With MDM’s SHIFT Conference coming up on May 13-15 in Denver, we’re rolling out a series of podcasts that feature speakers who will be at the event.

These shorter episodes help familiarize our audience with those speakers, preview what they plan to share at SHIFT and why it’s important, and provide some meaningful nuance into their areas of expertise.

You can find all the SHIFT details — including the agenda, registration and hotel info — at MDM.com/SHIFT.

Culture isn’t a soft skill — it’s a competitive advantage. Darcy Blessing-Williams, Managing Director of Nivalmi Consulting, says understanding team behavior is essential for leaders, especially when miscommunication can cost companies time, projects and customers.

In an MDM podcast episode, Blessing-Williams walks through a unique framework that helps distribution leaders understand the language of behavior. And she should know; before joining a consulting firm, she had stints at major distributors such as Cardinal Health and ABB Optical.

The Zookeeper framework simplifies complex behavioral science by essentially sorting people into four animal categories: lions, lemurs, dolphins and elephants. But it’s not a personality test… each category represents different behavioral traits that impact how team members communicate and work.

The framework isn’t just about identifying animal types — it’s about becoming a better “zookeeper” who leads an entire ecosystem. Blessing-Williams compares effective leaders to masters of behavior, like Steve Irwin.

“Culture is not a soft skill,” Blessing-Williams emphasized. “It’s the strongest competitive advantage that we have. Period. Your people are your company. If we are constantly being Steve Irwin, getting our people out of danger, getting them unstuck, tending to them, caring for them … you figure out who your team is, then you get them at their highest and best performance.” And how can you do that? By identifying behaviors and meeting the team where they shine.

In this episode, hear Blessing-Williams share more about this framework and how it simplifies complex team dynamics.

Don’t miss Darcy Blessing-Williams’s session at MDM’s SHIFT Conference, to be held May 13-15 in Denver. “It’s a Zoo Out There” will dive deeper into the Zookeeper framework, with real-world examples from Susan Tunney, Chief Human Resources Officer at Singer Equipment Company, who will share how this approach has transformed her organizational leadership.

Listen to the full episode via the audio player above, and find our entire episode library at mdm.com/podcasts.

Most Recent MDM Podcast Episodes

• Why Tech Fails Salespeople & How to Leverage it — April 1
• Imperatives Amid Evolving Go-to-Market Strategies – March 25
• The Expectations and Priorities of Today’s Young Talent – March 19
• An AI Research Primer Ahead of SHIFT – March 12
• How an Industrial Distributor Grows From its Roots – Feb. 26