In this episode of the Know Your Why Podcast, Dr. Jason Balara sits down with Dalmo Cirne, an experienced leader and author of 4 Streams of Leadership, to unpack why so many people step into leadership roles feeling unprepared. Dalmo shares practical insights on leadership, management, and communication skills, with a strong focus on navigating difficult conversations and delivering meaningful feedback. He introduces his leadership framework built around four critical areas: managing yourself, managing teams, managing upward, and managing laterally. Throughout the conversation, Dalmo explains how unaddressed gaps in preparation can lead to frustration, misalignment, and breakdowns within teams, and why intentional personal development is essential for effective leadership.

Key Highlights:

- Many leaders step into management roles without the training or preparation they truly need

- Difficult conversations are unavoidable and essential for healthy team management

- Vague feedback creates confusion, while specific feedback drives growth and accountability

- Leadership is hierarchical, and understanding that structure helps reduce friction

- The 4 Streams of Leadership framework provides clarity across multiple leadership responsibilities

- Managing yourself is the foundation before you can effectively lead others

- Proactive communication helps shape team culture instead of reacting to problems later

- Empathy and directness must coexist in effective leadership conversations

- Preparation reduces insecurity and increases confidence in leadership roles

- A clear leadership framework supports consistency across teams and organizations

Dalmo’s perspective reinforces that leadership is not about having all the answers, but about building the skills and awareness to handle complexity with clarity. By focusing on self-management, intentional communication, and structured feedback, leaders can create stronger teams, navigate hard conversations with confidence, and grow into their roles with purpose rather than pressure.

Get in touch with Dalmo:

Website: https://dalmocirne.com/

Website: https://the4streamsofleadership.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalmocirne/

X: https://x.com/dalmocirne

If you want to know more about Dr. Jason Balara and the Know your Why Podcast:

⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jasonbalara⁠⁠  

Audio Track:

Back To The Wood by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.⁠⁠ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/⁠⁠

Artist:⁠⁠ http://audionautix.com/