.
Before focusing on government, Rob spent over 16 years in Fortune 500 companies, rebuilt a $10M business through crisis and culture reconstruction, and was recruited to facilitate peer advisory groups for business leaders. He chose to focus on government because public sector leaders face the most demanding transparency and accountability requirements. If a methodology creates clarity there, it works anywhere.
Since founding Imagine That Performance in July 2020, Rob has facilitated over 250 Think Tank sessions with city managers and county administrators nationwide. The patterns that emerged became The Shift That Sticks, a framework for staying aligned with what matters.
Rob served as Interim Town Manager for Kenneth City, Florida, giving him firsthand experience with what the role actually demands. He’s authored the Local Government Companion Guide to the 2025 World Happiness Report and is completing The Shift That Sticks, forthcoming in 2026.
Start a Conversation
Questions? Ideas? Just want to talk through a challenge?
No pitch. No pressure. Just clarity about whether we can help.
rob@imaginethatperformance.com
813-699-9614
Based in Tampa, FL · Serving leaders who value clarity